Hundreds of students and Westside residents have united in recent days to demand the implementation of a Black Lives Matter Week of Action at all Santa Monica-Malibu Unified School District campuses next year.
Started by a group of Santa Monica High School alumni, the Black Lives Matter at School petition has garnered more than 550 signatures since it was put online, and local residents Leilah Franklin and Chandler Kennedy said they’re hoping SMMUSD’s board of education will hear more about their cause and important undertakings at this Thursday’s meeting.
As alumni of Franklin Elementary School, Lincoln Middle School and Samohi, Franklin and Kennedy said they have witnessed the impacts of stereotyping and prejudice firsthand. While they recounted tales of pep rallies and other school sanctioned events — that today would come across as insensitive — Franklin shared the stories of Kayla Koury-Lewis and Nayeli Barbosa, a pair of Samohi students who interviewed with the Daily Press after last Friday’s Juneteenth rally.
“Throughout my entire life, I’ve dealt with constant racist remarks, prejudice and degrading nicknames but when I first arrived in high school I thought all that would change. But I was wrong,” Koury-Lewis said. “In high school, I’ve dealt with more racism, bullying and harassment regarding my race than ever in my life. People I don’t even know call me a (n-word), monkey, gorilla, porch monkey, blacky and even told that I’d be more attractive if I were white.”
Barbosa said she has also heard hateful remarks as a student in Santa Monica.
“Even on my own sports teams I’ve felt like the odd man out because of my race,” Barbosa said, but she feels that installing an anti-racist curriculum would help educate other students and help them understand what minorities experience on a day-to-day basis.”
Citing the recent noose incident in Malibu and the class of 2011 graduation theme, Franklin said most students are ignorant, whether they want to be or not, which means almost everybody would benefit from a week of new curriculum.
“With everything happening in this awakening, I wondered why didn’t we learn about the phrase, ‘Anti-racist,’ from the beginning because I thought about the kids and the education and how early it all needs to start,” Kennedy added. “So, our work with the petition and everybody just kind of ricocheted from there and now we’re really trying to receive unanimous support from SMMUSD’s board. We’re also asking for a commemorative week and for teacher participation because it would really show our community that we’re dedicated to this. We just need a chance to share why it’s important and I think the community, staff and everybody will agree this needs to happen.”
The two local activists did note there has been a conversation about a week not being long enough, but it’s a start, according to Kennedy and Franklin.
“It is an absolutely necessary step because no educational institution should be a place that makes you fearful,” Kennedy said. “It should be uplifting and empowering to the kids. Knowledge is power, and that’s what this is all about.”
“All the curriculums are age appropriate and they cover so much more than race. And the fact that you will have the conversation that ‘Black is beautiful,’ with kids who are in first and second grade is so important for their self-worth growing up. And it’s not like we’re reinventing the wheel,” Franklin said, mentioning how Los Angeles Unified School District officials have already approved a similar Week of Action for next school year. “Fund counselors not cops,” she added, before sharing locals can sign the petition on change.org by visiting the website bit.ly/3hVjzqt.
brennon@smdp.com
