WASHINGTON STATE

Student walkout calls attention to racism at North Thurston Public Schools

UPDATED: Tue., Feb. 1, 2022

By Rolf Boone

The Olympian

About 200 Black student union members and their white allies staged sit-ins and a walkout at two area high schools on Monday, wanting to call attention to racism and other harmful behavior they say North Thurston Public Schools has not done enough to address.

The walkouts took place at North Thurston and River Ridge high schools. About 200 students took part in sit-ins Monday morning inside the schools, then a slightly smaller number gathered outside to march on school grounds or to a nearby destination.

About 60 North Thurston students marched from the high school to the district offices on College Street. During the march, and in front of the district office, they shared stories about what spurred them to action.

“Racism has been happening for as long as I’ve been here,” said North Thurston student Cashmere Tobias, who cited a recent Martin Luther King, Jr. virtual assembly that she says resulted in a backlash against students of color.

Fellow North Thurston student and white ally Molly Kover said a student had shared a poem during the assembly that resulted in hateful comments online.

“It took the school two weeks to address that issue but less than a day for them to discourage the walkout,” Kover said.

Once at the district office, Imanuel Dartey shared stories about the racism and sexism he frequently hears at school.

“Every single day we see someone being victimized,” said Dartey, and then he shared three examples of the comments.

• “Oh, that girl is fine. I’d smash that.”

• “Oh, you see him. He’s so black he looks like charcoal.”

• “Oh, see this girl. She can’t speak English very well, so let’s make fun of her.”

“We have to stand up for ourselves and our family,” he said. “We are a family at North Thurston and that’s how we should be treating each other,” said Dartey to a huge round of cheers.

The Olympian caught up with the River Ridge gathering Monday afternoon.

About the same number of students met on an athletic field next to the school. Student Izzy James often addressed the crowd, but he also took a moment to talk to The Olympian

He said he was propelled to act after two recent incidents. He was confronted by at student from Olympia who directed a racial epithet at him, and he acknowledged that he responded with violence and was suspended by the school. He said the school has protocols for fights, bomb threats and active shooters, but no protocol for racial violence.

James said the other incident was the recent basketball game in Olympia between Capital High School and River Ridge, in which a Black River Ridge player is heard being called a “gorilla,” according to a video of the game that was shared on social media.

That generated anger within the Black community, James said.

“They want a change and they have a right to change,” he said, adding that he doesn’t feel the district is doing enough to address those concerns about racism. He feels they are sweeping it under the rug.

Qayi Steplight, the father of the basketball player who was targeted with racially insensitive comments, also addressed the River Ridge students.

He said the incident has gone viral and has captured the attention of “black and brown leaders in the country who are coming to our aid,” Steplight said. “They are making phone calls, sending letters.”

Steplight called on the students to get their families involved.

Before the gathering at River Ridge came to a close, James asked for the students to come closer.

“We are here to make a difference,” he said. “We will be not ashamed of our color, our figures, who we are, or our gender. We will not allow it.”

North Thurston Public Schools issued a statement Monday afternoon: “North Thurston Public Schools values student voices and is committed to continuous improvement. We have created opportunities to hear directly from students through annual student surveys and expansion of student organizations. Existing lines of communication provided to students include our school-sponsored Black Student Unions, Principal Student Advisory Councils and Superintendent Student Advisory councils. Yet we are open to other options that create open and constructive dialogue between our students and leadership and have started implementing community cafes to hear the voices of families as well.

“We will continue to listen to concerns shared by students and families and thoroughly investigate all reports of injustice. February is Black History Month, which is an opportunity for us to honor the contributions, triumphs, and struggles of African Americans throughout U.S. History. During the month through our advisory programs, we will be providing lessons and more time for student discussion about the issues of race and equity.

“As a school community, NTPS is committed to actively listen, learn, and seek to understand our differences while respecting all human beings regardless of race, ethnic origin, gender, social class, ability, religion, or sexual orientation. We know that by building strong relationships between students, staff, and families, we can create a safe school environment where all feel welcome, accepted, and valued for who they are.”