BURLINGTON — Edmunds Middle School will become the second school in the Burlington district to fly a Black Lives Matter flag, following unanimous approval from the school board Tuesday.
Edmunds plans to raise the flag in February during Black History Month.
The student-run group Youth Participatory Action Research (YPAR) Collective at Edmunds collected data, wrote a proposal and presented to the school board seeking approval to fly the flag.
Greta Ketterling, one of YPAR’s 11 members, all of whom are in eighth grade, said the group wanted to follow in the footsteps of Burlington High School, which raised the Black Lives Matter flag last year. Edmunds students organized an anti-racism walk out last May with 300 participants.
Several other schools across Vermont have already raised the flag, including Montpelier High School, Rutland High School, and Essex High School.
Student Anyier Manyok said the group wants to fly the flag as part of an effort to address racial equality issues at the school.
The students polled their peers when they were in sixth grade.
“The results came back and there was some pretty upsetting numbers about how students felt that both other students and teachers were partaking in racial discrimination,” Manyok said.
YPAR collaborated with University of Vermont researchers on the survey and used the data to back up their pitch to the board for flying the Black Lives Matter flag.
The survey found that 36% of students agree there is racial discrimination, with white and black students agreeing at an equal rate. Also, 47% of black students said students are discriminating against one another based on race. One-third of white students and one-third of black students agree that teachers at Edmunds engage in racial discrimination.
Students of color make up 28% of the student body at Edmunds, according to a press release.
YPAR students told VTDigger this week they’ve heard white students use a racial slur and that “unconscious bias” is common among students and teachers, who they say may be ignorant about how their words affect students of color. Manyok said the dress code prohibits students from wearing a do-rag, which she believes takes away students’ right to express their culture. Students’ hijabs have been made fun of — along with their hair, skin color and complexion, she said.
“It was just a lot of racism and a lot of — the kids just weren’t aware of what they were saying,” Manyok said.
Ketterling said she was bothered by the comments because school is supposed to be a safe place.
Manyok and fellow student Henry Tornwini said they received some push back from the school board. One board member asked how Burlington taxpayers who believe the school should be neutral would feel about a political and cultural flag going up at a public school.
“If you’re neutral, you’re really for racism because you’re not trying to do anything about it or trying to stop it,” Tornwini said.
“If you’re not fighting the system, you’re complicit with its wrongs,” Ketterling said.
In addition to racial equality, the students are also looking at issues with gender discrimination and the school’s dress code. Ketterling said they have drafted a new dress code for the school. Student Isaac Doggett said a another group is working to paint a mural on the side of the school to show support for LGBTQ students. And a racial equality group is making a video of a “day in the life” of a student of color at Edmunds.
All of the YPAR students attended the school board meeting Tuesday, even though the first major snowstorm of the year closed schools for the day.
“I feel like if we show people that if middle school students can do this, then people might think ‘Maybe I can do something about this,’” student Aoife Crainich said.
Burlington Superintendent Yaw Obeng, who recently announced his resignation, said in a press release he was proud of the students in the district.
“It takes selfless courage to advocate for an inclusive space that will primarily be to the benefit of our future students,” Obeng said.
Edmunds Principal Megan McDonough was unavailable for comment.
Correction: This article initially misspelled Edmunds. It has been updated with the correct spelling.
