Buckeye school protest:
10 Buckeye students leave class after girl’s attire is forbidden
Valley civil-rights advocates joined a handful of students who walked out of classes at Buckeye Union High School on Monday to protest the treatment of a student who was forbidden to wear a Black Lives Matter shirt.
Ten students walked out of class Monday morning at Buckeye Union High School, protesting after the school last week banned a sophomore girl from wearing a Black Lives Matter T-shirt.
“Stand up, fight back,” the students said as they left the school.
Mariah Havard and nine others were greeted outside by representatives of several civil-rights organizations who spoke in support of the students’ action.
Havard decided to make a statement last week by wearing the T-shirt for the school’s picture day — school officials had told her she couldn’t wear the shirt again, and a vice principal made her change into a white shirt, she said.
“We’re not trying to start a race war. We’re trying to end one,” said Buckeye student Genesis Santoyo, a friend of Havard. Santoyo has younger brothers, she said, and didn’t want them to have to experience “such injustice.”
Santoyo said she asked Havard for the shirt and also wore it to school.
The issues started Aug. 19, when 15year-old Havard said she was confronted about the shirt by another student who told her, “Black lives don’t matter,” and “That shirt is meaningless.”
Havard was caught off guard by the comments, she said, but responded with an explanation of what the shirt meant to her. According to Havard, the student reported their conversation to school officials, who then told Havard she would not be permitted to wear the shirt again.
But she wore the shirt again on picture day, anyway, to make a point, she said. A vice principal gave her a white shirt to wear instead, Havard said.
Later that week, on Friday, Havard was asked to take off her sweatshirt by a male administrator to check whether or not she was wearing the Black Lives Matter T-shirt underneath.
“This quasi strip search was in direct violation of the 4th Amendment of the Constitution of the United States. The statement, ‘Black Lives Matter,’ is only controversial if a person thinks black lives do not matter,” according to a statement by Black Lives Matter Phoenix. “Havard and her classmates have the right to exercise free speech.”
Havard posted a message on Facebook expressing her disappointment about what happened. She said she was shocked by the “racist” responses to the post online.
The students’ parents also were there Monday to stand behind their children’s actions.
Several expressed disappointment that their children were growing up in an environment similar to the one they had faced years ago.
Havard’s mother, Roxanne Havard, embraced Mariah with a tight hug before sharing her thoughts.
“When they wear their shirts that say Black Lives Matter, they’re just telling you that their lives matter, too,” Roxanne Havard said.
“They have made death threats to the students here on Snapchat, Facebook, social media,” Roxanne Havard said. “The students that have made these threats have not had any consequences.”
Black Lives Matter Phoenix said in a statement that representatives had reached out Friday to discuss the situation with Buckeye Union Principal Tawn Argeris and Eric Godfrey, the Buckeye Union School District superintendent.
Godfrey released a statement Monday saying, “The district is working with staff, local leaders, and Black Lives Matter representatives to develop a plan to turn the incident involving the Black Lives Matter T-shirt from a negative situation into a positive learning experience. This is an excellent opportunity to teach tolerance, understanding, and acceptance for the diverse learners that make up BUHSD.
“This will be a process and not happen overnight. It will take the support of all involved and from the communities we serve. BUHSD is committed to the success of all students.”
At the Monday protest, Iisha Graves, who is running for the District 13 seat in the state House of Representatives, said she was proud of the students for standing up for what they believed.
Black Lives Matter Phoenix, NAACP and ACLU representatives encouraged students to stand up for their rights and to carry themselves intelligently and in a non-violent manner.
Shortly after noon, the students returned to class.