Dozens of students at Dartmouthโs Prince Andrew High School walked out of class on Monday to protest racist behaviour in the halls and a lack of curriculum on Black history and culture.
The โBlack Minds Matterโ walkout was staged two weeks after a white student distributed content on Snapchat containing explicit and racist language, including the N-word. That individual was suspended, according to the schoolโs principal.
Yet Grade 12 student Keasiah Sparks, a co-organizer of the walkout, say racism at Prince Andrew High School goes beyond a single social media post.
โConstant use of the N-word, many microaggressions like โCan I touch your hair?โ or โIs that a weave?โ Thatโs a lot of the things that happen and itโs not just from the students, itโs from the teachers itself.โ
READ MORE: Municipality paints โBlack Lives Matter โ murals in Halifax and Dartmouth
โItโs like little things and they donโt think we catch onto it,โ added Essence Simmonds, another co-organizer in Grade 12. โBut I have six other siblings that have to come here and I donโt want my siblings to go through the same thing that I went through, throughout my 13 years.โ
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The students โ all wearing face masks โ read poems, sang, waved signs and called out to honking cars passing by: โIn order to learn, first you must be heard,โ and โBlack Lives Matter.โ
They demanded โmore action instead of wordsโ when it comes to disciplining students and staff who engage in racist behaviour, and a commitment to an expanded curriculum on Black culture and history.
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โWe want a cohort for the Black students to learn more about our culture, our background, because we feel thatโs not taught or expressed in the school,โ said Grade 11 student Latanajah Brooks. โWe have only one month for Black history month and we barely get to learn about it.โ
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โBlack people in PA (Prince Andrew) donโt really feel comfortable because of other peopleโs actions, so we feel like we canโt really learn in our own community,โ added Grade 11 student Airedin Greencorn.
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If white students want to help, organizers explained, they can call out racist behaviour when they see it and educate their peers.
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The walkout was supervised by supportive Prince Andrew staff members, including principal Brad McGowan. He said heโs committed to an equitable, safe, racism-free learning environment and Black students โare going to see change right awayโ at the school.
The students, he added, have formed a committee that will meet with him every two weeks with their observations and suggestions.
โWhat I told them is, โIf thereโs things Iโm not seeing, I want to see them through your eyes,โ so weโre going to be having these regular meetings, Iโm going to be reporting back to them,โ he told Global News. โI look forward to this powerful partnership.โ
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ยฉ 2020 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
