the countdown to equality… n o j u s t i c e no p e a c e!

in october 2007 we organzied a school walkout to bring attention to the unsustainable practice of racism is our schools… since the walkout we have continued to work with our peers and supportive adults to expose the impact of racism on our futures as young people and as community members… the struggle continues

DON’T LET JENA HAPPEN HERE

October 19, 2007

To Students, Parents, Community Members, ICSD Administrators, and ICSD Board Members:

This letter is to clarify the recent events that have occurred regarding issues connected to discrimination and equity in the Ithaca City School District (ICSD). We are writing this letter to explain ourselves because our actions are meant to (1) raise awareness about the Kearney case, (2) preserve the protection of the Human Rights Commission for all New York State public school students, (3) expose the school to prison pipeline, and (4) remind school officials that we have futures that are important to us.

Amelia Kearney’s case (which revealed racism in the ICSD) was stopped because the ICSD said that the Human Rights Commission should not protect public school students. Students and community members, in solidarity with the Jena 6, tried to voice their concerns by requesting a meeting with Superintendent Pastel on October 1st and by attending the ICSD Board Meeting on October 9th. In both situations our demands to lift the injunction and stop the appeal were disregarded.

As a result, we, as youth who demand equality for all Tompkins County students, decided to walk out of school on October 10th and bring to light the challenges we face everyday because of inequities that ignore our needs and threaten our futures. When we met with Principal Wilson and Assistant Superintendent Myers after the walk-out and asked, “When will all students be treated equally?” Mr. Wilson agreed to meet with students, parents and community members in seven school days. That night, we as students met to decide how to broadcast to our peers what was happening. We came up with a “Countdown to Equality” educational campaign.

The seven-day Countdown to Equality is a positive movement to educate and inform our peers. The first step of our campaign involved using flyers to tell Ithaca High School students what each day represented, and wearing common colors throughout the District to call attention to these issues. Here is what we planned to do:

Day Seven… Wear Black: When will there be equal treatment for everyone?

Day Six… Wear White: When will students be able to walk the halls without being prematurely judged based on the color of their skin?

Day Five… Wear Green: When will the ICSD implement a bias reporting system that will ensure the safety of all students and bring justice to those who have been victimized by their peers?

Day Four… Wear Purple: When will the ICSD listen and confront the needs and concerns of multi-cultural students?
Day Three… Wear Yellow: Why are students of color given a higher number of suspensions than their white counterparts who indulge in the same behavior?

Day Two… Wear Grey: When will the ICSD begin to reflect the faces and ideas of the students?

Day One… Wear Red Black Green: Our time is now!

Throughout the campaign, we faced obstacles from both the ICSD administration and other students who wanted to stop us by spreading rumors of weapons and violence. Principal Wilson even banned us from passing out our flyers on campus after Day Five. Some students even went as far as to try to intimidate us by instigating a fight and creating a “hit list” to threaten us. Attached are some of the negative comments directed towards us by community members.

We walked out of school for a reason, not because we are “class-cutting trouble-makers.” The Countdown to Equality is not about violence. It is about justice. We want equality. We want an end to discrimination of all kinds in the ICSD. Despite what has happened so far, and the obstacles we have faced, this campaign is not over. We want to remember yesterday, but live for tomorrow!

Join us! Demand justice, fairness, and equality for all students.

DON’T LET JENA HAPPEN HERE!

~ by guerrillagriots on March 23, 2008.