Monterey High Students host silent protest following racist photo

Class ended early at Monterey High, Thursday, but this time the students made the call. They hosted a silent protest after a racist photo surfaced on Snapchat.

“It just really hurt to see that nobody was doing anything about it, and for the picture to be taken at our school, the place that’s supposed to be safe. That really just hit me,” said Monterey High student, Kaitlynn Anderson.

Anderson co-founded the group, #eRacism, after the the photo made its way around school. The photo’s caption included racist song lyrics written by a self-described, white supremacist. Anderson said this sparked frustration among students.

“It’s really hard to deal with that, being discriminated against for who you are. Seeing that go on at a diverse school like Monterey High is shocking,” said Monterey High student, Sana Salim.

Several student leaders spoke in front of their classmates, and encouraged everyone to put an end to the hurtful comments.

Monterey High principal, Thomas Newton, said he wanted to give students a safe platform to speak about real issues. “I’m really excited that they’re taking the initiative to educate one another about what it feels like to be targeted by these types of things. To really step up and have the capital, and the talent, that they have, and showcase that to really be leaders at young ages,” said Newton.

Anderson said the school hasn’t always been on their side. She said the school does not do enough to discipline students who make racist comments. “We’re hoping that, not only, will this show our voice, and help our voice get heard, but that everybody in the district will promote this too,” said Anderson.

Members of #eRacism said they want this to go beyond the district, too. They challenge everyone in the community to stand up to racism.