Can You Relate?
Step Into Tasha's Shoes
Tasha Alexandre wants to be invisible. Tasha’s parents are originally from Haiti and don’t speak much English. Tasha’s little brother, Luca, has autism. Tasha sees her parents' anxiety over trying to care for Luca, and doesn’t want to add to their stress. Being invisible is the only option. She decides to never complain, to hide during lunchtime, and never raise her hand during class, even when she knows the answers.
The other kids in class think Tasha is timid because she never speaks and doesn't hang out with them at lunch or after school. Even the teachers have made comments that she's not like the other students.
Like her parents, she avoids other people’s problems because she fears that calling attention to herself could risk getting her family deported.
One day Tasha notices that she got her first period during school only when she hears kids laughing at her. Tasha realizes she’s been walking around with huge stains on her pants, and in that single moment, she’s no longer invisible. Some kids fill her locker with tampons, to ‘educate’ her, adding to Tasha’s humiliation. Tasha fears what might happen to her family, and wishes she were dead.