Oromocto students walk out of classes to protest 'daily' acts of racism
Shane Fowler | CBC News | Posted: December 8, 2020 11:23 PM | Last Updated: December 8, 2020
Students shared their experiences of dealing with racism at Oromocto High School
Students marched out of their classes at Oromocto High School on Tuesday afternoon to protest the racism Black students and other students of colour are dealing with at the school.
Nearly 150 students gathered in a field where they took in speeches, poems, and personal experiences from classmates about racist behaviour they've endured.
"Like calling me a monkey, calling me the N-word, asking to touch my hair," said Kalkidan Burke, a Grade 12 student and student president at the school southeast of Fredericton. "The asking to touch my hair, those would be coming from the teachers as well."
"I've been called the N-word, obviously, I've been called a monkey, many racial terms that shouldn't be used by anybody," said Emmanuelle Jackson, another Grade 12 student. "I've been told my skin is dirty."
"Are you the one who eats cats and dogs? Will your parents beat you if you don't get an A?" said Hannah Burke, also in Grade 12. "These words are a part of me now."
"I have never in my 17 years of life been proud to be Chinese," she said, "I have never felt that I belong at OHS or the Oromocto community."
Students who spoke at the rally said the racism they experience isn't just a few incidents. It's a daily occurrence.
And they feel the administration isn't doing enough to combat racist behaviour.
Administration response
Principal Kevin Inch was at the protest, along with a few other administrative staff. He said he understands that students are frustrated to see racist acts going undisciplined.
"We try to be fair and just in all occurrences in whatever the infraction may be in the school," said Inch.
Inch said he and the administration have been working with the school's Black history committee to deal with systemic racism and improve education on race issues for both students and staff. Inch pointed to school assemblies and guest speakers as part of that contuining process.
Allies needed
Another criticism from OHS students has been the lack of action from their fellow classmates to combat what is happening in the school.
"We need more allies," said Taylor Carr, a Grade 12 student. "We need more white people speaking up about this issue. It is not the responsibility of the Black students in this school to be solving all of the problems that we have here."
"What I really want to see change is your actions you do in the school," said Kalkidan Burke.
"I want to see students standing up against racism when they see it."
For more stories about the experiences of Black Canadians — from anti-Black racism to success stories within the Black community — check out Being Black in Canada, a CBC project Black Canadians can be proud of. You can read more stories here.