6 minute read
Time for Change
Time for Change
In the wake of George Floyd’s death, students call for improvements to the Black experience at BVN.
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By Caroline Clarke
A young Sydnie Sikes walks into her first day of classes, only to find that there is no one else who looks like her. Ephren Taylor spends his day dodging requests to touch his hair, avoiding the attempts that come a little too close. Justice Bailey walks to the bathroom during class, mentally preparing herself to be questioned by passing staff members. She sits quietly in her history class, pretending not to notice the constant, loaded glances from her peers as the teacher discusses slavery. As each student makes their way through the halls during passing periods, they can’t help but cringe at the slurs used casually in conversation among classmates.
These are the stories of Black students at Blue Valley North.
On May 25, 2020, George Floyd was killed by a white police officer who knelt on his neck for over eight minutes, according to AP News. In the following weeks, a surge of activism and civil unrest erupted across the country. Protestors marched through the streets, chanting Floyd’s last words, “I can’t breathe.” His death has become a catalyst for years of public frustrations with police brutality and its effect on the Black community. Nationwide, communities began to evaluate the daily experiences of Black people in school, work and other gathering places.
At Blue Valley North, students of color report that they are affected by acts of discrimination and racism in various ways. In June, an Instagram post by Blue Valley School District discussing the Black Lives Matter Movement became a platform for students to share their experiences, flooding the comments with personal anecdotes that challenged the district’s message on inclusivity.
Junior Sydnie Sikes has been involved in the Black Lives Matter movement by staying active on social media, signing petitions, making donations and raising awareness. She admits that she never thought of the internet as the best platform for actionable change. Although increased social media activity can bring issues of racism to light, there are also many disadvantages to this method.
“I think that honestly it’s kind of a trend ... Gradually people are going to [become] more knowledgeable about things, but with all of this information coming to us...it gives a lot of opportunity for misinformation,” Sikes said. She explained that, from her perspective, reposting falsehoods on social media is often the bare minimum. “It’s good, but at the same time I’m not going to congratulate people for being decent human beings.”
Sikes also expressed the importance of increased tolerance and empathy among diverse groups of students and staff.
“I think the biggest thing is just, if someone is talking about [something] that you’ve never experienced before, you shouldn’t just automatically write it off and say, ‘Oh, you don’t know what you’re talking about,’” Sikes said. “You need to listen more and open up your ears more and think … ‘I’ve never had this happen to me before, but I believe them.’ Or at least give people the benefit of the doubt.”
In an instagram post, artist Alex Eickhoff (@eye_cough) described James Baldwin (depicted above) as “a brillliant American activist who encouraged creatives to use their voice to promote awareness and progressive change.” More information listed in “A Tour of KC” (17).
Sophomore Justice Bailey attended Red Bridge Elementary School in Center School District before transferring to the Blue Valley School District. According to the Center School District website, 70 percent of their student population is African American. Bailey described the transition from this district to her new middle school.
“It was kind of hard to adjust to Leawood Middle School because it’s predominantly white. So, at first I didn’t think I would fit in because there weren’t too many people of color in my grade. There [were] probably about seven,” Bailey said. “So, being the only Black person in the room, when [teachers] talk about history ... sometimes people will look back at you. You just have to sit there and maintain a straight face.”
Bailey mentioned excessive use of the N-word as an issue affecting Black students at BVN. She said that use of the slur has been dangerously normalized among her peers.
“I feel like we’ve gotten so comfortable with each other saying it that when someone says, ‘Stop it,’ it’s taken as a joke,” Bailey said. “They find it funny, but it’s not funny. On our end, we kind of just sit there and say, ‘Oh well.’”
Discrepancies in the history curriculum was a common concern among students interviewed. Sikes and Bailey, among others interviewed, agreed that educating children and young adults about the triumphs of Black history is essential to empowerment. Sophomore Meranda Mercer described inequalities in the narrative told by history curriculum at BVN.
“Blue Valley does not show anything about our history whatsoever, or about what we created. We talk about how all these Caucasian people did these amazing things. But we don’t talk about how Black people did all these amazing things, too.”
Junior Ephren Taylor, founder of the Black Student Union at BVN, also talked about including African history in classes at BVN.
“There could be a Black history elective. Or the whole European history [curriculum], as well as American history probably needs to be overhauled,” Taylor said. “The one time we talked about Africa was still from a European perspective of Imperialism. The only time we ever talk about Black people outside of America is when they’re being abused by Europeans.”
Taylor explained the importance of including healthy discussions in class curriculum to encourage productive conversations among people with different opinions. He also expressed that unity among Black students can help create a safer environment at BVN.
“For Black students: Don’t be afraid to have these conversations,” Taylor said. “Honestly, it gets kind of lonely out here being the only one who ever wants to say anything ... I know there are other Black people who feel the same way as me, but we need to gain the confidence to speak up.”
Principal Tyson Ostroski said he has been working with staff and administrators to make productive changes within the school environment. Since the outpouring of comments and critiques on the Instagram post, he has implemented staff workshops to improve the experience of students of color at BVN.
“We had different departments... over the summer get together and do book studies, reading books like ‘White Fragility,’ [and] other kinds of books about inclusivity in school,” Ostroski said. “They started having some conversations within themselves about what they can do with the curriculum, whether it’s the books that we read in English classes, or the ... things that we study in history.”
One change in response to the Black Lives Matter movement was a professional development day, which was intended to address implicit biases among staff members. Implicit Bias is defined by the Perception Institute as a set of unconscious stereotypes that affect interactions with people of a different race, religion, sexual orientation or gender. These stereotypes are common in schools, and they negatively impact the daily experience of people of color. The goal of this professional development day was to improve the way teachers approach diverse individuals and to address the needs of all students equally. Additionally, Ostroski has created a group of Blue Valley community members to address issues of inequality within BVN.
“I’ve developed a [Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion] Team, and that’s going to be made up of parents, and teachers, and students, in which we’re going to look for ways that we can become better as a school, and just hear from a diverse group of individuals on how we can truly have some actionable items, so that it’s not just [discussion],” Ostroski said. “We want to ... celebrate diversity. We’re done with awareness, we want action. And so...what does that look like on a daily basis at Blue Valley North?
“We need to relook at what [we are] structuring our year around, and how we can make sure that diversity, equity, and inclusion are part of our DNA, in everything,” Ostroski said. “It’s not its own month, or its own day, or its own assembly, but it’s just who we are.”
