Last June, as the bell rang for final period, I was packing up my things and getting ready to attend my first People of Color Club meeting at Peninsula High School. I noticed my heart starting to beat a little faster and I had a slight feeling of unease in my stomach.
In the city of Gig Harbor, a beautiful but rather homogenous place, I personally have never felt the discomfort of seeming different from the people around me. But in that moment, I couldn’t shake a profound realization: This is how people of color and minorities who simply live in this city every day might feel.
I walked in and scanned the room for President Prince, who I would be interviewing that afternoon. I immediately felt at ease as I was warmly greeted by several club members. “Are you here for the potluck?” I panicked slightly. I had shown up to a potluck empty-handed. I explained that I was there to interview some people and check out the club. I was invited to grab some food and make myself comfortable.
Across the room I recognized Prince. He had a big smile on his face, was tall and had the build of a football player. We sat down at a nearby table and started talking about the club he had founded. I was curious and asked him what had inspired him to start this club.
“When we moved here in 2018, we came from a place of poverty and almost everyone there was of color, and even if you were white, we treated everyone equally no matter what,” he said.
“Back then, everyone was kind of the same, but when we moved here, it was weird. I would go to the store with my dad, and you know, he’s an all-black man, and the whole store would look at us sideways, and we could feel it. We could feel the tension. So my parents told me I should start this club to bring people together. And last year I finally had the opportunity to do it.”
I then asked him what his intentions were with this club and what goals he wanted to achieve with it at our school.
“Honestly, just a home. We need to create a home where we can all feel loved. You’ll see today, we really are like one big family.”
I was inspired by the sincerity in his voice and the clarity of his message of hope for a better future, not just for people of color. but for everyone. I’ve heard some people oppose the creation of a club for people of color because it’s exclusive and racist towards white people. So to clear up any confusion, I asked who can join the POC club.
“Like I said, it’s really just a home for people, it doesn’t matter,” Prince said. “It’s really inclusive here. Gays and whites can come here. We just want everyone to feel at home.”
I also had the pleasure of speaking with Alexa Apostol and something she shared really stuck out to me. When I asked her if she had ever been treated differently because of her race, she said, “I’m lucky because I’ve never really had to deal with racial bullying, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t been treated differently. You know, when girls compliment me and say, ‘Oh, you’re so pretty.’ To me, they’d say, ‘Oh, you’re so pretty, what are you?’ It always felt like a double-edged compliment, but I knew it was never meant to be hurtful. But I always experienced the ‘What are you?’ like they wanted to know the race, not me.”
This was something I had never thought about, but when I heard it, I realized how much we all want to be seen for who we are, not what we look like.
I learned so much about my fellow students. I appreciated their vulnerability and how open they were to sharing deeply personal thoughts and feelings, allowing me to better understand an experience outside of my own. We learn not by making judgements, but by asking questions.
I encourage my fellow students to stop by a meeting, chat with your peers, and if you’re lucky, enjoy some delicious food. Remember, everyone is welcome at the People of Color Club. Come and find your home with some of the warmest and most loving people I’ve ever had the pleasure of sitting with. As Prince said, it’s a home for everyone, and that includes you.
Camri Clawson will begin her penultimate year at Peninsula High School in September.
