Racism has had a tremendous effect on humanity. It has been around for decades, and it effects everyone. African-Americans, Jewish people, First Nations, almost everyone. But, there are also many people who either fight back, or let their battles win. First of all, in the graphic novel ‘Sugar Falls’, Betsy, a five-year-old girl, gets taken from her family to go to residential school. Right from the get-go, you can already see an impactful moment, and it happened to millions of people across the country. Boys and girls being pulled from their families to go to an unknown place, without having time to prepare or to say ‘goodbye’. Secondly, Betsy was taken into the school where she was bathed and rubbed vigorously, and was shamed by the nuns. While the nuns were washing her, Betsy felt instant shame. She realized that they weren’t trying to clean off dirt, but her skin color. With all the name calling and abuse, Betsy had already felt depressed and broken down. She felt like she wasn’t good enough. Thirdly, abuse in residential schools can scar someone for life. The verbal, physical, emotional, and sexual abuse could affect how someone grows up. For Betsy, she witnessed some of her good friends be hit, kicked, shamed, and also die. These actions left a permanent image in her brain that she will never be able to forget. But, it isn’t all that bad. Residential school can also impact someone in a positive way, like Betsy. She was a fighter. She never let the nuns win, and take her culture away from her. The harder they kicked her, the harder she worked. The more they yelled at her, the more stronger she became. During residential school, Betsy chose who she wanted to be, persevered and set her mind to it, and years later, she never let go of that. She saw how important keeping her culture alive was, and took time to help others learn her native language. In the end it’s not about the abuse that impacts someone. It’s how someone deals with it, and uses it to become a better and stronger person.