How did today feel?
It felt like an important assembly/day for me to just sit and listen to what people of color had to say about their experiences and the change they want to see. I appreciated that they explained the Black Lives Matter movement more thoroughly, and also reiterated why the All Lives Matter movement is redundant, pointless, and hateful.
When did you feel comfortable and what was happening that made you feel comfortable?
I felt most comfortable when the girls from BLS were speaking, because I felt like they were enjoying the opportunity to spread the word about their cause and though they did not hold back when it came to making sure white people felt accountable, everything they said was warranted and educational.
When did you feel uncomfortable and what was happening that made you feel uncomfortable?
I honestly felt a little uncomfortable when Hal, the white student, answered certain questions. He gave a very good answer for why All Lives Matter doesn’t work, and I understand the need for a diverse group of voices at the panel, but I felt that for a day that is meant to be about hearing people of color, I didn’t expect to be lectured to be a white male.
What was the most important thing you heard or learned today?
The most important thing was probably the difference between equality and equity, which I did not even realize before. Now it seems obvious: if everyone has the same opportunities, there may still be people who begin in a more privileged position, but can still take advantage of those opportunities. It’s important to make sure that not only does everyone have the same opportunities, but we all begin from the same starting point as well.
What are you going to do about something you heard today?
I am going to take more time to consider my own privilege, and where I get benefits due to my skin color while other people are met with obstacles.
What do you want people to know about your experience?
I want people to know that while I was never against the Black Lives Matter movement, I am far more supportive of it now that I got to hear members of it speak outside of the context of a protest, march, or rally.
What do you hope will happen from here? What are things BHS could work on/do to make
everyone comfortable here?
I really would like the people of color in the school to become more integrated into the rest of the classes, especially on the more advanced levels. I still can’t believe that for every 20 white kids in AP, there is one black kid. This is evident even through my classes: I do not have a single African-American in any of my classes. One would expect that for a school that prides itself on being diverse, I would get to interact with more people who look different than I do.
What is the first step toward a change you want to make here?
I wonder if the process of “clustering” students of color together so they feel more comfortable (I believe that’s something that takes place) is really beneficial in the long run. Also, I want teachers to consider if they have biases that make them push white or asian students more than black or Hispanic ones, causing the former group to excel while the latter falls behind.
What do you need from me(Ms S) to make sure you feel comfortable?
I would push you to do what I mentioned above.
