Video: Arguing for Action – a student-led protest for changes in district policy and against discrimination

The Black Student Solidarity Network hosted a protest at the Center for Academic Achievement at 5:30 p.m. on Nov. 30 as a way to show support for a recently-suspended student and advocate for district policy change.

Over 150 students and community members attended the event that BSSN Founder and Lincoln College Prep senior Madison Lyman helped coordinate.

“[BSSN’s] role is to be a facilitator,” Lyman said. “East students told us that they wanted to have a protest on this day, so we gave them tools and advice about how to orchestrate a protest and formulate their demands so that they can create the change they want to see within their district.”

Senior Jax Taylor opened the protest with a speech including talking points about how many Black students don’t feel safe at school, which he believes should be a safe place for students of all races.

“I think we had a lot of support,” Taylor said. “It was really nice to be able to speak on the incidents at East and also to list the demands.” 

He hopes that more students will attend the Dec. 4 school board meeting at the CAA to show support, where he and other students who spoke at the protest will be speaking again. They plan to highlight their six demands again including a formal apology from the district, mandatory cultural competency exams for administrators and revision of the zero-tolerance policy.

“I’m looking forward to being able to address the board member’s to their faces,” Taylor said. 

More long-form reporting on this event will appear in The Harbinger’s Dec. 18 print issue.