Unfiltered at the BH BOE Meeting: "We want to clarify that this is not a moment, it is a movement."

The Berkeley Heights Board of Education held their monthly meeting Thursday, July 30th, with the agenda being focused around the Berkeley Heights School District’s fall reopening procedures amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. It is without a doubt that the safety of the district’s staff and students is of utmost importance; however, BH Unfiltered believes that it is also important to shed light on a current topic that has been swept under the rug for years:

Integrating Race and Culture into the School Curriculum.

Jakada Khalfani, a member of the BH Unfiltered team, took a stand and an opportunity to speak publicly at the BOE meeting on Thursday, July 30th to share with the BH community BH Unfiltered's request for progress and vital change within the school district.

We thoroughly appreciate Jakada’s willingness and courage to speak up on our behalf, as we understand topics such as these can be mildly uncomfortable.

Please see BH Unfiltered’s public statement shared at the the BOE meeting on Thursday:

“Good evening Dr. Varley, Mr. Reinstein, and members of the Board of Education. I’m Jakada Khalfani of Unfiltered, a coalition of GL alum of color, who have come together with the purpose of promoting racial justice in our town, especially through education and conversation. You may recognize many of us from the Berkeley Heights March For Black Lives, where we used the phrase “This is not a moment, this is a movement.” To us, racial justice, discrimination, and bias are not fleeting. They didn’t start in 2020. They go back to our ancestors, and they’ve been with us throughout our experiences as elementary schoolers, middle schoolers, and high schoolers. We want to use this opportunity to express our gratitude to the Berkeley Heights School System for providing us with a rigorous academic program that allowed us to pursue our dreams of higher education. Because we are so grateful for that education, we seek only to contribute to the improvement of that education with our comments today by offering our insight as students of color in this school system, and by highlighting the power of education in molding young minds to combat racism.

In New Jersey, the Amistad Legislation mandates a framework for the implementation of historical legacies of slavery into curriculum. This is something that we were not aware of as students, but that has come to our attention as young adults. We’d like to read an excerpt from the legislation now:

“All people should know of and remember the human carnage and dehumanizing atrocities committed during the period of the African slave trade and slavery in America and of the vestiges of slavery in this country; and it is in fact vital to educate our citizens on these events, the legacy of slavery, the sad history of racism in this country, and on the principles of human rights and dignity in a civilized society; It is the policy of the State of New Jersey that the history of the African slave trade, slavery in America, the depth of their impact in our society, and the triumphs of African-Americans and their significant contributions to the development of this country is the proper concern of all people, particularly students enrolled in the schools of the State of New Jersey”

While slavery may have been discussed in class, we cannot say that students developed an understanding of the legacy of slavery nor the implications of systemic racism or implicit bias. We did not delve into important concepts such as redlining or the school-to-prison pipeline, racial health disparities, or the prison industrial complex, nor did we celebrate the accomplishments of prominent Black figures. During Black History Month, when one of the only Black teachers on staff would read those accomplishments on the announcements, we witnessed students rolling their eyes and laughing. And, as students of color, we did not witness our classmates’ development of an understanding of bias. Instead we heard inappropriate microaggressions such as “you’re basically white” or “Is my tan as dark as your skin? I’m an n-word now”, while we sat next to kids who dressed up as ISIS members and wore dreads and afros for Halloween, and proudly displayed Confederate flags in the back parking lot, without repercussion, even when students of color and allies expressed discomfort.

Students are products and representatives of the school systems that they grew up in. They absorb information through both active and passive learning; this means that students can learn through an expanded curriculum devoted to increasing awareness of the injustices in our country, but also through the actions of the administration, especially in reprimanding instances of bias. As alumni, we hope that our school system continues graduating academically prepared individuals. We also hope that they don’t overlook the importance of training students to be compassionate, empathetic thinkers, who are prepared to stand up for civil rights.

We are thankful to have the opportunity to speak today but our ideas and stories extend beyond this brief statement. We hope to establish a long lasting relationship with the Berkeley Heights Board of Education in order to have these necessary conversations and push for progress within our town. If board members or community members would like to contact us and learn more about our “Unfiltered” initiative please reference the chat section for more information. Thank you."