“Students’ voice is a powerful thing, and we applaud our students who will not tolerate discrimination of any sort in our schools and are using the platform to advocate for change.”
The district also hired Dr. Erica Buchanan-Rivera as Chief Equity and Inclusion Officer in 2017, three years before the creation of the social media page.
Black says she never reached out to Buchanan-Rivera, again because at the time she didn’t feel this was a racially motivated issue on the part of the school staff. In hindsight though, she likened Buchanan-Rivera’s hiring to the “black friend” trope. Given her experience, she feels that the position was a PR stunt more than a move to make real change.
Buchanan-Rivera’s hiring happened during the time A was at HSE. And no matter how many phone calls Black made, no matter how many emails she sent, no matter how many times she voiced her concerns, she was brushed off. Even by the school principal.
“The principal would never talk to me, either year. He would always refer me to the assistant principal,” says Black. She had a similar experience with her daughter’s teachers who would only communicate with her through the principal.
