Students Talk Racial Inequality, Stereotypes During Forum

A forum that was moderated by former St. Louis Post-Dispatch columnist Sylvester Brown gave students the opportunity to talk about racial issues in the community and in the school on Thursday. The event was sponsored by the Diversity Club.

A panel of six students discussed topics ranging from, "How do you define black culture?" to whether the N-word should be used in literature and pop culture. The rest of the student body listened from the auditorium seats.

Senior Jack Suntrup, president of the Diversity Club, said no one should say the N-word as long as it continues to offend people, but didn't think it should be redacted from Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, a move pushed for by some in the education profession. He felt it would change the meaning of Twain's writing.

That spurred senior Kiarra Kullum, a black student, to say hearing the word read aloud in class made her feel uncomfortable.

Sophomore Anisa Rahaman, another black student on the panel, said she and her friends stopped using the word in honor of Black History Month, and hopes to never say it again.

"Where do you draw the line between what's appropriate and what's not?" she asked.

The student panelists also talked about racial misunderstanding and inequality in the classroom. Senior Ebony Trussell said she works hard to break negative stereotypes at school because she felt some teachers send black students to the principal's office more quickly than others. She said she studies hard and stays extra quiet in the classroom.

"But it's not all their fault," Ebony said. "You have to act differently. Do something different to defy the odds."

Sponsor Ed Wright, a history teacher at the high school, thanked the students for their participation.

"Growth requires struggle. That's why we call this a courageous discussion," he said.

After the discussion, Brown said he was both inspired and frustrated by the talk.

"It's inspiring because the young people are having the conversation," said Brown, whose daughter is a freshman in the school. "The frustrating part is we're still dealing with the same issues as 40 years ago."

He wondered if asking students to act differently to avoid a stereotype was limiting their potential. For example, a student who is loud and bold in class could be the next leader of a debate team or president of the United States, he said.

"We have these kids that have to carry the burden of a stereotype before they were even here," he said. "I just hope this conversation doesn't stop."

Assistant Principal Ed Johnson said he was proud of the students for being brave enough to confront racial issues.

"As adults, we have to be willing to learn from kids," he said. "I'm extremely proud."