As a town, Westborough prides itself in being a diverse, tight knit, and welcoming community. But are there flaws that many can’t see? Throughout the years at Westborough High School, there have been serious incidents of racial discrimination, such as the writings in the stairwell just a couple years ago. Although we, as a school community, would like to uphold a certain reputation, there needs to be clear communication between students and admin so students feel as though these issues are taken seriously and handled transparently.
It’s almost like the only problems that are taken seriously and have true consequences are the ones that are public and widely known. Inside of WHS, there is an abundance of racism, but it is all pushed to the side and the victims of this racism are seen as dramatic by their peers, or they are just ignored by adults when they stand up for themselves. If you asked each person of color in WHS, most would say that they have been a victim of at least microaggressions inside the school walls. Every day, there are racial slurs being tossed around like a ball. People treat these hurtful words like a joke, whether it’s actually saying the n-word to snickering at the slur when it appears in a book in English class. They don’t understand the gravity of the word’s history.
Even though there hasn’t been a big incident for a while, it doesn’t mean the racial discrimination has vanished. Just my freshman year, I dealt with a significant amount of racism myself. Walking through the school, I’d get racial slurs yelled at me in the halls. It was never truly taken seriously, but I was told by admin it was taken care of. Personally, I don’t think just telling someone to stop has ever worked and it obviously didn’t in this situation. I haven’t gone a day without hearing a discriminatory comment. These comments range from “I’m done reading about slavery, it’s stupid. I don’t need to hear more black people complaining” to a simple “I’m not racist, I have black friends.” Having little to no consequences for or communication about these actions teaches those affected to just “get used to it” or even laugh it off to fit in. It’s hard to see a point in reporting it if it feels like nothing comes of it.
The student handbook states that “all students and staff members at WHS should be able to come to school each day feeling safe and welcome, and the collective goal of WHS community members is to keep the focus on learning.” I think we all can agree that this is the hope, but what are the consequences when this is not upheld by members of the school community? Under the Procedures for Addressing Issues/Conflict section of the handbook, the protocol seems to be specific to student-teacher conflict and the process for parent/guardian involvement, instead of the protocol for addressing social conflicts between students. The handbook is pretty unclear on the specific consequences of discriminatory actions. It states, “behavior that threatens others, violates the law or disrupts the environment for learning represent legitimate cause for short-term suspension from school, long-term suspension or expulsion. The consequence in each instance will be defined by the seriousness of the infraction, and an individual’s overall record of citizenship.”
But, how do we assess the seriousness of a situation? To get more information, I met with Assistant Principal Kate Mercadante, who said that administration meets often to stay updated and always checks in whenever a situation arises. Administrators work together to understand each situation and to determine the appropriate consequences. As an admin team, they investigate each situation thoroughly and do everything they can to make “fair, consistent, and appropriate” decisions for each situation. Mercadante assured that admin keeps track of data for each reported incident, so, as students, it’s important to report anything you experience or witness. According to Mercadante, these types of incidents are “not often getting to the ears of administrators.” She encourages students to “allow administration and staff in.”
If you do see something, make that change and report it because if everyone reports something they see or hear, the administration will be able to act on the problem. We need to make them see what’s happening. As students, we need to want a better culture within ourselves. Be that courageous bystander and stop being so passive about these issues.
Resources to learn more about the hard truth about the n-word:
