[0:01] - I played football, I think it was my junior year. [0:04] We went not that far out [0:05] and when we got there we went in as a team [0:07] and they know what locker room we're going in. [0:10] They have to assign that for us. [0:11] We went in and there was just like racial slurs all over the [0:14] board written in marker [0:15] 'cause they knew we were going in there already. [0:17] I wish there was more of a conversation about it, [0:19] like our coaches talking to their coaches. [0:20] Probably maybe after the game, [0:23] 'cause it didn't have to happen right before, but probably [0:25] after just an apology, a statement or something. [0:45] - A couple of years ago I was really noticing an increase in [0:49] the number of incidences related to race [0:52] that were happening in our school districts. [0:55] When harm was done, we didn't know how to respond [0:58] to it appropriately. [0:59] - Racial harm is when an individual [1:01] or a group of individuals are harmed [1:03] or called names due to their race, their skin, [1:06] or their ethnicity. [1:07] It makes them really feel unsafe, makes them feel as people [1:11] around them don't support who they are [1:13] and the environment becomes a very uninclusive [1:16] and our goal is really to be inclusive for all students. [1:19] - Knowing that maybe my teacher didn't protect me [1:23] or maybe this hasn't been resolved. [1:26] It's hard to go in [1:27] and put on that face to be like, I'm ready to learn. [1:32] When inside you're upset, you're mad. [1:35] You're feeling like, who is here to protect me? [1:37] Who is helping me? [1:39] When you're sitting in that kind of space, [1:43] it is really a challenge to figure out how do you learn? [1:48] How do you ask for help [1:49] and how do you figure out the way in which to deal [1:52] with the feeling you're feeling with knowing [1:54] that this doesn't feel good. [1:56] - We can't do nothing to help our children until we [1:59] as a administration - district. Get together [2:03] and lay all the cards on the table [2:05] because there's a lot of bias going on. [2:07] I mean, we can't sit down and try to talk things out [2:10] because people don't wanna have them serious [2:12] conversation on racism. [2:15] I've seen in happen at my school. [2:17] There was no kind of sit down trying [2:20] to restore, you know what I'm saying? [2:22] To show the kids. That's why kids are getting suspended. [2:25] Left and right, 'cause we don't sit down and talk to 'em. [2:29] - I invited several school districts to come together [2:33] and to create collectively a racial harm protocol [2:38] that they could take back to their individual schools, [2:41] utilize their own independent policies and practices, [2:46] but be able to take a template back [2:48] that's being used throughout the Twin City area [2:52] to address racial harm. [2:53] - It's a response guide [2:55] that helps guide administrative officials [2:58] and really any kind of staff on [3:00] how we can combat the racial harm [3:03] that's happening in our school buildings [3:05] and the way to do that equitably and and with integrity. [3:08] And it also establishes like a follow up procedure. [3:12] - Being able to walk through the process, [3:14] I think is reassuring. [3:15] Our goal ultimately is to educate people [3:18] and help them have different tools [3:19] and processes when they have an issue. [3:21] When you get people down, sit 'em down, have a conversation, [3:25] do some restorative work related to what happened so [3:29] that they can understand each other a little bit better. [3:32] That just reduces the chance [3:33] that we're gonna have continuing issues. [3:36] - We have to hold people accountable for their actions [3:39] because that's what creates safety for our children. [3:42] Accountability really does heal. [3:44] When you hold people accountable for that action, [3:47] what we wanna see is that action doesn't happen again. [3:50] - So me as a black person of course, like hearing [3:53] that the school district is trying to do better [3:54] and just trying to put these things [3:56] into place, it makes me feel happy. [3:57] Of course, you know, everybody wants that. [3:59] Everybody wants to feel inclusive. [4:00] Everybody wants a place for them where they can feel like, [4:03] oh yeah, safe and comfortable. [4:04] So it really does mean a lot. [4:05] We seem like we don't care about these [4:07] things, but we do. Secretly. [4:08] - I think this racial harm protocol has the potential [4:11] to like support students. [4:13] For the longest time it felt like maybe this isn't a problem [4:16] that is very visible. [4:17] If it's not acknowledged, then it's all in your head. [4:20] So that step is like, oh, it's not just all in your head. [4:24] It's actually a problem that we ourselves can see [4:28] and just validating our experience. [4:30] - I think when you actually show that you want [4:32] to do something, it matters way more like we're gonna write [4:35] it down, we're gonna make sure that there's a healing [4:36] process behind it as well. [4:38] You shouldn't have to deal with things like that [4:40] and then just go on about your day. [4:42] - You know, people are afraid to, to say, you know [4:45] that there is a racial imbalance here [4:48] because it, it implies that somebody is a bad person. [4:51] How can we change the narrative to you're bad person too - [4:54] You have some learning to do. You have some growing to do [4:56] and we can't do that growth. [4:58] We can't do that healing unless we identify the problem. [5:02] Otherwise all we're doing around is trying [5:03] to stamp out symptoms rather than the cause. [5:05] - I think that's my favorite part of it, [5:07] like the making sure they learn something. [5:08] I think that's what's more important about it. [5:10] - It's better to have more knowledge than just letting it be [5:12] a mistake and actually learn like what was bad [5:16] and good about it and how we're fixing it, [5:18] how we're not fixing it. [5:19] - We're gonna have to focus in on the way we treat children. [5:22] We're gonna have to focus in on how we're communicating [5:25] that information and what that looks like and sounds like. [5:28] And we're gonna have to be transparent [5:30] and real about what's happening in our [5:31] schools and that's okay. [5:33] We can't change or help [5:36] unless we know what we're helping or changing. [5:38] - I don't think that we are at the end goal time yet. [5:41] I think there's revisions that can and should be made, [5:45] but I think it's an incredible first step [5:46] and I think it's an incredible promise to our students [5:49] to continue to better ourselves and get better. [5:51] It is good that we have a response that needs to be done [5:55] and followed and met with fidelity. [5:56] - Let's see it done. Let's not just talk about it. [5:59] Let's be about it. Just learn, learn, learn, learn. [6:03] Don't let nothing stop you. [6:04] It's not because of the color, nothing is before you. [6:08] 'cause that's something that they can't take away.