HARRISON TWP. — About 100 Clearview Regional High School students held a peaceful sit-in Monday to protest what they describe as racism at their school.
The students met with administration Monday morning to discuss their concerns before staging a silent sit-in near the school library.
Sophomore Rebekah Strauss, who helped organize Monday's event, said that minority students are targeted with racist comments in the halls and two recent social media posts motivated students to take action.
"There have been multiple incidents of racism at Clearview," she said, but Snapchat posts by two students drove concerned classmates to organize a response.
In one case, a user posted an image of a Confederate flag with the Snapchat filter "Young, Black and Proud" on the image, Strauss said. The filter is intended to promote Black History Month.
Another post, using the same filter, depicts a confederate flag and a burning rainbow flag. That flag is the symbol of LGBT pride. One of the posts include the caption, "Black lives don't matter," along with vulgar and racist language, said Strauss.
Students met in the school theater Monday morning to share their concerns with administrators. "Basically, we wanted to voice our opinions," said Strauss, who is bi-racial.
At this N.J. high school, students ride and read
At the peaceful protest, students sat in silence and displayed signs during five periods. Participants included African-American and white students, said junior Sawyer Sinnett, editor in chief of the school newspaper.
This isn't the first sit-in at the school. Both Strauss and Sinnett recalled an incident in June 2015 when several students criticized school administrators for how they handled public concerns about a school project in which a poster about police brutality was deemed anti-police.
The poster was removed and students complained that administrators had overreacted and failed to support students. That incident prompted a sit-in by about 120 students.
This time, Strauss felt administrators understood student concerns.
"Administration was very compliant with us," Strauss said of Monday's events. "This time they were very different and they let it happen."
School officials asked that the students keep their protest peaceful and silent, Strauss said.
"I feel that we have made a big step," she said. "They did listen to us and let us have a voice."
Sawyer, who is white, called the experience "empowering," and said she hopes this protest will spark positive change in her school.
"With the world we are living in today, everyone has become so divided," she said. "Being able to stick up for African American students in school felt incredible."
School officials noted that they had productive conversations Monday and indicated more information would be coming soon.
"We had meetings this morning with students and have also met with a parent representative in an effort to address the ongoing concerns," said Superintendent John Horchak. "We feel those meetings have been productive and will be a foundation on which we will be able to build."
Several parents of students who took part came to school Monday to support students and speak with school officials, Strauss said.
School officials vowed to meet with parents, NAACP officials and to form a student committee to talk about changes to curriculum and daily school life, she added.
While she confessed that she does have concerns about whether officials will follow through, "I have to be optimistic," she said.
For everyone who said the protest would do nothing :) pic.twitter.com/qDFI2LlyP6
— kristina ♒️ (@Kristina_Elleni) February 6, 2017i wish i could have been at clearview this morning, my heart was with you all ❤️❤️
— maddy eileen (@maaddybamforrdd) February 6, 2017If you think "trumps America" isn't fueling a country full of hate & racism take a look at Clearview high school right now....
— Koula ↠ (@kouliebear) February 6, 2017Matt Gray may be reached at mgray@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MattGraySJT. Find the South Jersey Times on Facebook.
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