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Calvin Zimmerman was 13 years old, in eighth grade, the first time he started noticing the ways racism affected people around him. 

At first, he noticed it affecting Asian kids in his school. At the start of the pandemic in 2020, he noticed racist comments directed toward Asian classmates, accusing them of having or spreading COVID-19. 

“We saw a pattern of just the targeting of a certain people based on their race, and based on how the media was covering this virus,” Calvin said.

Then he saw news on tv about white men murdering Ahmaud Arbery in a racially-motivated hate crime. 

“I was home alone watching the news and it came up and I was like, Oh my God,” Calvin said. “It was an eye opener for me when I started to open my eyes to race and really see my surroundings. This made me aware that we are vulnerable and that anyone is willing to knock us down or try to put us down.”

Weeks later, when George Floyd was murdered, Calvin remembers his mother, who immigrated to the United States from Africa, breaking down in tears, staring at the TV with her hand over her mouth. Calvin’s dad, who is white, took time to check in with Calvin, listen to his fears, and talk about the extra things Calvin, who is Black, needed to do to keep himself safe.

But Calvin found it difficult that many of his white friends didn’t understand him.

“I'm a Black boy, I'm more cautious when I'm outside, they don't have to be, they don't have to give a care in the world,,” he said. 

“I am reminded every day by my parents by my white father and my Black mother, like you be careful outside, like you treat everyone with respect, you don't step out of line, you don't give them a reason to put you in cuffs or to do anything to you. And that's such a scary realization that Black and white children are brought up in two different, you know, ways. Like we're being told to be cautious to not give them a reason to, you know, like, hurt us. 

“White kids, they don't hear that,” Calvin said. “They would just not be able to see it. And I'm like, ‘How can you not see this oppression that we have right here is not only affecting me, but affecting all of us right now. The whole world has seen it.’ And yet, I still have to educate y'all on this. And it's exhausting, it really is. And it really hurt. Like, I really distanced myself from my friends because of it.”

Calvin found ways to take action. He joined Students Organizing Against Racism, a group at his school. He and his dad attended walkouts to protest police violence after the killings of Amir Locke, Dante Wright, George Floyd. 

“I was so mad. How many more? When will it be someone I know? It’s tiring, never-ending,” Calvin said. 

It’s been awhile since Calvin attended a walkout. This year he’s focused his advocacy work on his school. He wants to see more teachers of color in his classrooms and he wants his curriculum to be more diverse. He’s particularly excited about an Advanced Placement African American studies class that’s starting at his school next fall. It’s something he advocated for and consulted on with his school’s teachers. 

“We have a long way to go. But it's not too late to start,” Calvin said. “If we start now we can see big change, but it has to be a brave soul. It can't just be one person.”

This story is part of a series produced with support from the Education Writers Association Reporting Fellowship program.

Social Issues

Conversations around race and racial justice

Elizabeth Shockman

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MPR News education reporter Elizabeth Shockman talked to eight Minnesota student activists about their work. In this series, MPR News introduces you to the students, their activism and how they're shaping the state.

Difference maker Calvin Zimmerman: ‘If we start now we can see big change’

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