Stand with the students of Del Paso Elementary Demand that the San Juan Unified School district meet our six demands!
Ms. Kincaid, a parent-volunteer at Del Paso Elementary school in Sacramento, California, recently taught a lesson about the art and activism that occurs in communities and in schools. She encouraged students to create a poster detailing a cause they care about. Four students at the school chose to create art in support of Black Lives Matter. But, when the classroom teacher, Mr. Madden, saw these projects, he thought them to be too political, and he threw one of the student's projects away.1
Mr. Madden tried to silence students who were inspired by the Movement for Black Lives. Stand with the students of Del Paso Elementary School against efforts to silence their support of Black Lives Matter.
When Ms. Kincaid spoke to school authorities about Mr. Madden’s decision to throw out the students’ projects, the school principal and other administrators not only supported the Mr. Madden’s decision, but also banned Ms. Kincaid from being an art docent.
This seemingly one-off incident is part of a history of anti-Blackness in California schools. Recently, Black students in three different California school districts were targeted and treated with hostility.2 One of those three school districts banned Black Lives Matter signs and stickers.3 And Black students in California and across the country are 3.4 times more likely to be disciplined than white students.4 Other students focused their projects on topics like the environment, and those projects were deemed worthy. Throwing out students’ Black Lives Matter projects sends a message to Black children and other children at California schools that Black people’s dignity and humanity is not important. It also sends a message to the students that they should be ashamed of Black Lives Matter. But students should not be shamed for supporting Black Lives Matter; they should be encouraged!
Ms. Kincaid and students are fighting back. They hired an attorney who sent a letter to the Superintendent of the school district last week. Mr. Madden, the classroom teacher, and school administrators are not above that law, and they cannot prohibit these students’ Black Lives Matter posters, which are considered protected speech under the California education code.5 We must hold them accountable for silencing students’ voices and denying the dignity and humanity of Black people.
In collaboration with other civil rights orgs, we demand that the school:
- Issues a public apology,
- Reinstate Ms. Kincaid’s the parent volunteer’s privileges as a parent volunteer,
- Allow students to put up their Black Lives Matter posters,
- Incorporate Black Lives Matter into their curriculum and school events,
- Provide cultural and sensitivity training for staff, and,
- Host parent engagement training.
Until justice is real,
Jade, Rashad, Arisha, Johnny, Amanda, Evan, Future, Eesha, Samantha, Marcus, FolaSade, and the rest of the Color Of Change team
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