11-year-old boy's heartbreaking letter about his experience with racism goes viral

8 July 2020, 17:32

Tré, an 11-year-old boy from Ireland shared his painful experiences with racism in a letter with his teacher.

A young boy named Tré has seen a letter he wrote at school about his own personal experiences with racism go viral after it was shared on Twitter, just weeks after Black Lives Matter protests were sparked across the world following the death of George Floyd.

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Tré, who is 11-years-old and from Ireland wrote the letter titled 'My Encounters With Racism' for his teacher and its heartbreaking contents have seen his emotive writings go viral.

Writing in his letter, Tré said, "My name is Tré Jones. I am 11 years old. People say I am mixed race but I say that I am black because I know what people see when they look at me. I am proud to be black."

Tré went on to reveal, "Since I was a baby I have suffered from racism from adults and children who are white."

Bullet pointing his own personal experiences with racism, Tré said, "I have been called the 'N' word so many times. I have been told to go back to Africa. I've been called chocolate face monkey, I'm burnt and that I'm a little slave boy".

Closing out his letter, the 11-year-old continued, "These things really hurt my feelings and I will hear things like this all my life. I wish white people would stop being racist and and be kinder to all races."

According to Irish programme Liveline, Tré's school principal, Mary Corcoran revealed how proud she is of him and how his letter has highlighted the importance of a supportive community. She reportedly said, "Attitudes are changing but education is key."

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