LH Feature Magazine

2109 FEATURES 10.23.20

Iowa City High School - The Little Hawk - www.thelittlehawk.com

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The Shadow Pandemic Mental Health in Quarantine

BLACK LIVES MATTER Page 12: Read about the recent protests for racial justice and their impact on the Iowa City City Council and City High

letter from the editors

dear readers, Welcome to the first 2109 features magazine of the 2020-2021 school year! Thanks for taking a look inside our amazing mag! This has by far been one of the hardest issues to get to print – without access to computers in the journalism room, an inability to share cameras, and a smaller staff, we have definitely had to innovate quite a bit. However, we, as always, have pulled together an amazing magazine covering a variety of today’s most relevant issues, from the Black Lives Matter protests to mental health in quarantine to the Instagram accounts calling out discrimination in our school district. Right now, our staff is split between the hybrid and online learning models and we cannot wait to be back together again in 2109. With love,

Aala Basheir & Jesse Hausknecht-Brown

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table of contents

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@ICCSD Instagram Accounts The Shadow Pandemic Mental Health in Quarantine COVID-19 Around the World Black Lives Matter

@ ICCSD

Students have created Instagram accounts to share stories of race, gender, and sexuality based discrimination

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By Jesse Hausknecht-Brown

or months, well-designed, color-coordinated, patterned squares flooded City High students’ Instagram feeds; however, the content of these boxes was less pleasing than their aesthetic exterior. All under similar handles, these Instagram accounts, most created in late July and early August, call out discrimination faced by students and teachers in the Iowa City Community School District (ICCSD).

The first of these accounts to be created was the @blackaticcsd Instagram account, whose first post is dated July 19, 2020.

“I started the @blackaticcsd page after seeing Ivy League universities create similar social media accounts,” Taylor*, a high school student in the ICCSD, said. “I wanted it to be a safe space for students of color to share their stories… I don’t consider myself an activist— I’m just doing what should have been done by the district.”

Within a week of the account being created, @ blackaticcsd had posted nearly 50 submissions and received many more. Soon after, the @lgtbaticcsd and @girlsaticcsd accounts were created, first posting on July 22 and 30, respectively.

“I saw the other two accounts, @lgbtaticcsd and @ blackaticcsd, and I felt like we needed a place for girls

to report sexism and misogyny, but it ers comment about experiencing or seekind of turned into an account to report ing a similar instance happen to them,” sexual harassment,” Violet Whiting ‘25, Taylor said. an eighth-grader at South East Junior While Taylor was upset by the stories High and the original creator of the @ about racist students, what hurt them girlsaticcsd account, said. the most was the stories about students Astrid Carlson ‘24, who identifies as who would report incidents of discriminon-binary, describes their friend reach- nation to staff members and not see any ing out to them about creating the @ action be taken. lgbtaticcsd account.

“After talking with the other ac“As an LGBTQ person in the counts I realized that many of the teachICCSD, I have personally dealt with ers being named for racist actions are harassment and bullying because of that also showing up in stories of sexism, and I felt that it was important for us homophobia, or unequal disciplinary to have a space where we could share actions,” Taylor said. “Whenever there those stories and bring awareness to the is a story with a teacher, I always keep fact that this is still happening, even in the name in so that other students could a school district that is slightly more lib- comment if they have something simeral,” Carlson said. ilar; usually there are multiple similar They’re one of the six owners of the stories from the same teachers.” @lgbtaticcsd account and described the However, Taylor does blur out the six of them getting together as a group names of students who come up in subto create the account. missions because they are not employees “It was more of a thing of like we of the school district. were just all LGBT people at ICCSD “It is tougher for the district to take and so we thought it would be better if action against a student, whether that we did it together, even if there wasn’t student has graduated, left the school, enough work for six people to do,” Carl- already been punished, in case the story son said. “Then it got bigger and then isn’t true, etc., so student names are alall of a sudden there was enough work ways blurred out, for that student’s safefor six people to do.” ty, and also due to the lack of action the Megan Fields ‘21 underestimat- district is allowed to enact, or they will ed how many incidents of harassment enact,” Taylor said. or discrimination would show up on City High principal John Bacon exthe accounts and was surprised by the plained how if a student reports an incistories that she saw, but is glad the ac- dent that occurred with a specific teachcounts were created. er, then there would be an investigation.

“My first reaction to the ICCSD “I have not read transcripts of everyaccounts was really positive because I thing that was posted on [the Instagram thought it was a really good idea for peo- accounts] so I’m not aware of a great ple who feel like they can’t or don’t have deal of specifics,” Bacon said. “I would a voice in the district,” Fields said. “I tell you in general, that if there was a thought it was really important because specific concern brought that warrantI know in my ed an investigaexperience as a “I felt like we needed a place for tion, we would young woman investigate. And who’s grown girls to report sexism and misogyny, there’s a proceup in this dis- but it kind of turned into an account dure for that in trict, that there the school disto report sexual harassment.” trict.” have definitely been many casM o r e o v e r, VIOLET WHITING es where womBacon describes CITY HIGH FRESHMAN en don’t get the two equity comchance to speak of their experiences.” mittees at City High: one, a staff equity Taylor describes how they quickly team that met weekly during the spring noticed similar things in the submis- and the first part of the summer, and the sions they received: the same teachers, other, a student diversity, equity, and inthe same experiences, and the same clusion team. problems. “[We want to] really invest in that “I have received some horrible sto- student equity team and make sure ries, but none of which were surprising; that the student body knows about that many people comment on the shock group,” Bacon said. they had reading it, these tend to be Whiting would like to see the district white students and teachers, whilst oth- take more action and do more to help

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students who come forward with stories of misogyny.

“Obviously there [are] so many stories; these are just the people who are brave enough to share their story, and if there’s all this obviously going around and in our community, we need to take action because most of the stories were saying that they were just asked to apologize or just forced to apologize,” Whiting said.

Carlson and the other owners of the @lgbtaticcsd account have been talking to other students who have faced homophobia or transphobia at school to gather information before bringing specific complaints to the district.

“For ones [with] specific teachers we are collecting information and records, especially video records, and compiling information so that we can then bring it to the district [because] we want to have a strong case before we go to rush in there,” Carlson said.

After facing discrimination at South East, Carlson is hopeful that the attitudes in the school district towards the LGTBQ+ community will change in the future. When talking about their experience at South East as a non-binary person, Carlson described it as “not great” citing instances when the administration would refuse to put students’ correct names and pronouns in PowerSchool.

“Some teachers would go as far as intentionally using the given names as much as possible, which was really not cool. In the halls, the hall monitors were often more likely to stop LGBTQ couples for public displays of affection than they ever were for straight couples,” Carlson said.

To combat these issues, another plan that the City High administration is working on is a way to incorporate students in staff professional development.

“We want to take half of our in-service days and designate them for student-led professional development so we can hear directly from students,” Bacon said.

There will be a system where students can make a proposal about what they want to present and a staff equity team will choose which proposal they want to hear more about in a staff professional development meeting.

“Then we would actually have student-led professional development so we can just hear directly from students,” Bacon said. “And that was one example, and there are many other steps, other steps included like special lessons

that the teacher teams were working on to address racial equity issues, to address treating each other with respect, and just all of those types of things that we’re building some lessons that would fit into our advisory structure that we’re going to be delivered during advisory.”

Matt Degner, the interim superintendent, explained that the work they need to do is twofold; they need to create a system where discrimination doesn’t occur, but when incidents do happen, students and staff know how to handle them.

“That’s where we need own some responsibility,” Degner said. “They haven’t felt like things have changed or when they shared those stories before, that nothings different or nothing’s changed. We need to reflect as a system about why that’s occurring and what we can do to improve on that.”

Additionally, the owners of these accounts have faced backlash on social media.

“One day, over the span of five or so hours, I received about a hundred submissions. Most, if not all, were from one person. A troll. Some were racist slurs and others were pushing his political ideologies,” Taylor said.

Whiting has had to delete sexist comments and block trolls from seeing the @girlsaticcsd account. Carlson described one friend group trolling the @lgbtaticcsd account, submitting fake stories, and harassing one of the other admins of the accounts.

Other accounts also surfaced, some positive, like @mentalhealthaticcsd and @latinosaticcsd, and some that seemed to be troll accounts, like @boysaticcsd and @conservativesaticcsd.

“I enjoyed seeing the other aticcsd accounts being started: the lgbtaticcsd, girlsaticcsd, and latinosaticcsd as well as the mental health and bullying accounts. Other accounts such as the boysaticcsd and conservativesaticcsd, not as much, especially considering they don’t post,” Taylor said.

At the end of the day, the owners of all of these accounts want to see the school district take action to prevent discrimination in the furture. “[We want] to talk [to the school board] about discrimination and incidents that really prove that there is serious discrimination going on in the school discrict, because administration has a way of twisting themselves around it and pretending that it’s not really happening,” Carlson said. “We want to make sure that that can happen because change needs to happen.”

@mentalhealthaticcsd

496 246 896 1,087

first post: August 2

followers @latinosaticcsd first post: August 6

followers @lgbtaticcsd first post: July 22

followers @girlsaticcsd first post: July 30

followers @blackaticcsd first post: July 19

1,951 followers

Shadow Pandemic Having independence plays a role in assisting domestic abuse victims get help. As quarantine continues, Covid is taking other tolls.

By Rebecca Michaeli Trigger warning: domestic abuse

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n alarming secondary crisis lurks behind the COVID-19 pandemic most of us are familiar with. The so-called “shadow pandemic” refers to the increase in domestic abuse cases. The shadow pandemic, though not as prominent in the public consciousness as COVID-19, is also a dangerous public health crisis.

“An increase in [domestic abuse] cases was of the biggest fears we had because we knew as things started to shut down, survivors were going to be in very dangerous positions, and situations they weren’t accustomed to,” Lindsay Pingel, Director of Community Engagement at the Iowa Coalition Against Domestic Violence (ICADV), said.

Last year alone, the ICADV served over 40,000 people across the state of Iowa. Though cases of domestic violence continue to rise as the pandemic persists, the numbers didn’t spike immediately. When shelter in place orders were first established, the surge of domestic abuse cases slowed.

When people are forced to shelter with their abuser, it’s often hard to find safety to reach out for help.

“The tricky part to under-

stand is that when we went into lockdown, it got quiet.

There were not as many people calling the hotline because not many people were able to. When you’re sheltering with your abuser, there’s no room to make a safe phone call or reach out,” Alta Medea-Peters, who works in the community engagement department of the Domestic Violence Intervention Program, said.

The Domestic Violence Intervention Program is a nonprofit organization that serves victims of domestic violence and intimate partner violence. DVIP serves men, women, and children in eight counties throughout Southeast Iowa. They help victims of domestic abuse find the safety and resources they need. Since the state of Iowa began to lift restrictions, DVIP has seen a 28% increase in hotline calls.

“It wasn’t surprising that we weren’t getting as many calls during that period of time, everything was shut down. People have to be strategic,” Delaney Dixon, Assistant Executive Director of DVIP, said. “Statistically you’re in more danger when you’re trying to leave a harmful situation. People have to think ‘is this the right time for me?’ it’s not just ‘okay, I’m gonna go.’

They have to find that opportunity, because the reality is, they

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may only get one shot.”

According to the National Domestic Violence Hotline’s COVID-19 report, there have been over 6,000 contacts made to the domestic abuse hotlines, referencing COVID-19.

“Our services are free and confidential. We do not charge.

We are completely inclusive, safety and sobriety do not go hand in hand. Everything we do is 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If it’s easier to make a call to us at three in the morning, we will answer just like we would at three in the afternoon,” Medea Peters said. “If you are unsure [about reaching out] or do not want people to find out, you can call the hotline number and get advice and safety planning, and talk with an advocate about your situation or a friend’s situation.

You don’t have to be the primary victim to call.”

Many forget how important independence is with survivors of domestic abuse. With jobs being shut down, and employees fired, it limits the available resources. For many people, going to work every day is taken for granted, while for those trapped

in abusive circumstances, a job can represent temporary safety and freedom. Without financial independence, public interaction, and populated areas, survivors are left without any safe spaces, though they may only be momentary.

“Somebody may have left their abuser, and they were taking care of themselves [and] their child, but then they lost their job. That is the perfect opportunity for an abuser to swoop in and say ‘I will take care of it’.

A victim may not have a choice, because they can’t support themselves financially,” Dixon said.

On average, more than one in three women and one in four men in the United States will experience rape, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner, according to the National Domestic Violence Hotline.

“Everyday matters in terms of being able to financially support yourself. Abusers use money to keep their victims saddled to them. If you don’t have a job, you can’t get an apartment. If you don’t have a car, you can’t get a job. If you get fired, you’re 10.23.20

“On average, more than one in three women and one in four men in the United States will experience rape, physical violence, and/or stalking by an intimate partner.”

NATIONAL DOMESTIC VIOLENCE HOTLINE

“Many forget how important independence is with survivors of domestic abuse. With jobs being shut down, and employees fires, it limits the available resources.”

out of luck. You have to have those things in order to be independent. COVID-19 has been a co-conspirator for abusers,” Dixon added.

Public exposure often acts as a safety shield from domestic abuse. Abusers won’t usually operate in public, in fear of being seen. Away from the public, victims have far less protection.

Even a brief conversation with a neighbor can provide a connection to the outside world, which represents some measure of safety. In quarantine and self-isolation, interactions even with neighbors aren’t possible in some cases.

“Sometimes one of the best things victims can do is to be in public because it keeps their abuser from attacking. Now nobody is seeing each other. There is much less opportunity to be protected by the public eye,” Dixon said.

While domestic abuse hotlines are seeing an increase in calls, community-based programs have had to adjust their physical shelters to comply with COVID-19 protocol. The shelters in Iowa never ceased services but worked to provide protection in a safe environment.

“Our shelters never closed down. We have through our network, eight brick and mortar buildings across the state that we utilize. We kept those open for the most vulnerable of survivors who had nowhere else to go or needed an extended stay. We also made sure to set up protocol to keep people safe,” Pingel said.

The state of Iowa is fortunate to have the resources and connections already in place to relocate people to transitional housing, or extended-stay hotels, due to COVID-19 restrictions, and recommended social distancing procedures.

“Even though our ability to shelter them is diminished in ways that it hadn’t been before, we use hotels more frequently now which means there’s an increased cost, but COVID has brought a whole new set of challenges for finding resources and keeping people safe,” Medea-Peters said.

Iowa is unique in its system of advocacy. The ICADV has advocates in all 99 counties in Iowa, whose approach is to meet survivors wherever they are located, instead of survivors coming to them. Survivors outline what safety looks like for them, and the focus is to support and help them in any way possible.

“If a pandemic like this one had to hit, our state was prepared for it, just because of the advocacy work that we do every single day,” Pingel said.

A large part of initiating systemic change is education.

While people are stuck at home, the strategy of universal education is crucial. Assuming many people are experiencing violence in some form, is important when providing information to the public. Brigid McCaw is trained as an internal medicine doctor, who worked at Kaiser Permanente in California for a significant period of her career. McCaw led the work to revolutionize how domestic violence is addressed in medical clinics.

“You have to think [like] a doctor. How are you going to make [help] possible for someone who’s stuck at home? Maybe with the abuser there. Maybe with the person listening to the phone calls. How do you navigate that in a sensitive, safe and helpful way,” McCaw said.

While people around the world are struggling with challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic, the invisibility of the shadow pandemic makes assistance to victims of domestic abuse especially complicated.

“As much as we’re all struggling, we’re starting to normalize that struggle. We can’t forget that this is hard. You don’t have to be alone. Just because everything is upside down, it doesn’t mean we’re not here to help,” Dixon said.

If you or any of your friends or family are experiencing any form of domestic abuse or intimate partner violence, contact the Iowa Victim Service Call Center at 1-800-770-1650 or text “IowaHelp” to 20121. The DVIP confidential hotline is also available 24/7 at 800-373-1043.

ART BY EMILY KUCERA

Mental health during a global pandemic

By Aala Basheir and Rebecca Michaelli

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n the midst of a pandemic with little structure, many students have expressed finding it challenging to adjust to the new normal. In addition to the challenges posed by new ways of learning, mental health and wellbeing can often be overlooked.

“There’s nothing normal about this situation right now,” Ivryel Reed ‘21 said, “I had a concert I was looking forward to in June, I had bought my tickets and everything.”

On March 11th, COVID-19 was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization, and two days later, President Donald Trump declared a state of emer-

gency in the United States. the United States. The cumula“Everyone started talking tive COVID-19 positivity rate about Corona. I honestly didn’t has reached 12.79% in Johnson think it was that big of a deal be- County, Iowa. cause I “ I ’m r e a l l y “I’m not really hanging out with peo- s u p e r e x paranoid pected ple until a COVID vaccine, you don’t a b o u t us to etting know how other people are handling gcoronahandle it a lot it, or if they’re wearing masks or v i r u s . better I like washing their hands.” than to get what outside IVRYEL REED CITY HIGH SENIOR h a s of the haphouse but, the pened,” Iya Alexander ‘22 said. only time I really go anywhere is According to the Center on the weekends, maybe going for Disease Control, the total to the mall or something,” Reed number of COVID-19 cases said. “Besides that, I’m not really rose to a high of 7.2 million in hanging out with people until a

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COVID vaccine, you don’t know how other people are handling it, or if they’re wearing masks or washing their hands.”

While many find that it’s important to stay updated and informed on current events, and what’s taking place in the world, a constant stream of news can often feel overwhelming. For some, nonstop information can add to anxiety and stress.

“In the beginning, [news about COVID-19] was all I looked at. Looking back on it, one of my biggest triggers for my anxiety is watching the news.

In hindsight, maybe I shouldn’t have been doing that so often, because I would wake up, check the news, and continue to check it throughout the day,” Reed 10.23.20

said. “I definitely stay away from [watching the news] now. I mean it’s hard to avoid the news all together, but I definitely mute topics and do my best to not look at it as often.”

Social media has acted as a news source for some of the population. Many platforms including Instagram and Tik Tok have included a disclaimer, encouraging people to check reliable sources for their information regarding the Coronavirus. This can be found when using the hashtag “COVID-19”, “corona” or “coronavirus”.

To start off the school year, the Iowa City Community School District required all students to attend virtual classes for the first three weeks, in addition to pausing all school-related activities. In-person school and activities resumed with the hybrid model, which is a combination of online and in-person classes.

“I think the thing that makes it so hard this year is that we’ve never done online school before.

The teachers don’t really understand how much work they’re giving out, and how much the workload affects mental health.”

Reed said.

Barb Anderson works as an educational program consultant in the Bureau of Vendor Strategies Support at the Iowa Department of Education. Her job focuses on the important factors that are critical to learning, but aren’t necessarily academic in nature.

“We have high anxiety, and have had lots of traumatic events occurring throughout the summer. Some of the most vulnerable among us are the most highly impacted,” Anderson said.

Teaching and participating in virtual classes require a certain level of technical proficiency.

Hosting Zoom classes, and creating and using online platforms is new for many teachers and students.

“A lot of [my teachers] are not very good at technology. They kind of make the assignments difficult to find,” Rigby Temple-

men ‘23 said. “They also assign a ing from the teachers.” ton of homework because I think According to the World that since we’re not in school Health Organization, depression they [feel as if they] have to make and anxiety are in the top ten up for that some way.” leading causes of illness and disOnline learning is unfamiliar ability among adolescents aged for most students, being some- 15–19 years. Anxiety is the sixth thing they have never done be- for ages 10–14 years. They also fore. For some, the new sched- state that schoolwork and attenule and dance work“I think the thing that makes it so can be l o a d affecthard this year is that we’ve nev- ed by can feel overer done online school before. The te hme os ewhelmteachers don’t really understand t i o n a l ing.

“Difhow much work they’re giving out, dd ies ro sr -, ferent students and how much the workload affects a n d learn t h a t mental health.” differsocial e n t l y, withIVRYEL REED CITY HIGH SENIOR but I drawal think can add most students can agree that all to feelings of isolation and loneof the assignments [should be] liness. on one page and would make it “Not being able to see the very clear,” Templemen said. people that I [normally] see every Aside from the workload, com- day when I was at school, people munication between students that I don’t really talk to outside and teachers has become more of school, has been weird. Those important, but logistically diffi- were really big social connections cult. Many online students have that I had,” Alexander said. “Not found having it more those difficult “Not being able to see the people that s o c i a l to work I [normally] see every day when I was connecone on tions is at school, people that I don’t really s o m e o n e w i t h talk to outside of school, has been t h i n g their t h a t ’s weird. Those were really big social v e r y , teachers because v e r y connections that I had.” of limdifferi t e d ent.”

IYA ALEXANDER CITY HIGH JUNIOR time on Zoom classes.

“Mental health is something When dealing with mental that a lot of people are struggling health, it is not uncommon to with. I told my teachers straight feel discouraged. According to up that I have anxiety disor- the National Center for Biotechder and it’s going to impact my nology Information, social stigschool performance,” Reed said. ma surrounding mental health “I just emailed a teacher yester- can prevent people from seekday saying ‘I’m overwhelmed, ing treatment in fear of being can I please turn in this assign- labeled. Internalized stigma can ment late?’ He was really under- cause people to avoid their own standing about it. I think the feelings and also lead to denial of plus side of this is that there’s treatment. gonna be a lot more understand“If I had a broken arm, I

wouldn’t be afraid to talk about it. So why would I be if I had a chemical imbalance, or if my brain isn’t functioning how it should be because of depression? This question is one of the powerful things that the student voice asked when talking about reducing stigma,” Anderson said.

While social stigma has been declining in the past few years, the NCBI states that the best way to overcome mental health stigma is working one on one with a mental health professional.

“We have a lot of work to do in education across the board with adults and young people in reducing stigma. If we can create new norms, based in science, and help people understand [mental health] in a holistic way, that there is no shame in seeking help, we might save a life,” Anderson said.

Feeling supported, and having trusted friends and adults, is helpful in adjusting to this new learning environment. Students may find that mental health should be prioritized more than it has been in previous learning contexts.

“We know in terms of our brain research, that in order for anyone to be able to learn, they have to first feel safe. Creating environments where people feel safe and connected allows for that to happen,” Anderson said.

The Iowa Crisis Chat is a nonprofit organization that provides support for people struggling with emotional crises. The Iowa Crisis Chat is available for contact seven days a week, and can be reached by phone or chat, 24 hours a day.

“I’ve always been an advocate for mental health but now that I’m going through my own things, I think it’s very important that we destigmatize mental health in students,” Reed said.

If you or anyone you know are experiencing suicidal thoughts or impulses, call the National Suicide Prevention Line at 800273-8255.

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N U D O R T A H E 1- 9

ART BY JESSE HAUSKNECHT-BROWN

A look at the lives of two high school students, one living in Germany and one at City High, and how COVID-19 is affecting them and their education

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By Julius Perez

he world has been thrown into a period of chaos and uncertainty. Students and schools are dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic in a variety of different ways. Approaches taken by City High offer some similarities as well as some striking differences from those abroad.

Vincent Schnitzler ‘23, who goes by Vinny, was a foreign exchange student from Cologne, Germany at City High during the 2019-2020 school year. He had to cut his trip short when schools closed down due to the pandemic in March.

Schnitzler’s school, Nicolaus-Cusanus-Gymnasium, like City High, started the year online, but its students are now able to go back to the classroom.

“I think [my school is] doing a good job with the resources they have. Germany doesn’t really put that much money into schools, I feel like the US has way more funding,” Schnitzler said.

Even though Schnitzler agrees that the pandemic has brought some difficult changes to Germany and to school this year, he is seeing the rather good side of things as well.

“I actually really like school this year. I mean in Germany especially because we used to

be kind of really behind digital- Jeff Bezos and other billionaires ly, we’d read and write and do are really profiting from the everything on paper,” Schnit- pandemic and how most peozler said. ple just suffer,” Schnitzler said.

Nicolaus-Cusanus-GymnaAshley Kelly ‘23 explained sium doesn’t provide each stu- how what teachers are teaching dent with their own computer, just feels normal, she says they so the challenges brought by don’t talk about the pandemic the new situation has forced in an academic way or study some changes. any of its outcomes or ramifi“I think we had like 10 Per- cations. This is much different sonal Computers in our school from Schnitzler’s school, where before,” Schnitzler said. “Now the curriculum has changed we have to involve around two COVID-19.

“I think [my school is] full rooms Despite of computers the pandemdoing a good job with and someic and all thing around the resources they have. the changes 200 iPads at Germany doesn’t really itS c hbrought, our school.” nitzler However, still feels put that much money the school like his daily into schools, I feel like has a whole routine and new syslife haven’t the US has way more tem during changed, funding.” the age of and his COVID-19. m e n t a l VINCENT SCHNITZLER The conhealth isn’t FORMER CITY HIGH EXCHANGE STUDENT tent they are suffering. learning in It’s a differschool has changed to relate to ent case for Kelly. the current issues in the world.

“I definitely would say I’m “I feel like a lot of topics breaking out which is a sign of like social studies and history stress for me… I’m just more focus on corona, for instance stressed than normal,” Kelly in history we’re learning about said. the 1918 flu pandemic and Kelly says the content the Black Death. In Econom- isn’t necessarily focused on ic Studies we’re learning about COVID-19 or anything out of (COVID-19’s) impact on the the ordinary this school year, economy, and how people like but online school this year has

forced her to do things in a new way.

“I’m teaching myself,” Kelly said. “The teachers will try to teach me but it doesn’t click as well because I’m not in a classroom… So I’m spending all this time teaching myself and relearning.”

This is a drastic deviation from Schnitzler’s experience.

His classes are much smaller than the ones at City High, giving the teachers more direct time with individual students.

He hasn’t had to do any late night relearning this year. Kelly, who was signed up for the hybrid option this year, wasn’t expecting online school. She didn’t realize the physical and mental toll it would take.

“Being on screens all day is so exhausting, [the teachers] give us so much homework I just can’t do it because I’m just tired from being on my computer all day,” Kelly said.

Schnitzler’s school is almost back to business as usual, and life is feeling normal with a comfortable amount of free time. While Kelly is struggling with the new ways of doing things, a version of school that is vastly different from Schnitzler’s.

“I just feel like they’re putting so much on us when we only have so much time to do it,” Kelly said.

BELOW: Ashley Kelly ‘23 works on her online homework from her bedroom. PHOTO COURTESY OF ASHLEY KELLY

BLACK LIVES MATTER After the death of George Floyd, thousands of Iowa City residents, led by the Iowa Freedom Riders, protested police brutality, the criminal justice system, and systematic racism in America

By Aala Basheir, Shoshie Hemley, and Jesse Hausknecht-Brown

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Chapter 1: The Protests

aneem Hamad wasn’t surprised by the tear gas.

“I don’t think we’re ever going to forget that night. A lot of people were commenting on how it was a war zone and they couldn’t believe that this happened to us here,” Hamad, a 2017 West High graduate said. “Law enforcement in Iowa City are agents of this imperial state that we live in. People were just surprised that, for the first time ever, their privilege didn’t have any terms of preventing them from experiencing this type of violence, but BIPOC in this country have always been experiencing violence at much greater rates.”

On June 4, as Black Lives Matter Protestors approached I-80, Iowa City Police used flash bangs and tear gas to turn them away.

“Something that really stayed with me was the police brutality that we experienced, even as we were literally protesting police brutality, to our city officials,” Hamad said.

Hamad is one of the Iowa Freedom Riders organizers, a part of the movement that organized Black Lives Matter protests throughout the summer in Iowa City. Their mission is to work towards full police and prison abolition.

Protests, in many different forms, erupted around the world in late May after a Black man named George Floyd was killed by Derek Chauvin, a white police officer, while being arrested for a forged dollar bill in Minneapolis. A video of Chauvin placing his knee on Floyd’s neck while Floyd repeatedly said “I can’t breath,” went viral the following day.

“George Floyd definitely disturbed me but I feel like, for a lot of people, that was their eye opening moment, but it’s the stuff I’ve seen before,” Sophia Lusala ‘22, one of the IFR organizers who attends City High said.

Some protests had hundreds of people show up, many who were non Black allies.

Hamad enjoyed seeing how quickly the community mobilized and how energized all of the protesters were.

“Folks were not giving up. We were protesting like every single day for almost a

whole month,” Hamad said. “Seeing everyone come out in solidarity and everyone just making sure that their voice was there and was heard and that they weren’t just posting on Instagram, but actually physically participating in the movement in of itself was just really beautiful to see.”

The night following the first tear gassing, Iowa Freedom Riders saw an increase in the number of protesters attending events.

“As soon as the protest got violent is when I had my pivotal moment this really shows that people are gonna back down when it’s needed the most.” Lusala said.

While the protestors gained community support, they also faced push back from Iowa City Law Enforcement. Hamad described how Black people, especially Black women, were targeted by the police.

“Black women who were organizing everything were followed home by police officers and followed across town. I was surveyed in my home, there was a cop car sitting outside of my home,” Hamad said. “There has been a lot of shared trauma from what has happened just in the sense of the targeting that we’ve experienced from law enforcement in our own community, a community that claims that at the end of the day is trying to hold everyone accountable and trying to keep everyone safe.”

Lusala shares that it is not uncommon for organizers to be closely monitored by police outside of the protests.

“The other frustrating thing is that when we’re out there, sometimes our faces are shown, cops know our names, they’ve tagged our phones, they have our license plates,” Lusala explained. “I can’t even drive my own car downtown without the possibility of me being followed.”

Not only were protestrs tear gassed, but some were arrested.

One of the organizers, Mazin Mohamedali, was arrested on six charges once the protests started. When Mohamedali was arrested, Hamad felt powerless.

“You’re sitting here demanding that your rights be respected yet the same ones you’re asking to respect you are sitting there treating you like animals. You can’t let it get to you, to a certain extent, because you only have so much mental capacity as an organizer, to be honest.You take those experiences and let them fuel you in a good way in terms of motivating you to push for change,” Hamad said.

The majority of the charges against Mo-

hamedali were dropped after community backlash except for a misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct due to obstructing a street or highway without authority from the State or local officials. Mohamedali pleaded guilty to this charge.

“It just gave me more and more motivation to fight for what I’m fighting for because while folks are sitting there saying, ‘Well the police don’t do this in my neighborhood,’ I’m literally experiencing the police brutality we’re talking about on the streets of downtown,” Hamad said.

While the protesters experienced violence from the police, they also experienced violence from civilians who were against the cause. On two separate occasions, white men in trucks drove through the crowd of protesters.

“The first night the man who [drove into the crowd] got arrested. IFR came out with the statement about abolition. When we think of abolition and transformative justice, we’re not just thinking about it for ourselves as marginalized people, but for all members of our community. That’s something that honestly surprised a lot of people because a lot of people wanted us to be retaliatory and expect us to be retaliatory,” Hamad said.

Hamad wants people to focus on educating themselves about abolition and transformative justice because she believes that that is one of the best ways to be involved with the movement.

“The call to action is really educating yourself,” Hamad said. “Read up on aboli-

“When we think of abolition and transformative justice, we’re not just thinking about it for ourselves as marginalized people, but for all members of our community.”

RANEEM HAMAD 2017 WEST HIGH GRADUATE

tion and transformative justice and figure out ways to implement that in your daily life. We can practice abolition in our day to day lives and push our community, at the end of the day, to think about abolition.”

Protests died down in the later weeks of June, with a few sporadic protests happening afterwards. Now, the Iowa Freedom Riders are looking mainly towards change in policy with the Iowa City Council and the district school board.

The Iowa Freedom Riders meeting with the school board was held on August 18.

II

M

Chapter 2: City Council

azahir Salih was outraged with the lack of representation in the Iowa City Council. She became determined to fix the everyday problems she saw on a city level.

“Through my work with low wage workers and people who are constantly left out, people who were never given a chance to have a seat at the table, I found out there is a big disconnect between the people who make policy and vulnerable people in the community,” Salih said. “But if given a chance they can bring really creative solutions as well.”

She soon began campaigning for a seat on the council. In January of 2018, Salih started her first term as a Mayor Pro Tempore, making her the first Sudanese American to be elected into public office in the United States.

“Even though being the first is sometimes sad, it also makes me happy that at least we’re breaking the barrier. This is a step moving forward for immigrant people, to become a role model,” Salih said.

When the protests began, Salih was put in a difficult position. Being one of two members of color on the council, she was put on the spotlight by both parties.

“It was hard, I had been expected to make

the policy and at the same time, people expect me to also lead the movement. Wearing those two different hats was very difficult for me because this is my movement as a Black woman,” Salih said. “I’m grieving, and really sad about what’s going on in the country.”

She soon decided to use her voice to help the Black community.

“I said, ‘Okay, this is my time. If I cannot make a change at the city level as a Black woman, what [else] do I have to focus on?’”

Salih explained. “This is the time the people who look like me, need me, because I’m the policymaker. That’s why I was really fighting hard for Black Lives Matter.”

Salih is also a mother of five, and her kids were heavily involved with the Black Lives Matter protests throughout Iowa City.

“As a mom, I would be worried about [my child’s] life, but at the same time, I believe in Black Lives Matter, that we cannot be silent anymore. It is past time for this. That gives me the power to say yes, we need to do this and try to support them as much as we can,” Salih said.

In addition to speaking at multiple protests, Salih worked to implement the Iowa Freedom Riders demands. In order to pass a demand, the council needs to have a majority vote.

Salih described the difficulty of enacting policy on a City Council level. “At the end of the day I am only one vote. You can tell how I’m passionate about it while I’m fighting for it.”

The City Council implemented the Black Lives Matter and Systemic Racism Resolution in June of 2020. This plan includes seventeen actions that the city will make in attempts to combat systemic racism in the community including a preliminary plan to restructure the Iowa City Police Department to community policing, banning the use of chokeholds, and putting 1,000,000 dollars towards promoting social justice and racial equality. More information can be found on

the Iowa City Government website.

Part of the City Council’s work towards ending systemic racism is the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Hamad, who is a human rights major at Columbia University, has researched the subject which is often brought up in human rights conversations.

“They’re basically forums in which communities can recognize the injustices that have been happening in their own communities, and move past them,” Hamad said.

Iowa Freedom Riders are a part of the voices represented on the commission. However, even with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Hamad is still disappointed with the lack of progress the City Council has made.

“The progress has really been slow. They’re always going to be like, ‘Oh yeah, change is slow,’” Hamad said. “It’s really disheartening to see how slow the progress is when the council is sitting there saying that ‘Black lives matter to us and we’re trying. We’re committed to making change.’ But in actual terms of results, there really hasn’t been anything that’s been done.”

Hamad feels that the commission isn’t being fully operated correctly.

“It’s kind of disappointing to see, to me personally it feels a little performative,” Hamad said.

The commission will collect evidence and testimony from community members’ experiences with racial injustice, and then there will be the opportunity for facilitated conversation to discuss these experiences.

“There is more that needs to be done,” Salih said. “I want to see the police treating people of color and Black people in this community, the same way that they treat white people in this community. And I want to see Black people being represented. I want to see city education that looks like the community.

Leaders that look like the community, school teachers that look like the community.”

BELOW: Iowa City residents at a peaceful protest in early June. PHOTO BY JESSE HAUSKNECHT-BROWN

14 The Little Hawk - FEATURES

10.23.20

III I

Chapter 1: City High

n response to the community outcry and BIPOC students sharing stories of discrimination, the Iowa City Community School District (ICCSD) has worked on implementing a number of new practices to help students of color in the district.

“The main focus of our work that we narrowed down really revolved around that professional development training, looking at our K-12 social studies curriculum, a new evaluation standard for teachers and administrators, creating a position for an ombudsperson,” Matt Degner, the Iowa City Community School District’s superintendent, said.

One of the new initiatives includes the creation of a position for an ombudsperson in the district. As defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary, an ombudsperson “one that investigates, reports on, and helps settle complaints.”

“So say something terrible happened to you or one of your friends in school and for whatever reason, you don’t feel comfortable going to Ms. Swan, Mr. Jespersen, or Mr. Bacon, you would reach out to this person, a district person, and say ‘Hey this event happened to me and I’m not sure of my options, but I wanted it addressed.’ And that person’s really what we see as a safe person, because they’re not going to do the investigation, and they’re really more like an advocate for you to

ABOVE: Protests gather in front of a police barrier at the Iowa City courthouse. PHOTO BY SHOSHIE HEMLEY

make sure that that situation gets addressed,” Degner explained.

The district ombudsperson can navigate the system that an individual would have to go through, manage the communication with other parts of the administration, and serve as an advocate for the individual.

“When something tragic or substantial happens, it’s really stressful and overwhelming,” Degner said. “And then trying to take on the challenge of knowing who to report it to or how to file a complaint can be overwhelming, so that [ombuds]person is supposed to be an assistant for that individual.”

The district has started the year with mandatory training for teachers and staff, and has made improvements to professional development training that will continue throughout the year.

“So in the start of the school year, we looked at this in two different ways,” Degner said. “One is professional development. And that’s how we improve, right how we get better in our practice. And once we know better, we need to do better. And so the first thing we need to do is to try to provide professional development to our teaching and support staff. And then the other part is just general expectations about how we should essentially work together and live together in the school system.”

Additionally, students have expressed frustration in the history curriculum, claiming that the time spent learning about minority groups is less significant and in depth than the amount of time learning about more privileged groups, specifically white people.

“I’ve learned so much [about Black history] in the past five months than I have in school,” Lusala explained. “a lot of times because they like to whitewash education.”

Lusala is a part of the Iowa Freedom Riders school board committee which plans to introduce a full Black american history unit in the next few years. She also took initiative and started advocating for Black Lives Matter within the school district by setting up a meeting with Degner.

“We started off by finding a few Black

teacher allies from within the school district, then we set up a meeting with Mr. Degner and like Ms. Malone, and had like a small meeting about if we were to bring this into a school board meeting with our demands, how it would look and like and who’s gonna stand on our side just to make sure we weren’t going in there without any support,” Lusala explained.

The Iowa Freedom Riders, along with the District Equity Advisory Committee, met with the school board on August 18 to discuss their demands, which include the need for more diverse representation, for ties to be cut with Johnson County Law Enforcement, and for different disciplinary processes. There are seven demands in total and the full list can be found here.

“The other component that also stemmed from that [diversity, equity, and inclusion] work and the movements from the summer would be that we met with the Iowa Freedom Riders and the District Equity Advisory Committee, and the board and the administrative team are moving forward on some action steps that are directly linked to that Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion plan to improve our system,” Degner said.

In December of 2019, the district rolled out a new Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) plan. Now, they are building upon that work as well as the demands from the Iowa Freedom Riders to create new DEI action steps, a list of which can be found here.

Although Lusala is unsure of progress being made, the Iowa City Community School Board committed to all of their demands.

“Matt Degner was so open to learning about our demands, committed to our demands and told us what type of progress he’s going to make towards our demands so he was really helpful in that sense,” Lusala said. “It’s frustrating being in these meetings sometimes but it’s all worth it in the end when you’re trying to fight for equity and equality.”

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