Why Tackle Bullying?
Shining a Light on Tough Topics
Bullying is harder to define than something that causes hurt feelings or a single cruel joke. As this campaign has defined it, bullying is repeated, hurtful, intentional behavior by people who perceive another person to be less powerful than themselves.
And to take it a step further, when someone is bullied because of their race, origin, ethnicity, heritage, or language, it is called ‘race-based bullying.’
Why is it an issue?
Bullying, especially race-based bullying directed to the AAPI and BIPOC communities is on the rise.
This can look like making fun of someone’s name or telling them their lunch smells funny, or escalate to treating someone poorly because of assumptions of where they’re from or who they are as a person based on the color of their skin.
In order to start meaningful change, we need to be able to recognize bullying for what it is, so we can see how it’s hurting ourselves and the people around us––and understand what we can do about it.
Behind the Campaign
Know the Driving Force Behind
Right Our Story
We’re a youth-led group of advocates working for a world without bullying and our campaign aims to engage our peers, tweens and teens, to elevate the issue of race-based bullying and become anti-bullying advocates and activists in their own schools and networks.
We see the pain that bullying—and race-based bullying—is causing in our communities, and we can’t stand by. We know we also have the capacity to take ownership of solutions by building resilient, positive, respectful communities with our peers by utilizing the power of storytelling.
Meet the Youth Advisors
Comprised of youth from across the state of California, coordinated through our partnership with the Youth Leadership Institute, the Youth Advisory Committee is the guiding force behind the campaign. Looking to create real change, we see what’s going on in our neighborhoods. In our communities. In our country. And we are engaged students, who will not wait for someone else to make it better. Banding together—we are drawing on the immense assets within ourselves and our communities—to confront systemic problems, like race-based bullying, head on.
Meet California’s Mental Health Commission
Approved by California voters in 2004, Proposition 63 led to the creation of the Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission (MHSOAC) to drive transformational change across the state’s mental health system.
The Commission works to ensure that people get the care they need in a timely, comprehensive, effective, and culturally competent manner. In everything, it vigorously promotes community collaboration.
Given the mental health and community impacts of bullying – especially race-based bullying – the Commission is implementing the California API Equity Budget goal of supporting youth who have experienced bullying through the Right Our Story campaign.
