Students at an Alabama high school are standing up against administrators accused of trying to whitewash their school’s Black History Month program.
An Administrator Allegedly ‘Feeling Disgusted’ About Slavery and Civil Rights Inclusion
ABC 33/40 reported that the situation unfolded earlier this week at Hillcrest High School in Tuscaloosa, when more than 200 students joined a march. Notably, the protest took place in response to the school administration’s alleged request for students to cut major events from their Black History Month program.
STUDENTS PROGRAM AT HILLCREST HIGH SCHOOL: More than 200 students in Tuscaloosa County took to the streets to protest at Hillcrest High School following the Black History Month controversy. pic.twitter.com/fI5GElJFX8
– Tim reid (@TimReidReporter) February 8, 2023
J’Niyah Suttles, a senior in high school, particularly noted: “We were told we couldn’t talk about slavery and civil rights because one of our managers felt uncomfortable.”
Students react to BHM program censorship: ‘Why can’t I talk about it?’
In response, J’Niyah shared that she found the issue “very disturbing.”
“My guard from 8 am to 3:15 pm, let you tell me I cannot talk about something related to my culture that is very disturbing, very confusing.”
Jada Holt, another student at Hillcrest High School, reacted to the news by noting that history “can’t be erased.”
“Why am I being censored about my culture, something so ingrained in me? Why can’t I talk about it? History is history and it was made, and it cannot be erased.”
Finally, Jamiyah Brown—a senior who choreographed Black History Month—organized the protest. Vigorously, she explains her motivation by declaring, “Without our history, we are nothing.”
“Without history, we are nothing. Without teaching our youth where we come from, how can we move forward?”
There are so many things about this country that disgust me. Most of those are somehow connected to the GOP. https://t.co/nzEShUhtdd
— Jimmy Malone, liberal @malonepeak everywhere (@malonepeaking) February 10, 2023
Superintendent is committed to ‘Make sure all students know they are valued’
Lisa Young, president of the Tuscaloosa Branch of the NAACP, also spoke out against the issue. In fact, she bluntly said, “I don’t know how you can talk about Black history in this country without talking about slavery or the civil rights movement.”
She also noted that she was “angry” about the situation and wanted to “make their school a safe place.”
“I was angry and a part of me felt like we failed our students. We wanted to see what we could do to support them and make their school a safe place.”
Dr. Keri Johnson, director of the Tuscaloosa County School System, also released a statement on the matter. Notably, she said that they are “working together on a plan to make sure [the] students feel heard.”
“The Tuscaloosa County School System supports students’ right to peaceful protest. Some of our Hillcrest High students have cultural concerns in their schools. We care deeply about our students and it is important that their concerns are heard. We are creating a plan to make sure our students feel heard, so that we know the right steps to take to make sure all students know they are appreciated.”
What do you think of the general situation at Hillcrest High School in Tuscaloosa, Alabama?
