Race And Equity Forums

Classes were invited into the library on Tuesday, May 11, and Wednesday, May 12, of last week for a two–part symposium on race, identity and equity in the Berkeley High School community. The discussions took place twice each day, during second and third periods, during which time a panel of student speakers and one teacher took turns answering a wide range of questions on race, identity and equality at BHS.

“The event was organized by a collaboration of the equity committee led by Jake Winkleman, Hafez Alsaidi, Principal [Jim] Slemp, and counseling coordinator Robert Stiles and student leadership led by ASB (Associated Student Body)President Dominique Collins and myself,” said BHS Activity Director Chris Young.

He explained that they felt it was necessary to hold an open discussion on campus in light of the recent tensions and violence that has taken place in the BHS community due to differences in identification and culture. The goal of the symposium was to give both the speakers and other students who attended with their classes a chance to share experiences and opinions regarding personal identity, racial and ethnic differences, student–teacher communication, and the roles these play in our academic lives.

Many subjects were able to inspire a flurry of opinionated responses among the panel and the audience. “As a teacher I can definitely see in the classroom that there are racial tensions,” said art teacher Kimberly D’Adamo. Some students, like sophomore Gbari Gilliam, felt that these tensions are brought on by the differences we find in each other. “We kind of create barriers for ourselves,” he said.

The panel discussed personal experiences in which they had felt limited in their motivation to achieve when they were surrounded by peers of different ethnic backgrounds than their own. “I don’t think our race or our religion should stop us from achieving our goals,” said Berkeley International High School sophomore Shroq Aledlah.The subject of a teacher’s role in reaching out to the students individually provided an opportunity for many students to express ways in which they felt teachers had performed ineffectively in the past. Some students felt that if they didn’t receive some kind of one–on–one attention with a teacher they would be less motivated to try their best, especially in advanced classes. “If somebody believes in you, it’s going to push you to try harder and push you to go further,” explained Flora Ziprin, a sophomore in Academic Choice.

There was also a collective agreement among many of the students that the student–teacher relationship should be mutually acknowledged and both parties need to show respect in order to build a beneficial connection. “I think that we all can have a connection with our teachers if we just show them that we care,” said Aledlah.

Last month, 75 BHS students were chosen by faculty to participate in a community–building event called “Breaking Down the Walls,” a day–long workshop held on April 20 in the dance studio that gave these students a chance to bond with peers who they may not have met otherwise.
Young explained that the aim of this meeting was to create a comfortable setting for students to come together and share their personal experiences with race, culture, identity and equity. “We weren’t allowed to leave the dance studio until sixth period,” explained Ziprin, who also participated in the event. “We played games, ate lunch together and began to bond. I was hearing dreams, goals, fears and stories from people I usually would walk by and not think twice about.”

The event included very sensitive and emotional discussions and activities, but each student left having enjoyed the opportunity to share their stories with comforting peers. “It was a powerful day full of laughter, tears, great discussion and a lot of bonding [by] students who had no idea of the others’ lives beforehand,” said Young.

Like Ziprin, some of the students from Breaking Down the Walls were then asked to share some of the perspectives that had been discussed to an audience of their peers in a symposium a month later.

“Race and equity, especially equity, are things that students need to understand better and be able to talk about more,” said Young. “These symposiums were a good first run that will help future symposiums to be even more impacting.”

Photos:

• Ethnicity Symposium (Caleb Adams)