by Jackie Pollack
Anonymous Irvington students created an Instagram account entitled “Black at Irvington” to provide “a safe space for current or graduated Black students of Irvington High School to anonymously share their stories,” according to the site’s bio.
The account has posted over 100 stories, detailing racial prejudice and bias occurring within the Irvington school district and community.
The initial post reads:
The anonymous creator of the site said, “People need to understand that communities like Irvington are not exempt from racism. In fact, it’s communities like these that can breed racism while many hide under the guise of liberalism. People need to do some self reflection and understand that wealthy suburbs ARE the systemic racism, and we need to be actively working to combat that.”
The link in the account’s bio provides two different forms. The first form contains “An Open Letter to the Irvington Administration” which demands the implementation of a restorative justice program for all grades and urges the administration to hire more Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) staff.
The form allows anyone in support of the letter to sign his/her name, which will then appear at the end of the document. The letter is attached to the form and will be sent to Dr. Harrison on Wednesday, July 1.
The author of the letter and Irvington alumna, Georgia Kerr, said “the first hope is that the letter makes the administration know that we are watching, and we as 500 people are seeing that there has not been enough done and we’re tired of it. As for concrete steps, a few recent alums and I have been talking and figuring out action plans for the future and hope to expand on that soon.”
The second link contains the form that current and former students can fill out to submit their anecdotes to the site to be posted.
Other schools in Westchester, including Dobbs Ferry, Rye, and Hackley, have also created similar Instagram accounts.
In response to the racial injustices within the Irvington schools, Superintendent Dr. Kristopher Harrison sent out an email blast to inform the community of the initiatives the district is taking to implement change.
“I want you to know that I have also seen and heard stories recently shared by BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) students and alumni who have shared experiences of racism in our own community and schools, and I take them very seriously,” Dr. Harrison wrote.
“I am committed to ensuring that each and every student in this District is valued, respected, and cared for, and has every opportunity to achieve their personal best. We can and must do better.”
Dr. Harrison declared that the Irvington school district is now partnering with New York University’s Metropolitan Center for Research on Equity and the Transformation of Schools to address the systemic inequities occurring within Irvington classrooms. Likewise, the Diversity and Inclusion Committee will hold a community-wide conversation on racism, which will be rescheduled from March.
By consulting with facilitators at New York University, Irvington schools are beginning a process listed in Dr. Harrison’s email that will:
Following Dr. Harrison’s email, the Board of Education also sent out a notice with further details of programs with which the schools are now affiliated. The District is enhancing its Social Emotional Learning (SEL) by working with leaders from Collaborative for Academic and Social Emotional Learning (CASEL). These programs will give recommendations of ways to better our school’s current practices and promote tolerance and acceptance towards all community members.
