IF YOU WANT TO END RACISM, STOP TEACHING IT: a plea to the people with power

The Issue

We, the youth have taken on the burden to create and cause the change adults in charge are paid SIX FIGURES to do. So some of us created the youth-run organization, POC 4 Change (Instagram: @poc4change). We recognize that racism is able to prevail due to the fact that the current education system undermines BIPOC (black, indigenous, and people of color) students. As a result, we created a universal action plan with resources that districts can EASILY adopt. Yet, we have been overlooked and underestimated by those in power.

As a result, we need all the support we can get to pressure Culver City Unified School District to address all the issues below and adopt our action plan for educational inclusivity NOW. Below is the Declaration of the Youth in which we demand these changes happen NOW. Real change can only start and racism can only end with proper education. We are calling that the people with the power to realize that they not only have the power to change our, the youth, future, but they have the power to change America.

Dear those with the power to cause change,

This is to bring to your attention all the injustices in our education system as well as the sheer fact that systemic racism is very prevalent and is able to continue to infiltrate our society due to the outdated system that is in place within the current education system. It is a system that ensures students of minority cannot truly excel in education. Which has consequently has detrimental effects on students of minority (BIPOC students, LGBTQ+ students, Muslim students, Jewish students, Hindu students, etc.).

There is much work to be done to make school a safe and healthy environment for all children to grow and foster a brighter future. As a result, we the youth with support from the students, teachers, parents, and school boards from all different backgrounds, present a list of grievances that can help guide the school board and those in power positions to re-evaluate and make changes that benefit students, parents, and staff regardless of race, religion, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, and political and social beliefs that divides today’s society.

We demand:

Inclusive educational material
Jane Elliott's experiment’s conclusions correlate to the fact that BIPOC students are more likely to be insecure, feel threatened (due to the animosity against them provided in the current education system), and not likely to do well in school (due to the fact that they are aware of underrepresentation in the system)
Implementation and adoption of Action Plan for Educational Inclusivity (https://docs.google.com/document/d/14lf1O2e4yA3M8oOWeyvBniqtJHMQ9WPgFGmEV7A37l8/edit?usp=sharing
1. The youth and members of POC 4 Change created a comprehensive action plan for districts to adopt. This plan is divided into 4 stages. Stage 1 addresses the district board and all members of school administration in the respective school district. It also calls for the re-education of teachers and staff. Stage 2 addresses teachers and divides steps according to grade levels. It provides educators with ideas and “game plan” to have racial inclusivity. Stage 3 addresses parents in order to ensure necessary conversations continue from school and into the household. Stage 4 addresses how to continue all the progress made. This stage will be created 3 years after the implementation of the action plan (AKA implementation period).
  Action Plan for Educational Inclusivity
2. This action plan calls for nothing radical, rather it seeks to eliminate racism from the core. It calls for simple changes in curriculum, teachers, and all staff’s re-education, and even provides resources on re-education and teaching material.
All students are disciplined equally regardless of race, religion, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, or political and social beliefs
Statistics show that BIPOC students are more likely to get harsher punishments than their non-BIPOC classmates
Administration and teachers address racism and discrimination in classrooms
We demand that in addition to re-educating teachers as called by the Action Plan for Educational Inclusivity, teachers also address racism in classrooms. This is vital as Jane Elliot’s experiment proves unless instances of discrimination and racism are addressed, students who are victims of discrimination and racism are more likely to grow up to be insecure of themselves.
Bias training for school security
POC 4 Change conducted a survey with Culver City High School’s students asking if they had felt uncomfortable by the school’s security guards. Of the 218 students who responded, 122 students, reported they felt uncomfortable with the security guards on grounds of racism, inappropriate comments, sexism, homophobia, and unnecessary searches.
Teachers who are representative of different backgrounds
It is evident that students perform better on exams, have better attendance, and are less likely to get in trouble when they have a same-race or ethnicity teacher.
More mental health workers and counselors who are evaluated for racial biases
Studies show that counselors and mental health workers may also have racial and ethnic biases. We demand not only more counselors and mental health workers, but also that all current and incoming counselors and mental health workers be checked for biases.
Funding for health centers
According to a Harvard study, students of color are more likely to feel alienated in schools due to lack of diversity which directly correlates with higher rates of mental illnesses amongst minorities. In order to prevent further damage to students of minority who already feel alienated and feel abandoned by the current system, funding for health centers is necessary.
Alternative disciplinary punishments
We demand that there be other forms of disciplinary action instead of after school detention. Here’s why: a study/research that discusses the detrimental effects of detention on students.

These are all issues that have been overlooked regardless of how many times they were pointed out. But on behalf of the student, teacher, and parent population, POC 4 Change demands that the grievances and demands above be met.

We sincerely hope you will take subsequent actions as our future and the future of America rests in your hands.

Yours faithfully,

POC 4 Change

poc4change@gmail.com

Document created by:

Sabahat Nabiha and Breanna Moitt

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1OwziiiYBhWvnecMQ9mlFf9rm4dRe3z6kOYL08rXBUyA/edit?usp=sharing (official document with all citations)

POC 4 ChangePetition Starter

Media inquiries

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The Issue

Dear those with the power to cause change,

We demand:

Inclusive educational material
Jane Elliott's experiment’s conclusions correlate to the fact that BIPOC students are more likely to be insecure, feel threatened (due to the animosity against them provided in the current education system), and not likely to do well in school (due to the fact that they are aware of underrepresentation in the system)
Implementation and adoption of Action Plan for Educational Inclusivity (https://docs.google.com/document/d/14lf1O2e4yA3M8oOWeyvBniqtJHMQ9WPgFGmEV7A37l8/edit?usp=sharing
1. The youth and members of POC 4 Change created a comprehensive action plan for districts to adopt. This plan is divided into 4 stages. Stage 1 addresses the district board and all members of school administration in the respective school district. It also calls for the re-education of teachers and staff. Stage 2 addresses teachers and divides steps according to grade levels. It provides educators with ideas and “game plan” to have racial inclusivity. Stage 3 addresses parents in order to ensure necessary conversations continue from school and into the household. Stage 4 addresses how to continue all the progress made. This stage will be created 3 years after the implementation of the action plan (AKA implementation period).
  Action Plan for Educational Inclusivity
2. This action plan calls for nothing radical, rather it seeks to eliminate racism from the core. It calls for simple changes in curriculum, teachers, and all staff’s re-education, and even provides resources on re-education and teaching material.
All students are disciplined equally regardless of race, religion, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, or political and social beliefs
Statistics show that BIPOC students are more likely to get harsher punishments than their non-BIPOC classmates
Administration and teachers address racism and discrimination in classrooms
We demand that in addition to re-educating teachers as called by the Action Plan for Educational Inclusivity, teachers also address racism in classrooms. This is vital as Jane Elliot’s experiment proves unless instances of discrimination and racism are addressed, students who are victims of discrimination and racism are more likely to grow up to be insecure of themselves.
Bias training for school security
POC 4 Change conducted a survey with Culver City High School’s students asking if they had felt uncomfortable by the school’s security guards. Of the 218 students who responded, 122 students, reported they felt uncomfortable with the security guards on grounds of racism, inappropriate comments, sexism, homophobia, and unnecessary searches.
Teachers who are representative of different backgrounds
It is evident that students perform better on exams, have better attendance, and are less likely to get in trouble when they have a same-race or ethnicity teacher.
More mental health workers and counselors who are evaluated for racial biases
Studies show that counselors and mental health workers may also have racial and ethnic biases. We demand not only more counselors and mental health workers, but also that all current and incoming counselors and mental health workers be checked for biases.
Funding for health centers
According to a Harvard study, students of color are more likely to feel alienated in schools due to lack of diversity which directly correlates with higher rates of mental illnesses amongst minorities. In order to prevent further damage to students of minority who already feel alienated and feel abandoned by the current system, funding for health centers is necessary.
Alternative disciplinary punishments
We demand that there be other forms of disciplinary action instead of after school detention. Here’s why: a study/research that discusses the detrimental effects of detention on students.