Drew and Naomi were excited for movie day in their 6th grade class. They had never seen The Smurfs before and were looking forward to it. As they settled in and the movie began, they were immediately taken aback by what they saw on the screen. The Smurfs, small blue creatures with white hats, looked strikingly similar to members of the Ku Klux Klan, a racist and hate-filled organization.
To make matters worse, the villain of the movie, Gargamel, was portrayed as a caricature of a Jewish person, with a large nose and a hunched back. Drew and Naomi, who were respectively African-American and Jewish, were deeply upset by these images. They couldn't believe that a children's movie would include such hurtful and offensive stereotypes.
After the movie ended, a kid named Calvin approached Drew and Naomi and asked them if they liked it. They angrily responded that they did not, and that it offended them deeply. Calvin dismissed their concerns, telling them that they were overreacting and that it was just a movie.
Feeling frustrated and unheard, Drew and Naomi turned to another kid named Logan, asking him if he liked the movie. To their surprise, Logan said that he saw how offensive it was, even though he wasn't African-American or Jewish. He explained that just because something doesn't directly target you, it doesn't mean it's not hurtful or offensive to others.
Drew and Naomi were grateful for Logan's support and realized that they weren't alone in their feelings. They decided to speak to their teacher about the movie and the harmful stereotypes it perpetuated. Their teacher was open to their concerns and promised to choose more culturally sensitive movies in the future.
While it was a difficult experience, Drew and Naomi learned the importance of speaking up when something doesn't feel right. They also learned that they have allies in unexpected places and that their voices matter, even in 6th grade.
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