I read the Reporter’s recent article “Community speaks out against racism.”

We used to live in South Seattle where many African-American people live. I used to take my daughter to the Garfield Community Center in the Central area. Children happily played together.

Frankly, I feel there is more racism on the Eastside than in South Seattle. It is not only towards African-American people. Being an Asian myself, I feel that there is racism directed towards me as well. I didn’t feel like this when I was in Seattle.

I heard some comments from some people here that they don’t want their children to mix with African-American and Latino kids, therefore they live in this area because it is mostly made up of white and Asian people.

People who live here say that “we are very diverse here” but it is not true for African-American or Latino people. If more African-American and Latino people move here, it would truly become a diverse place.

Children need to mix with different cultures from early childhood, so that those teens who shouted at Markeese Rieux in Redmond won’t be created. Segregation is over but it still exists in this modern day, in peoples’ minds. Especially on the Eastside.

Kimiko Hihara

Klahanie