E. COUNTY STUDENTS PROTEST RACISM
Members of group recount negative experiences at East County schools
SANTEE Lana Alany, a former student of West Hills High School in Santee, stood in front of a group of students on the campus Friday to share experiences of racism that led her to transfer out a year ago.
Her Muslim faith made her a target, she said.
She was often asked by other White students if she was related to the terrorist group alqaeda, Lana said. A physical education teacher once praised her for getting in the pool during class, differentiating her from other Muslim girls who, unlike her, wear hijabs, she added.
“I went home and cried and asked my mom if I could skip school the next day,” Lana said, recalling how uncomfortable the teacher’s comment had made her.
The experiences led the 16year-old, now a student at Grossmont Middle College High School, to organize the protest Friday along with two others to call out what they say are racist, homophobic and
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sexist actions on campus.
About 20 students walked for less than a mile from West Hills Park to the high school on Mast Boulevard. They held signs that read, “Our safety is not up for debate” and “Knowledge is power.” They chanted, “Black, White, gay or straight, education should not discriminate.”
The school district released a statement Friday a few hours before the protest began.
“We take an unwavering stand against racism, with the goal of creating nurturing learning environments where every student has equitable access and opportunity, regardless of their skin color or ethnicity,” the statement read.
The protest was organized in response to an Instagram account that posted photos and videos of students from West Hills saying racial slurs and homophobic and sexist comments in late August. The Instagram account has since been deleted.
The videos were apparently taken from posts published by various students on their own social media accounts.
West Hills High student Brenna Seboch said she wasn’t surprised by the videos that were released, because students have reported witnessing similar racist actions and words used against minority students on campus.
Brenna, 16, said she hoped administrators would focus on the actions of the students in the videos, but instead the focus was on the account itself, run by an anonymous user who included the phrase “White trash” in the user handle.
Ashley Haynie, 16, who is Latina, said she was told to go back to Mexico by a student at school.
Ashley said she shoved the student out of anger, and because of that response, she was forced to apologize to the student. Meanwhile, apparently nothing was done about the “go back to Mexico” comment, she said.
The students intended to meet on campus for speeches and to allow students to share their experiences, but school administrators asked them to stay in a grassy area in front of the school. The campus was empty due to online learning.
West Hills High Principal
Robin Ballarin and several staff members stood behind the group listening to the speeches.
Ballarin addressed the group after students asked what the school planned to do about actions by classmates and staff that make minority students uncomfortable.
Ballarin said she started an equity committee about four months ago that will tackle issues brought up by students — the committee currently consists of six faculty members and four parents. She invited students to join.
She did not provide details about the racial makeup of the committee.
Students ended the protest with a moment of silence for the hate some of their peers have endured.
andrea.lopezvillafana@ sduniontribune.com