The Day I Stood Up

Soft heart, steady spine.

When I moved from Belize to America at the age of six, everything about me made me stand out. My accent. My limp. My quiet nature. Kids didn’t understand my culture, and back in the late 1980s, differences weren’t celebrated. It was teased. Every day after school, I was pushed, called names, and mocked for how I spoke and walked.

I didn’t fight back. My aunt was strict and had warned me that if I ever caused trouble, she’d show up at school with a belt. So, I held it in, but the teasing didn’t stop. I remember one afternoon, she came to pick me up and saw a group of kids walking behind me, laughing. That day, she told me not to let anyone bully me again.

Her words confused me. How can I protect myself while still following her rules? But the next time it happened, something inside me changed. I was in sixth grade when a girl said something cruel about my mother, and I snapped. I fought back. That was the first fight I ever had, and though I dreaded the consequences, I felt something I hadn’t felt before: power.

The next day, I was called to the office. The principal gave me two options: take six swats with a paddle or have them call my aunt. I took the swats. I was sore, but for the first time, I wasn’t scared.

That day changed me. It didn’t make me violent; it made me aware. Aware that standing up for yourself isn’t about anger. It’s about reclaiming your dignity. It’s about no longer letting fear define your worth.

I learned how to code-switch between dialects, how to blend in when I needed to, but more importantly, I learned that strength doesn’t always roar. Sometimes it’s the quiet decision to stop running, turn around, and say, Enough.

“That day, I learned strength isn’t loud. It’s the quiet choice to no longer shrink.”

Bullies feed on silence. That day, I found my voice, not to harm, but to protect. Sometimes resilience begins the moment you stop shrinking to make others comfortable.

Content Note: This story contains references to childhood bullying and physical discipline.