More than 80 students and parents from across the Kansas City metro gathered outside the Shawnee Mission School District’s Academic Achievement Center in Prairie Village on Thursday evening in the cold and rain.
They were angry about what they said was a slow response by the school district to a white male student who used racial slurs and repeatedly punched a black female student in the face, which drew attention after the incident. collected. kansas city defender He posted a video of the incident on social media.
The incident sent Brianna Brown to the hospital with a broken nose and facial bruises, her family said at the protest.
The crowd chanted “Good luck,” “Justice for Bray,” and “If not now, when?” In response to what they call hate crimes.
Brown, who was at the protest, said schools needed to impose tougher penalties for racist behavior.
“He should never have laid a hand on me and he should have learned a lesson from this…I think he should be expelled and shouldn’t be around the school at all,” Brown said. said.
She thanked the crowd after several students spoke about the racism they face at Shawnee Mission East.
“I feel amazing. I think it’s the best thing that could happen in this situation,” she said.
Shawnee Mission East High School There are nearly 1,700 students, almost 83% identify as white. Eight percent of students identified as Hispanic, less than 5% identified as biracial, and just over 2% identified as African American.
“The purpose of the protest is to bring the voices of Black students who attend Shawnee Mission East to the administration, other students, and the school district,” said Madison Lyman, a student at Lincoln University Preparatory Academy.
Mr. Lyman isBlack Student Solidarity NetworkWho planned the demonstration?
“When something like this happens, it is imperative that communities stand up to not only amplify but love those who have been victims of horrific acts of systemic racism,” she said. ” “Black students in Kansas City and across the country are the reason the Black Student Solidarity Network was created.”
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This is the second protest since the video went viral and dozens of Shawnee Mission East students went on walkout. Since then, this incident has garnered national headlines.
The video showed Brown walking away from what appeared to be a separate incident involving a racist comment by another student. A white male student used the N-word several times while coming at her. After he pushed her, the two could be seen grabbing each other and trading punches.
KCUR is not releasing the suspect’s name because he is a juvenile. He was charged with one felony count of aggravated assault in the Nov. 15 incident, according to Johnson County court records. This is the second time this year that he has been charged with the same crime.
Brianna’s father, Sean Brown, called for a change in district leadership. He said this was the second incident involving his daughter, accusing Principal Susan Leonard of downplaying the seriousness of the incident.
“Definitely look at how they handle these types of situations when racism is involved…definitely change the front office that dropped the ball,” Brown said. Ta.
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SMSD Chief Communications Officer David Smith told KCUR, “The principal at Shawnee Mission East has been speaking with the students since then and from my understanding things are progressing well.”
“There are things they (students) need to say and things we need to hear. It is appropriate for them (students) to find a way to voice what they need to say and for me to “We need to listen,” he said.
Smith declined to comment on the school’s disciplinary action against either student.
“Diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging are a series of initiatives that we (Shawnee Mission School District) have been working on for probably the last five years and will continue to work on,” he said.
Brown’s parents say Brianna and another student were suspended from school over the incident.
Jaxton Taylor, a 17-year-old fourth-grader at Shawnee Mission East who participated in the protest, said racism is commonplace for black and brown students at the school and that teachers and teachers should He said he wants to see real policy changes, such as racial sensitivity programs. Update your code of conduct to include specific policies against racist incidents.
“I want them to address racism in schools and not sweep it under the rug,” he said. “I want them to acknowledge that this is a hate crime they committed in the hall.”
Taylor said students and community members will also protest at Tuesday’s SMSD school board meeting.
