As part of their Being 12 series, WNYC created this incredibly powerful video of a diverse group of 12-year-olds from New York City schools talking about their racial identity.
View this video on YouTube
WNYC producer Jennifer Hsu told BuzzFeed that the multimedia project is "about being 12 and how it's one of the hardest, most awkward years of your life."
In answering the question, "Who are you?," Eki identifies herself as being from Haiti and Nigeria.
James identifies as biracial.
"My name's Lamine, I'm Muslim."
Kyona opens up about trying to share her Venezuelan culture.
Eki recalls an upsetting experience she had when her family was forced to pay in advance at a restaurant.
Lamine worries about how he will be perceived by the police.
James says, "I think there's this kind of anxiety that comes with being biracial, like, that eats away at you. Almost like you have to prove yourself as one or the other."
And Becky, who identifies as African-American and adopted, finds humor in people's expectations of her based on her race.
Kyona is not going to live down to stereotypes.
Lydia explains white privilege as "the idea that in your everyday life, you're getting treated differently, and sometimes with more respect, or people just trust you more, or they have certain expectations of you... because you're white."
