Last Friday, the football teams of Lincoln High School in San Diego and San Clemente High School played a game at San Clemente High in Orange County.
Lincoln High cheerleaders said they were taunted with racial slurs, including the “n-word." One said she was told to "go back to Africa." This follows an incident at Poway High School, a week earlier, where a “blackout” themed event turned racist when a couple of students wore masks of President Obama and a gorilla.
RELATED: Lincoln High Investigating Reports Of Racial Taunts During Football Game In OC
Research shows racist encounters, like the ones mentioned, can cause long-lasting mental and physical health problems for students. Recently, the American Academy of Pediatrics released a policy statement on the impact of racism on children and adolescents. The statement points to the chronic diseases that develop due to the chronic stress of racism.
Dr. Kelsey Bradshaw, a clinical child psychologist with Sharp Mesa Vista Hospital, joined Midday Edition Wednesday to talk about how this new policy statement informs his practice and how it can help guide parents and their children.
