A Footprint Among the Masses
By Nicole Iuzzolino
“Your hair can be used as a pillow,” is a phrase Olivia Knox became very familiar with in elementary school. As a biracial girl growing up in a predominantly White neighborhood on Sea Cliff, Long Island, these comments were common.
“Looking back on it, there was a lot of racism and microaggressions that I'm now realizing I kind of just let happen to me while growing up. And it really shapes a person growing up,” Olivia says.
During high school, never once did Olivia learn about Black history in the classroom. She was left to learn about her culture and its significance on her own.
“As a light skin Black person at my school, I wasn’t seen as White enough. But if I went down the street to a predominantly Black community, I wouldn’t be seen as Black enough,” Olivia shares. “So it was a very uncomfortable middleness growing up.”
During the unforgettable summer of 2020, Olivia was left horrified by the death of George Floyd. Despite the frustration, Olivia knew she wanted to be a part of the steps towards finding justice, even if it was just a footprint among the masses.
Along with her older brother, Olivia reached out to a variety of people in her community to organize the logistics and receive permits to host a Black Lives Matter protest in her town. “It started off really small,” Olivia laughs. “I didn’t think over 100 people would even come to it, just because I live in a small, predominantly White town. I just wasn’t sure the kind of support we would get.”
The pushback began immediately and first started with the Mayor of Sea Cliff. The county did not want the protest going through the town, forcing Olivia to change the route of the march multiple times and retrieve new permits. Then there was opposition from community members, including from those she grew up with and knew from a young age. Olivia says, “Reaching out to them and having them ignore me, not responding or showing any type of support, was very eye-opening.”
Finally, there were the threats. Residents from a neighboring town posted several images of guns and bullets on Snapchat, captioning them with, “If looters come to our door, there will be actions.”
The intention of the protest was always peaceful. “It was never advertised that we were going to loot the town. It was advertised from the beginning as a peaceful protest but of course people take that and run with it,” Olivia says. Unfortunately, this threat was posted the night before the protest, leaving all the participants wondering what would happen the next day.
But, the outreach of support was more than Olivia could imagine. “Even though people were actively trying to make it not happen, it still happened and it was more than anyone would expect,” Olivia says. Over 3,000 individuals participated in the march, and Olivia was even able to have the Long Island police join and support the movement.
Reminiscing on this monumental moment that she orchestrated gives Olivia goosebumps. “It was truly so surreal. I really had to pinch myself and ask myself, ‘Is this reality?’” Olivia admits. “It was so empowering to see so many different races and ethnicities show up.”
In addition to the peaceful march, Olivia collected 300 pounds of food and water to donate to a local food pantry in Long Island.
This passion for social justice has followed Olivia to Marist College. As a senior with a major in Social Work, Olivia chose to study a field that would enable her to work specifically with her community. During the Fall of 2020, Olivia hosted a racial justice forum for the social work students and during the Spring semester she plans to create a forum for the entire school.
But similarly to her community, not everyone is onboard with her visions and plans for social justice on campus. “It was awkward going into this school year. I don’t really talk to a lot of my classmates anymore,” Olivia shares.
“If they are not going to support me, and they are social work students, it doesn’t really add up,” Olivia says. “Social work students are supposed to fight for human rights. The fact that I am the only one doing so and I am getting weird looks because of it, is very disappointing from a social work program.”
This backlash only motivates Olivia to keep speaking up. “It is telling me that I am being noticed for what I am doing.”
Thinking about the future, Olivia doesn’t only consider herself, but the world around her. She sees herself with a large family, just like hers, and in a political position, surrounded by people who look just like her.
“I want more Black females in power. I would love to see a Black female President in my lifetime,” Olivia says. “This is far fetched, but I would love to see a world with no racism. I think that’s what every person of color really aims for.”
Olivia is ready for change — a change that has been long overdue. Ultimately, this change begins with the community.
To children of color growing up in an environment where they feel they have no support, Olivia says, “I would tell them that to know their worth. Look inside yourself for everything. When you grow up, you’ll realize that it has always been this way. I have experienced the same microaggressions, the same comments, people touching my hair, comparing skin tones… We have all been in the same boat and look at me, I am strong and still here today. You are in that same boat and will come out stronger because of it.”
FOR THE RECORD UNCUT
OBJECT PHOTOGRAPHY
Photography by Bobby Oliver
For this year’s project, we asked our Changemakers to bring items that had meaning to them to the shoot.
“I chose my blue light glasses because I’m always doing work on my laptop which starts to hurt my eyes. I love the difference they make when I’m working, so they’ve become a part of my everyday life. My second object was my favorite book, Higher is Waiting by Tyler Perry. I read this book over the summer and it truly changed the way I look at life. That book gave me the confidence to start using my voice without fear of repercussions. My third object was my phone. I try to limit the time I am on my phone, but it is still a part of my everyday life. I’m constantly getting emails, so my phone is very important.”