Fresno Unified schools promise big changes following student-led anti-racism protests
Fresno Unified officials on Friday made a number of commitments to hundreds of students who marched from Edison High School to downtown Fresno to protest racism in schools.
The protest and commitments from district officials were sparked by new reports of students at Edison and Bullard high schools demonstrating racist behavior and circulating images on social media. Students at Bullard and Edison walked out of class on Friday in response. Advocates said the incidents that emerged this week are just the latest in a historic pattern, including a number of high-profile incidents in just the last three years.
Superintendent Bob Nelson made two immediate commitments to students to meet the demands of Black Student Unions from Edison and Bullard high schools.
The commitments included: Disciplining and providing cultural sensitivity training to the students who participated in the racist behavior; and expanding the district’s Race and Social Justice Advisory Board to include a student governing board at each high school. The purpose of the advisory board is to assess the enforcement of antiracist policies and behaviors across the district, Nelson said.
The district’s cultural responsiveness team also was deployed to Bullard on Friday, Nelson said, and will work with Bullard High leadership staff both in the short-term and long term on actions to drive a cultural shift on campus.
“We all agree we can’t do this every couple of years. It has to stop now,” Nelson said.
In addressing the latest racist incident at Bullard, Nelson acknowledged the historic pattern of racism in the city and school district.
“Our students deserve so much better from us, as the adults, who shepherd them in this journey,” he said.
Nelson commended the students for taking action through “practical civic engagement.”
Fresno Unified trustees also spoke at the news conference, held outside the Fresno Unified district office parking lot to accommodate students.
After arriving, the students sat cross legged on the asphalt, often breaking out in applause, cheers and chants. Some held signs that read “We stand against racism” and “We demand social-emotional support.” District staff provided water to the students, and Nelson announced that buses were available to take them back to school. Fresno police blocked off traffic from entering M Street near the news conference.
‘State of emergency’
Trustees Keshia Thomas, Genoveva Islas and Andy Levine apologized to students for the pain they endured and also thanked them for their leadership in addressing the tough issue. They represent the Edison, McLane and Fresno High areas, respectively. Trustee Terry Slatic, who represents the Bullard High area, did not attend.
In an interview with The Bee, Thomas said she was alerted to the social media posts of the racist behavior by a student. She began meeting with students and teachers at 7 a.m. Friday to address the issue. She said her goal now is to deliver on the district’s promises to students.
“That’s my goal: It’s to deliver,” she said. “And to make sure my babies feel safe. Many of them don’t feel safe at school. So now it’s just our turn to make them feel good and feel safe and give them a safe haven.”
Thomas said this latest incident of racism showed district leaders that students and teachers are tired. “There is a sense that we’re in a state of emergency,” she said.
The district is providing mental health services and social-emotional support to both students and teachers, she said.
Thomas also called on the community to support the students.
“Stand behind, for and with our kids,” she said. “Give them lots of love and attention, and let them know that we are supporting them.”
Students speak
Leadership with the Edison High Black Student Union also spoke during the news conference. They read a statement on behalf of the Bullard Black Student Union.
“Where some may have the intent of sharing a class joke, the impact has been particularly painful for Black students at Bullard High, but also at our other Fresno Unified high schools, such as Edison High School,” the statement read.
Edison BSU leadership also read aloud a list of demands from the Bullard BSU, which included:
- Immediate discipline of students involved in posing and capturing (the racist) image
- The enrollment of the involved students into cultural sensitivity training
- The immediate discipline of staff members who were supervising students
- A formal address to all students from their principal on the culturally-destructive nature of racism
- The expanded enrollment of ethnic studies and other topical ethnic studies classes
- Hiring of Black faculty and administrators with the goal of at least a five-year retention
- The implementation of a student governing board to assess and enforce antiracist policies
After the news conference, Edison BSU leaders called on district officials to keep their word and act on the commitments they made.
“We don’t want to hear talk,” said Rain Carter, a vice president of Edison’s BSU. “We want to see action.
“We need to help our fellow Bullard High students that are going through this traumatic time of anti-Blackness and racism,” Carter said.
Myles Lee, Edison BSU co-president, said he was blown away by how many students joined the protest and thinks district officials did a good job listening.
“To see how big of an impact this has made, it’s completely out of this world,” Lee said. “Previously before this, things were not done.… But for Bob Nelson to say that he’s going to take action, and that things are already being put into place — that’s all we ever wanted. We just wanted to be heard, and I thought we were heard today.”
The students called on the community to support them and follow their social media pages for upcoming actions.
Bullard High’s BSU Instagram page is @edison_bsu, and Edison High’s BSU Instagram page is @edison_bsu.
This story was originally published May 6, 2022 at 5:41 PM.