Last year was my first year attending Booker T Washington High School, and I couldn't help but notice that for a school that takes so much pride in being the first school in Dallas intended for black students, the administrators and staff seemed to turn a blind eye to harmful, racial language. Over the course of the year, I can think of 3 cases in which white students used the n word (those being instances in which the school responded), and countless other cases of harmful and ignorant language that went unresolved or unacknowledged. In light of this most recent injustice performed by a student, as well as racial injustice taking place outside the walls of our school, the student populace has been outspoken about their irritation with the school's display of irreverence on platforms such as Email, Instagram, Twitter, etc.

Yesterday I spoke with our Assistant Principle, Dr. Barrett, over the phone and he read the Student Code of Conduct to me. He explained to me that racial injustice, on the part of the student, can only be punishable by the school if it falls under the categories of Harassment or Bullying. I made the point of saying that the students use of the slur is inherently harmful and demeaning to the entire colored population of the school. He agreed but said that if it wasn't used to directly target a student, they may not be able to do anything about it.

Dr. Barrett suggested that if I want to add onto the Student Code of Conduct, I can prepare a statement and present it to the student council. I entirely plan on doing that, so I created this petition to understand student interest. Additionally, if this petition surpasses its goal it will provide the student council with undeniable proof that this is something the student body is passionate about, and refuses to let go devoid of consequences.

I suggest that students guilty of using harmful, racially charged language should be punished via suspension, detention, or counseling (in which the student is educated on the history of the word and the weight it continues to hold today), because at the end of the day, this offense may be hateful, but it also stems from a place of ignorance. I also believe that due justice would be for the student to supply the school with a 5 paragraph essay on the history of racism within America, and how much of our daily lives are still fueled by racial inequity. 

Beyond the student guilty of using demeaning language, this addition to the Code of Conduct will be affecting students of every color within our school who are tired of experiencing racism and prejudice on a daily basis. When a new student comes to our school, a school with such a powerful and historical weight, they expect the "zero tolerance policy" against racism to be honored. That sentiment can't be, until we stop protecting the people who are causing the most harm, and prioritizing the people who are victims of their ignorance. It was a school that belonged to colored people first. White people are guests here, so lets take of our muddy shoes, and thank them for inviting us in.