Black children throughout the region are struggling in hostile school
environments

[ [link removed] ][IMG]

Chip in so that we can continue to document and share these students’
stories!

[ [link removed] ]CHIP IN

Dear John,

California’s Central Valley schools have a history of anti-Blackness.
Administrators routinely silence students when they try to speak about
their experiences, ignore complaints about racism, and do nothing to
address the hostile environment Black students face. These students are
excessively punished and denied fair investigations and solutions.

We’re using our YourVoice video platform to expose all of the ways these
Black students are marginalized and silenced. Color Of Change has a team
to edit the videos - shout out to the Video Squad - and financial costs to
operate the platform. Your donation will help to pay for the expenses
necessary to run this invaluable platform that will pave the way for even
more Black stories to be told.

[ [link removed] ]Chip in $4 so that we can continue to document and share these
students’ stories!

When a teacher at Del Paso Elementary School threw away students’ Black
Lives Matter (BLM) projects^1, Color Of Change joined forces with the ACLU
of Northern California to advocate for the students involved in this case.
In the midst of fighting for strategic demands to be met, it became clear
that several school districts throughout the region were also ignoring
Black children’s experiences and treating them as one-off instances,
minimizing the systemic problem.

Here are some recent disturbing examples:

* Black students in the Visalia Unified School District have been
repeatedly harassed and called racial slurs as early as elementary
school with no consequences for the perpetrators.^2
* A teacher at Roosevelt High School in Fresno gave students an
assignment to translate African American Vernacular “Black English”
into “standard” English.^3
* Blackface videos were spread at Bullard school in the Fresno Unified
School District and Black students were harassed for reporting them.^4
* In Clovis, a Black bi-racial student was told his afro did not meet
the requirements for a “cultural waiver” within its previous dress
code.^5
* A Fresno Unified middle school student was forced to shave his hair as
his traditional Black haircut was deemed “distracting.” ^6

Across the board, their complaints have been poorly investigated and swept
under the rug by teachers and administrators. Black children throughout
the region are struggling in hostile school environments where they are
silenced and traumatized by school culture that repeatedly denies their
experiences of racism.

That’s why we are collecting stories of Black children to tell the
California Department of Education that enough is enough. We will not
accept half-hearted investigations into racist school districts. We’re
going to expose the systemic failures of Central Valley schools by making
the voices of Black children unignorable. We’re going to be able to prove
that this is a systemic issue and demand the California Department of
Education create a more equitable environment for Black students.

[ [link removed] ]Help us expose the systemic racism in Central Valley schools by
chipping in to tell our stories in a way that makes the greatest impact.

Sharing Black stories is the foundation of the work we do at Color Of
Change. Since 2018, hundreds of Color Of Change members from across the
country have told their personal stories through our YourVoice platform on
issues ranging from their experiences of hair discrimination to the ways
the criminal justice system impacts their families. This powerful platform
has been an effective tool for everyday people to speak truth to power.
Now, to address the anti-Blackness at Central Valley Schools, we are using
our YourVoice platform to demand that decision-makers listen to the voices
of Black children.

We need your help to make this successful. Supporting our video platform
and the people power behind it helps us to make sure Black voices are
heard and our experiences centered, and stops the denial of racism in
schools.

[ [link removed] ]Help us gather students’ stories and expose the anti-Blackness in
Central Valley schools with our YourVoice video platform!

Until justice is real,

Brandi, Rashad, Arisha, Evan, Johnny, Jade, Future, Eesha, Samantha,
Marcus, FolaSade, Jennette, Cierra and the rest of the Color Of Change
team

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References

1. “Sacramento school accused of discrimination after students' art thrown
out,” KCRA3 News, November 22, 2019,
[link removed]
2. “ACLU Files Discrimination Complaint on Behalf of Black Students in
Central California,” The Root, October 24, 2019,
[link removed]
3. “FUSD apologizes for racially insensitive English assignment at
Roosevelt High,” Yourcentralvalley.com, January 23, 2020,
[link removed]
4. “ACLU files complaint on behalf of two students at Bullard High over
blackface video,” ABC 30, October 20, 2019, [link removed]
5. "A boy and his hair are behind the latest Clovis Unified dress code
debate," The Fresno Bee, February 6, 2016,
[link removed]
6. "Black mom furious after honor roll son is kicked out of class because
of his haircut," The Grio, March 9, 2018,
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[ [link removed] ]Color Of Change is building a movement to elevate the voices of Black
folks and our allies, and win real social and political change. [ [link removed] ]Help
keep our movement strong.

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