On Oct. 3, following the recent use of hate speech on social media by ASFA community members and a schoolwide assembly to address the incident, members of the Gender-Sexuality Alliance and the Black Student Union gathered into the Black Box Theater for a first-of-its-kind joint meeting. The meeting was intended to get student feedback about the school's response to the incident, and also to discuss the any additional issues surrounding incidents of intolerance at the school.
Students sat, scattered around the theater with their lunches, before Avishai Goldberg and Joscelyn Peterson, respective presidents of the GSA and BSU, stood to introduce themselves. After some general discussion on group norms and guidelines being used to keep the joint meeting a safe space for everyone from Goldberg, Peterson opened up the floor with the first question for the gathered audience.
“In reference to the incident of hate speech that happened here at ASFA, what is something you think the ASFA Administration could have done differently?” Peterson asked.
While a few students – whose names will not be printed by The Star to protect anonymity – pointed out how the school administration had done well, other students pointed out what they perceived as flaws in their response. Students say they felt – and feel – frustrated. Some suggested that the school is trying to force forgiveness and an image of inclusivity and safety than actually "practicing what they preach."
After some time, Peterson asked a second discussion question. “Do you, as a member of a marginalized group, feel safe at this school?”
The answers for this question were more scattered, as well as the reasoning behind them more diverse. Some students said that, whether they believed the school was handling this incident well or if there was plenty of change to be done to their approach, that they felt safe at ASFA.
On the other hand, other students did not feel safe. Some students shared that they felt reports of microaggressions had been brushed off by faculty and administration with statements such as, “Are you sure you experienced that?”
Another student who responded that they didn’t feel safe also said that they “didn’t think school could be a safe environment,” and that it was a problem that went all the way to the state government level, comparing it to the restriction on teaching Critical Race Theory in many states, and the legislated mandate on teachers in some schools across the country to out student’s gender identities to their parents.
The next question asked was, “What are some things you think need to be improved about the overall ASFA community in terms of discrimination and hate speech?”
The term "round table discussion" immediately came up. Many students suggested school-wide open discussions specifically to express grievances – much like the one that was currently being had. Again, the feeling of being disrespected by the administrative forces in our school came to light. These widely shared views split off into two ideas for what could be done: a series of serious and thorough cross-student-body conversations, or a complete upending and reformation of the system. One student spoke up about a lack of diversity in faculty.
“I mean, I’ve been here for years, and this is my first time having a black teacher,” this student said.
Now that many problems and grievances had been discussed, the meeting progressed to discuss possible solutions and reforms. The last question of the meeting was, “What can someone do to educate someone about the impact hate speech has on our community?”
The two previously mentioned suggestions of total reformation and deep conversation resurfaced for this question. Students seemed to all want similar things – to be given the chance to take initiative to turn our school into a safe space for us all through conversation and rectifications. They didn’t want to feel forced to forgive or forget, but wanted to see effort put into healing our school. ASFA President Dr. Tim Mitchell said in a previous interview with The Star that he has heard his students call this school a safe space. Dr. Mitchell said he was both dismayed and disturbed by incidents of discrimination at our school. While he was unaware of any previous instances of discrimination, he encouraged students to refer to the Student Handbook for possible recourse if they feel victimized or discriminated against.
All in all, this road to our ideals for ASFA won't be easy, but students agreed that it will be well worth the effort to see our school change for the better, and this meeting serves as a beacon of hope for that future.
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