Category Archives: Black Lives Matter

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Graffiti On Black Lives Matter Marquee At Maryland Middle School Being Investigated As Hate Crime - CBS Baltimore

For many Americans, the Black Lives Matter movement nearly eight years since it was founded has become the political, spiritual and cultural apex of the unheard.

The power of Black Lives Matter has really been about being able to both be a protest movement and a movement thats deeply involved in politics, Patrisse Cullors, one of the movements co-founders, told Yahoo News in an interview this month.

Following the acquittal in July 2013 of George Zimmerman, the man who shot and killed 17-year-old Trayvon Martin after a brief altercation in Sanford, Fla., three Black women Alicia Garza, Opal Tometi and Cullors created a movement to combat violence and systemic racism they called Black Lives Matter.

Today it continues to be a voice and vehicle for Black liberation worldwide. In 2020, demonstrations in the name of Black Lives Matter were held in more than 60 countries and six continents to protest the killings of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor and George Floyd. In January, the movement was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize.

Black Lives Matter means something different to me every single day, Cullors said. I'm working towards a world that my child can live in freely, that he can feel all his imagination and his dreams that are at his feet. And he won't feel crushed by racism or crushed by the pressures of patriarchy.

For more than seven years, Black Lives Matter has mobilized in the aftermath of the killings of hundreds of Black men, women and transgender people alike.

But with its increasingly elevated profile, Black Lives Matter has also sparked a backlash from politicians and others who consider it a terrorist organization with aims to overthrow the U.S. government.

They called the Black Panther Party and SNCC [the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee] a terrorist organization, Nse Ufot, CEO of the New Georgia Project and an organizer with the Frontline and the Movement for Black Lives, told Yahoo News. They called the Black radical feminists enemies of the state. Any time you challenge the power structure there is pushback.

Story continues

One of the rising stars of the movement is Democratic Rep. Cori Bush, the first Black congresswoman from Missouri, who came to prominence while protesting in Ferguson, Mo., following the killing of Michael Brown Jr. by police in 2014. The first Black Lives Matter protester to be elected to Congress, Bush says one of her biggest goals is to help defeat the ideology of white supremacy.

Even though I understand that it is not on me nor the Black and brown community to dismantle white supremacy, Bush told Yahoo News in an interview this month. The white community, that's their work, but because we're here, we're going to fight it tooth and nail.

Embraced by much of corporate America IBM, Uber and the NBA are among those that have shown their support Black Lives Matter has become more than a protest movement. Its also an aspirational rallying cry.

The power of this movement is helping young people develop an analysis to name the things that are hurting us, Ufot said. People are learning how to organize and not just be activists. There is a discipline of organizing that is being developed.

The following timeline charts the emergence and development of Black Lives Matter:

2012

On Feb. 26, 2012, 17-year-old Trayvon Martin was shot and killed by Neighborhood Watch volunteer George Zimmerman after a brief altercation in Sanford, Fla. Zimmerman had called police and described Martin, who was wearing a hooded sweatshirt and carrying a bag of Skittles, as a real suspicious guy, but the police dispatcher told him not to approach. Zimmerman, who was carrying a handgun, ignored the instruction and a scuffle broke out with Martin, who was unarmed.

2013

On July 13, 2013, following Zimmermans acquittal, three Black female organizers Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors and Opal Tometi launched a protest movement they dubbed Black Lives Matter to combat violence and systemic racism. The phrase "Black lives matter" was first used in a Facebook post by Garza after the acquittal; Cullors recognized the power of Garza's words and created the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter. Thus a campaign was born. The movement, according to its website, is an affirmation of the humanity and historical and societal contributions from Black people. The goal of Black Lives Matter, the website states, is to support the development of new Black leaders, as well as create a network where Black people feel empowered to determine our destinies in our communities.

2014

As a slogan, Black Lives Matter grew steadily on social media. As a movement, activists continued to amplify their voices on the streets of America, protesting the police killings of several Black Americans, including John Crawford III, Ezell Ford, Laquan McDonald, Akai Gurley and Tamir Rice. In 2014, two more deaths captured the attention of the country and the world, those of Eric Garner and Michael Brown Jr. In July of that year, Garner, who was accused of selling loose cigarettes, was put in an illegal chokehold by a New York City police officer that killed him. A month later, on Aug. 9, 18-year-old Brown was shot and killed by Ferguson, Mo., police Officer Darren Wilson after Wilson responded to reports of a robbery and assault at a nearby convenience store. Several months of nationwide unrest and protests followed both deaths as BLM activists called on the officers involved to be held accountable. Cori Bush, a registered nurse and a pastor in a community near Ferguson, attended BLM demonstrations that lasted for more than a year.

2015

On June 17, 2015, nine Black church worshippers were killed during a Bible study at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, S.C., by 21-year-old white supremacist Dylann Roof. On July 13, Sandra Bland, a Black woman, was found hanging in her jail cell in Texas, just three days after she had been stopped and arrested following a traffic stop. With the horror of the Charleston massacre still fresh, an investigation into Blands death left more questions than answers. BLM continued to organize demonstrations throughout the year, specifically drawing attention to the plight of Black women and Black transgender women, who were increasingly becoming victims of deadly violence. By the end of the year, 21 transgender people had been killed in 2015 in the U.S., a record number at the time, and 13 of the victims were Black.

2016

In July 2016, Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, two Black men, were shot at point-blank range by police officers in separate incidents. Sterling was killed in Baton Rouge, La., by two white officers as they pinned him down. Castile, a licensed gun owner, was killed by an officer in a suburb outside St. Paul, Minn., as he raised his hands after the officer allegedly told him not to move. More than 100 protests around the country followed these killings. Professional athletes also began to speak out. During the ESPY Awards in July 2016, NBA superstars LeBron James, Chris Paul, Dwyane Wade and Carmelo Anthony delivered a joint statement about the killings of African Americans by police. In August, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick became the first NFL athlete to protest systemic racism and police brutality by taking a knee during the national anthem. Other NFL players would later follow his example.

2017

In February 2017, Black Lives Matter put on its first art exhibition. It was held at the Museum of the City of New York and featured work from more than 30 artists to celebrate Black History Month. That August, BLM activists protested at a white supremacist Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Va., in which Heather Heyer was killed when a man ran her over with his car. Several others were injured in the clashes between white supremacists and counterprotesters.

2018

Black Lives Matter marked five years of fighting systemic racism in 2018 and continued to protest in various cities across America. A Pew study published that year found that by May, the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter had been used nearly 30 million times on Twitter since the first instance in 2013.

2019

On Feb. 3, 2019, rapper 21 Savage, whose real name is Shyaa Bin Abraham-Joseph, was arrested and detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Black Lives Matter co-founder Patrisse Cullors convened a group of more than 60 high-profile celebrities to advocate for him, and the rapper was released on bond 10 days later.

2020

Following the 2020 killings of Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd and Breonna Taylor, Black Lives Matter became a household phrase. Arbery was shot and killed by three white men while jogging in Brunswick, Ga. Floyd was pinned to the ground and had a knee pressed into his neck for more than seven minutes by a Minneapolis police officer for allegedly attempting to use a counterfeit $20 bill. Taylor, an EMT, was killed when officers serving a no-knock warrant in Louisville, Ky., broke into the apartment she shared with her boyfriend and opened fire. Each of these deaths sparked international BLM marches. Corporations and elected officials, many for the first time, began to promote the term Black Lives Matter, and murals featuring the slogan began appearing all over the globe.

2021

On Jan. 4, 2021, Rep. Cori Bush was sworn into the U.S. House of Representatives, becoming the first Black woman to represent Missouri in that chamber. Bush, who went from an activist in the streets to an activist in Congress, helped bring Black Lives Matter into the mainstream. Later that month, the BLM movement was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize for its work in helping rid the world of systemic racism.

Full interview with Rep. Cori Bush and Black Lives Matter co-founder Patrisse Cullors right here on Yahoo News

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A brief history of the Black Lives Matter movement from Trayvon Martin to Nobel Prize nomination - Yahoo Sports

Black Lives Matter UK have supported the claim made by Crystal Palace forward Wilfried Zaha that taking a knee before each football match is losing its impact.

Most players across all divisions in England have taken a knee since football's return post-coronavirus lockdown in an attempt to show solidarity with the fight against racism and discrimination.

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Zaha had said he felt the gesture was "degrading" and that it was being done to "tick boxes," while Brentford's Ivan Toney has said players are being "used as puppets" in taking a knee and that the gesture allows "people at the top" to rest on the subject.

A tweet from the Black Lives Matter UK page read: "We think Wilfried Zaha has a point. Taking the knee without political action is not enough.

"We are grateful for the symbolic gestures of solidarity but let's not mistake them for real change.

"That is why we are distributing 600,000 ($840,000) to organisations that will fight racism."

There has been an increase in racist abuse received by Premier League footballers on social media in the past months. In fact on Friday, Arsenal issued statement condemning online abuse aimed at midfielder Willian, calling it "another depressing example of what is sadly happening to our players and many others on a regular basis."

"The whole kneeling down -- why must I kneel down for you to show that we matter," Zaha had said on Thursday. "Why must I even wear Black Lives Matter on the back of my top to show you that we matter? This is all degrading stuff.

"When people constantly want to get me to do Black Lives Matter talks and racial talks and I'm like, I'm not doing it just so you can put 'Zaha spoke for us.' Like a tick box, basically.

"I'm not doing any more because unless things change, I'm not coming to chat to you just for the sake of it, like all the interviews I've done.

"All these platforms -- you see what's happening, you see people making fake accounts to abuse Black people constantly, but you don't change it.

"So don't tell me to come and chat about stuff that's not going to change. Change it. All that stuff that you lot are doing, all these charades mean nothing."

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Black Lives Matter UK back Wilfried Zaha comments on taking a knee - ESPN

Its an image many in Rip City are familiar with: Portland Trail Blazers star point guard Damian Lillard arm in arm with protestors, crossing the Morrison Bridge, standing up for Black lives. In a recent episode of the Talkin Blazers podcast, Lillard spoke with Dan Sheldon regarding his experience, according to Lindsey Wisniewski of NBC Sports Northwest.

We were in quarantine and we were just in the house, Lillard told Dan Sheldon on the Talkin Blazers podcast. And you know it was viral, it was protests all over the country, and I was aware of the protests in Portland. Someone invited me to a protest in Lake Oswego, but I think it was like quiet. Nobody was really there, but it was really going down in Portland. Those people have been out there everyday marching. There was hundreds of people...

They were really standing their ground on it.

Lillard knew he had to use his platform to draw attention to the protests, which swept the country following the death of George Floyd at the hands of police.

Obviously being in the house all day, Im really keeping up with on Twitter and Instagram and Im seeing it, Lillard said. It just got to the point where I didnt want to be another person saying Im using my platform to bring awareness, speaking from the sideline. I wanted to be out there and be present. When I did go and protest, I was proud to be there. I was out there and everyone out there they didnt look at it like Damian Lillard is here. It wasnt an appearance. I think that I was a part of that movement...

There was tension in the air, and I was just proud to be a part of something that was beyond myself.

In a reflection of the moment, the Trail Blazers have expanded their programming around Black History Month. You can read more about that here.

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Blazers Damian Lillard Reflects on Participating in Black Lives Matter Protests - Blazer's Edge

Susannah Sudborough|The Taunton Daily Gazette

TAUNTON Two cultures and ideologies clashed verbally on the Taunton Green Saturday morning as people supporting the controversial thin blue line flag mural at Taunton High School rallied and were met by Black Lives Matter counter-protesters.

Each group claimed a side of the Green, putting up their flags and playingmusic. On the pro-police side, rally-goers waived thin blue line flags, raised one American flag and played country and classic rock music.

On the Black Lives Matter (BLM) side, protesters put up BLM flags, rainbow flags with the word "peace" on them, the transgender rights flag and the Philadelphia-style pride flag, which includes black and brown stripes for Black and brown peopleand pink and blue stripes for transgender people. Beyonc, A Tribe Called Quest and Bob Marley, as well as other Black artists, could be heard playing near the flags.

The pro-police side had approximately 10 to 15 people, while the BLM side had at least 20. Over time, the BLM side slowly began to encroach upon the pro-police side, as more and more counter-protesters came over to have a conversation with their ideological opponents.

While there were some heated exchanges, the situation never got violent. Taunton police were standing nearby just in case.

During one exchange, Haverhill resident Ernst Jean-Jacques Jr., who was supporting BLM, went back and forth with Garrett Rainey, a Taunton High School student who helped arrange the rally in support of the thin blue line flag.

"Well, we don't want it to mean anything like that," Rainey said.

"It's too close. It's tooclose to Donald Trump hijacking it, turning itinto the opposition of Black Lives Matter. That's what it looks like right now," Jean-Jacques said.

"We never think of that," Rainey said.

Things got tense when a man, who did not identify himself, called out to Jean-Jacques "This flag is mostly black, you should be happy."

Some swearing occurred, but those nearby on both sides worked to calm things down.

"This is a rally to support police in schools," Rainey said.

"Police shouldn't be in schools to begin with!" Jean-Jacques said.

When the same man who had called out to him before objected to this idea, Jean-Jacques countered, "Do you have kids?"

"Yes I do," the man said.

"When they fight, do you call the police, sir? No the hell you don't!" Jean-Jacques said.

"If there's a f---ing weapon in there, yes I would!" the man shouted back.

Both sides made it clear they were there to weigh in on the Taunton High School thin blue line mural issue.

"I just wanted to support the police, especially the police officers in our school, withthem trying to take the flag down," Rainey said. "I support that flag. I thought it was more of a memorial flag than anything."

Rainey said that in his conversations, he had found the counter-protesters "somewhat friendly." He said many of those who came over to talk to them were agitators, while others were simply having a good time. Regardless, he said, they all had a right to be there.

"I know that they're here against police. A lot of themwhen we say something that they don't like, I see that they start getting very argumentative," he said."[These little girls were] standing here and they had to close their ears because they'reswearing so much. They're saying some awful things. I didn't really like that. My dad had to keep reminding them 'Language, language.'"

But Rainey and Jean-Jacques agreed they had some common ground.

"We both agree that we still respect the police in a sense. And then we also agree thatevery Black life matters," Rainey said.

Many people attending the rallies on both sides were not from Taunton, butsurrounding communities. A social justice group from West Bridgewater was in attendance, as well as people from BLM Rhode Island.

Two college students from Boston College drove down to show their support for the thin blue line flag as a part of Turning Point USA,a right-wing organization that advocates conservative narratives on high school, collegeand university campuses. They said the organization hadinformed them of the rally and the conflict at Taunton High.

"We support our law enforcement. They're essential, and they do a lot for us. They protect us. It's the least we can do," said Boston College student Addy Nini.

"These days, they're gettinga lot of hate from a lot of people. So we just want to show them that that's not for everyone, and we definitely care about what they're doing,"Boston College studentDavid Crowley added.

Rita Fiorello came from Plymouth to show her support for the BLM protesters.

"The blue line flag was madeas a counter protest to Black Lives Matter," she said. "I don't really believe that it's about the police. It'sracist."

Fiorello was holding a thin blue line flag herself, but it had the words "all jobs matter" on it in protest.

"You have two different groups of people with two different sets of facts," she said. "It's hard to convince somebody that theirfacts are not correct."

But there were also Tauntonians on both sides as well. Alison Rosa, whose son goes to Taunton High, was there in support of the taking the thin blue line flag mural down.

"One of the biggest things that should have been done beforethe kids go back is decolonizing the schools, making sure that there's nothing that would make anybody feel unsafe," she said.

"It's not a place to worshipjobs or police officers. They're there for education. All of this has just been crazy. And I wanted to show support to this side, becausethe flag needs to come down. If you want to make a mural, make it inclusive."

Lt. Eric Nichols, who has been involved in the discussions about the flag mural between students and school resource officers (SROs), said that progress has been made on this issue. He said they have had four meetings, and that it's resulted in a "positive dialogue."

"A lot of people want to voice their opinion from the outside, but how many of them have really spoken to these kids?" he said.

As a result of the discussion, Nichols said, one student who had been against the flag said she had never felt comfortable going to the SROs. He said the SROs saw this as a failure on their part to not have reached out enough to make her comfortable.

In response, he said, the SROs came to her basketball game to support her, and ended up repairing that relationship.

Nichols also said that this had been a good learning experience for the officers in having to have tough discussions and finding a good solution, and that at the end of the day, the SROs just want the students to be comfortable.

"What's important is what's important to these students," he said.

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Taunton BLM and thin blue line supporters face off during peaceful but heated rallies - Taunton Daily Gazette

Black Lives Matter UK has announced it is giving 600,000 in funding to grassroots groups across the country, including those that organised last summers anti-racism protests.

The campaign group received 1.2m in donations via a GoFundMe appeal, following widespread protests last summer.

BLMUK is awarding the funds in two phases. The first round has seen just over 169,500 given in small grants to 14 organisations that work to improve Black peoples lives in a racist society and that the campaign group has worked with over the last five years.

The largest recipient of the first round of funding is the United Friends and Families Campaign, which has received 45,000 to set up a peoples tribunal for deaths in custody. Other organisations include the groups behind last summers protest, All Black Lives, Justice for Black Lives, and A Tribe Named Athari.

BLMUK has also given funding to the Northern Police Monitoring Project;Sistah Space, Londons only specialist domestic violence service for women of African and Caribbean heritage; African Rainbow Family, a charity supporting Black and minority ethnic (BME) LGBTQI refugees and asylum seekers; Acts of Love, an African-Caribbean community centre; AZ Magazine, an arts and culture initiative for LGBTQI people of colour; and BME Cancer Communities, a charity that protects the health of BAME and low-income communities affected by cancer, long-term health conditions and Covid-19.

The group has also given money to two international groups: Abahlali, a Black South African shack dwellers movement campaigning against evictions and for public housing; and Sindicato de Manteros de Madrid, a Spanish labour union of people primarily from Black and migrant communities.

Each organisation has either Black or multi-ethnic leadership, BLMUK said.

The second round of funding will take place later this year, where groups will be invited to apply for the remaining funds ringfenced for other organisations.

BLMUK said it will put the remaining 600,000 towards building an anti-racist organisation that can scale up its existing community organising, educational work and direct actions.

Kingsley, an organiser at BLMUK said: We were inspired by the tens of thousands who supported the 2020 protests against racism and wish to send out a massive thank you to every single person that donated to us. These funds are another step in helping to sustain our movements for the future.

Lemara Francis, an organiser at BLMUK, said: State racism is widening inequality, making support for Black workers, youth, the undocumented, women, LGBTQI people and those struggling during the pandemic more urgent than ever. Were excited to be contributing to projects that will aid the vital work being done in these areas and more.

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Black Lives Matter UK to give 600,000 in funding to campaign groups - The Guardian

This month, two events defining opposite ends of the racial justice spectrum took place. In the first, in an interview with LBC, the home secretary, Priti Patel, roundly condemned last summers Black Lives Matter protests as dreadful. In the second, Black Lives Matter UK (BLMUK) announced it was disbursing half of the funding it had received since the protests started to grassroots groups across the country.

These events, less than a week apart, reveal the two spheres in which the fight for racial justice is taking place: theres the fictional one constructed by the media and politicians, and then theres the real world. In the Conservative press office and rightwing media, a culture war rages, featuring daily assaults on a cast of characters and organisations broadly associated with racial justice, migrant rights or attempts to reappraise Britains account of its colonial history. Black Lives Matter continues to be a favourite target, months after its protests abated. The movement is constantly dragged into debates as a symbol of a divisive coalition of Marxists and vandals, set on disrupting the peace and setting back the cause of racial justice.

In reality, BLMUK is quietly getting on with the constructive work required to make change happen. The organisation, which aims to end police persecution and promote racial justice, will distribute 600,000 from funds it received in donations since last summer to a range of recipients whose work aims to improve Black peoples lives in a racist society. While we were told that BLMUK was concerned primarily with cultural sabotage, the group has been going about the difficult business of setting up the infrastructure to help families investigate the deaths of their loved ones in custody, domestic violence charities, and community groups that protect communities affected by cancer, long-term health conditions and Covid-19.

The funding is not only a rebuke to the rightwing narrative that seeks to define the group as disruptive, but also a sign that culture war attacks, sustained and widespread as they might be, have their limitations. They can only do so much to get in the way of individuals powered by a sense of moral purpose and supported by allies who, in small, unglamorous and low-profile ways, fund them into viability.

Resistance may be alive at grassroots level, but the attacks catch up eventually. We are already seeing a chilling effect on the work of charities and voluntary organisations which are legally required to be impartial. The head of a migrant rights charity recently told me that, when taking on new projects, he doesnt just weigh up whether he has the resources, but also whether it will expose his organisation to claims of political bias. Worse still, he worries for the safety of his staff following Patels attacks on activist lawyers.

This danger can be easily missed. The very nature of culture war debates is that they are often silly, have a short life cycle in the news, and are designed to maintain a politically useful mood rather than achieve a specific policy aim. Episodes in the culture war give weight to the view that its fostered deliberately to distract from government failures In January, as the number of deaths began to increase after the governments hasty lifting of restrictions the previous month, Robert Jenrick dedicated his energy to the high priority matter of protecting statues.

Yet there is another front of the culture war, fought by people not only interested in distraction, but in results. Their aim is to shape the cultural and social climate so that it becomes inhospitable to causes at odds with their values; to determine who can participate in civic life, and who has a stake in Britains future. These battles are taking place in our schools and universities and extend into legislation. The resources of the government are being deployed to define what constitutes free speech in universities, dictate the content of curriculums, and launch official reviews into the progressive extremism of movements such as BLMUK.

Navigating this increasingly hostile climate is Petros Elia, of United Voices of the World, a trade union of precarious and migrant workers and one of the recipients of the BLMUK funds. When I spoke to him, his gratitude for the transformative donation was tempered by his account of the challenges his union faces in an environment where it is increasingly hard to raise funds due to legal hurdles, an antagonistic press and a prevailing ideology that is unsympathetic to the precariously employed.

BLMUK itself has, despite its successful fundraising, struggled to open bank accounts due to suspicion raised by its name, and had to scale back public appearances because of attacks in the rightwing press and government, opening it up to accusations of opacity. Kojo from BLMUK told me: The funds received, though large, are a trickle compared with the flood of resources stacked against us. They face a fight on two fronts: to support grassroots movements doing the real work to protect vulnerable racialised communities, and simultaneously to resist the vilification of these causes by elements of the media and the government.

But the dividends are worth fighting for. Supporting communities of colour would have benefits for the whole of society by making mainstream politics more open to redistribution and solidarity. Labours strategy to rise above what is seen as the unseemly sandpit of culture squabbles may spare it some headaches in the short term, but salts the earth against it in the long term. By trivialising the culture war, the left risks overlooking its impact on the very individuals and groups who are its future.

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The culture war isn't harmless rhetoric, it's having a chilling effect on equality - The Guardian

SOUND MINDS, a mental health charity based in Battersea, has published a book of poems in response to the traumatic events that revolutionised the Black Lives Matter movement last year.

Black Lives Matter: Reflections from the mental health systemis written by Sound Minds service users, staff and volunteers. You can order a copy by contacting Sound Minds.

All sales of the book will be donated to Canerows, Sound Minds peer support service for improving mental health care for people from BME backgrounds.

Black Lives Matter: Reflections from the mental health systemincludes 19 poems written by Sound Minds staff, volunteers and others with experience of the mental health system.

The poems are in response to the killing of George Floyd last year and reflect on the wider inequality, discrimination and violence faced by the Black community.

Founded in 2009, Canerows is a user-led service working to improve the lives of people who are overcoming mental health issues, particularly people from BME backgrounds who are over-represented in the mental health system.

The service sees Sound Minds staff and volunteers provide weekly support sessions to those in local mental health wards, as well as support to people in the months after they leave hospital.

Many of the staff and volunteers have lived experience of mental health wards, providing a unique support service to people in the wards.

Frances Grace, Canerows Peer Support and Ward Visitor, Sound Minds said:At Sound Minds we encourage our service users to express themselves creatively, be that through art, music or writing.

These poems clearly express peoples reactions to the events from last year and further illustrates our solidarity with our Black service users, staff and volunteers and our support for Black Lives Matter.

People from BME backgrounds are sadly over-represented in the mental health system.

All sales from this book will go to our Canerows Peer Support Service, helping those from BME backgrounds overcome their mental health issues and ultimately improve their lives.

Black In White: Experiences of racism in a series of poems

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Charity publishes Black Lives Matter-inspired poems - The Voice Online

En Espaol

The Washoe County School District (WCSD) committee meeting Tuesday on board policy 1310 had the district reversing its prior stance on allowing Black Lives Matter (BLM) and LGBTQ+ issues in the classroom.

The school district previously insisted such activities as having rainbow flags in a classroom were prohibited as political speech.

After months of upholding the board policy, the districts legal counsel was finally able to state that the teachers can have discussions about these issues. And there is nothing in this policy that actually prohibits such a practice.

Statements made at the districts Feb. 9 board of trustees meeting, while discussing an anti-racism resolution and brave spaces, foreshadowed this decision.

Following a nationwide Black Lives Matter movement after the police killing of George Floyd on May 25, 2020 in Minneapolis, the school district was forced to take a hard look at discussions on issues of racism, discrimination and bullying.

Student communities such as WCSD4Change, teachers, parents and administrators engaged with the district to focus on the need for creating a more inclusive, compassionate environment for students.

They demanded a curriculum that recognizes the diversity and histories of people of color and ethnicities in Nevada and America, and they argued its a fallacy to tag discussion of LGBTQ+, Civil Rights and BLM issues as political.

During the committee meeting, WCSD General Counsel Neil Rombardo said that such an interpretation created misunderstanding and controversy around the policy. As the legal team checked the history and purpose of the policy in partnership with the department of Civil Rights Compliance, It became apparent to us that board policy 1310 expanded beyond the scope of its intended purpose when it started redressing the speech of employees and political activity of employees, he said.

The original intention of board policy 1310 was to prohibit political candidates from putting signs or symbols on the school premises and use them as a place to campaign. The policy that provides guidelines for political activities of staff is board policy 4500, which somehow morphed into 1310, added Rombardo.

We have pulled it out, he said, adding that confusing parts of board policy 1310 are going to be deleted and parts of it will be addressed in board policy 4500 concerning political activity of staff.

According to Rombardo, 1310 is about management of property in context to political signage and symbols, and 4500 is about management of staff concerning political activity.

Unlike before, from now on when the district enforces policy 1310 it will have consequences on the property and not staff. Policy 1310 alone will not prohibit staff from discussing social and political issues with students in a healthy and proper manner.

As drafting policies is always difficult, the committee has decided to have robust discussions on various aspects of the policy.

Some of the discussions concerned the meaning of a political act.

The districts legal counsel has drawn from the federal Hatch Act to come up with a clear-cut definition of what constitutes political activity. In its draft, the legal team defined political activity as any activity directed toward the success or failure of a political party, candidate or political office, political group, political organization, political issue, ballot initiative, bill, petition or any other matter currently before the state legislature or local government agency.

It further defines a political group as a group of people that assembles together in order to promote a common ideology and achieve particular objectives in the public, governmental sphere.

Trustee Kurt Thigpen said that such a definition might interpret groups like LGBTQ+ as a political group and run counter to the districts resolution that discrimination on the basis of race, sex, gender, ethnicity will not be tolerated.

Thigpen suggested that identity and culture-based groups should not be classified as political, expressing his concern that such a classification could lead to them being prohibited from celebrating things like Back History Month or LGBTQ month.

I need to think that through, said Trustee Jeff Church. We are talking [about allowing] the rainbow flag but not the Confederate flag. What if a Latino group wanted to put up the Mexican flag? So, I am reaching out to Mr. Rombardo, so we dont vote [on] a slippery slope and run into problems or marginalize other members of the community.

Well I am under the belief, unless the board decides otherwise in some other policy and regulation, that the Confederate flag is not part of your inherent upbringing The Confederate flag is hate speech, responded Rombardo.

What about the former Alabama flag that had the Confederate in the corner? quipped Church. I am just worried about the slippery slope.

Rombardo said he felt that allowing identity and culture based flags and related topics have a place in board policy 4500 and not 1310. Even then, the members felt it important to have a detailed discussion on the issue.

The main question at this point was how to respond to students demand for inclusivity and equity? How to support identity-based and historically marginalized groups like LGBTQ+ and Black students while also prohibiting an identity-based group that professes supremacy to run amok?

Board President Angie Taylor weighed in.

Do we want to be inclusive? Absolutely! Do we want to open ourselves up to [a situation], well, I identify as white therefore I am a white supremacist fan? she asked. Anybody supremacist is bad, but if we start looking at groups and peoples identity, whiteness is an identification too. Its not necessarily negative, but it certainly can be.

Taylor further noted that the district will need to continue to work on understanding and defining these issues. Later in the discussion she added that if identity-based student groups are threatening and marginalizing other groups then she would be concerned about the safety and diversity of other students.

We want to support students but we need to recognize theres this whole piece of it. We need to work on it, she said.

Harvard Professor Joan Donovan, who studies supremacist groups and their online movements, once explained how white supremacist groups have rebranded their hate-filled agendas to look acceptable amid their supporters. Part of the KKKs process was continually rebranding how their movement saw themselves. In the late 60s they were calling themselves the American Nazi movement. Then they switched to talking about a white power movement.

Trustee Ellen Minetto said that looking at flags is part of students education and when they are learning about Spanish or Mexican history, they can and should be able to see a flag. But, for all other times, the district should sport just American and Nevada flags.

There were also discussions about which topics can be discussed during school hours. Church asked what happens if some groups are allowed to talk about issues like abortion, Middle East peace and policing.

What we would not allow is for a group to come onto our campus and be pro-death penalty and pro-abortion or anti- whatever the case may be. That doesnt mean we are not going to teach about these difficult issues in an appropriate curriculum and allow for healthy debate, Rombardo responded.

The committee also discussed that most political signages will not be allowed on district property or school campuses. The district might allow bumper stickers on a personal vehicle, but large political signs painted on the side of a truck will not be allowed.

There will be grey areas, added Rombardo. And on those occasions, the superintendent will need to make a decision. But, when a district property has been rented out for a political event, with the express approval from the district, organizers can use political signage, temporarily.

The board will have its next meeting in two weeks for the community to weigh in on the proposed changes.

Read more:

School district reviews policy that prohibited staff from discussing Black Lives Matter and LGBTQ+ - ThisisReno

By Nancy Salguero McKay

Why should we celebrate Black history? Because it is our American Historybecause it is our personal history. Every aspect of our society and everyday culture is influenced by Black history! The foundation of our country is based on the contributions, the labor, and daily struggles of Black Americans.

How can we discuss our present or our past without the influence of our neighbors, our friends, or our communities? Why do we ignore how all of us are connected in one way or another? Why do we see more differences than similarities in each other? We all want the same thingthe same healthy community, the same safe neighborhood for our children to grow in, and to feel that we belong and are accepted as we are.

The Black Lives Matter in American History Community Exhibit, organized by the Highline Heritage Museum, traces the struggles and resilience of Black Americans who have fought for equity and justice from our nations beginnings to the present. The Black Lives Matter movement is a cry to end the tragedies of gun violence and systematic racism that Black communities have experienced for generations. This community exhibit features work by our local artists, community members, and students alongside stories of courage from Black history. Together, they reflect national and local perspectives on American history and the Black experience.

In the installation of this community exhibit, we utilized 11 window fronts around downtown Burien. The Highline Heritage Museum was honored to collaborate with the African American Writers Alliance, Highline High School, Choice Black Student Union, Evergreen High School, Minor Matters, Lawtiwa Barbersalon, Classic Eats restaurant, local artists, and community members.This public exhibit runs from Feb. 5 to April 30, 2021.

In our preparation for this exhibit, we interviewed people who were able to share and vocalize their messages. There is a vulnerability to exposing your emotions in public. This project is not about them versus us; it is about slowing down for a moment and asking for understanding. We are honoring and celebrating Black History month, but this celebration should be organically happening every day.The importance of black history should be celebrated beyond February.

Heres a map and photos of the exhibits, courtesy Maureen Hoffmann:

This article was written for the Seattle Southside Chamber of Commerce by Board Member Nancy Salguero McKay. Nancy is the Executive Director of the Highline Heritage Museum located in Burien. The museums mission is to collect, preserve, and tell the stories of the Highline area and its people. For more information, please visit their website at

The Seattle Southside Chamber has served the communities of Burien, Des Moines, Normandy Park, SeaTac, and Tukwila since 1988. For more information about the Chamber, including a full list of member benefits and resources, please visit their website at

The Highline Heritage Museum is located at 819 SW 152nd Street in Burien:

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Learn why Black Lives Matter in American History at Community Exhibits around Burien - The B-Town (Burien) - The B-Town Blog