NAACP conducts sit-ins to raise awareness for issues of racism in local schools | Appalachian Highlands

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ROGERSVILLE- Members of the local community, as well as representatives from the Washington County and Hamblen County NAACPs, conducted a solidarity sit-in at the Hawkins County Board of Education meeting.

The group has conducted sit-ins at the last two Hawkins County BOE meetings, with the most recent one taking place on June 16.

The sit-ins are in response to issues of racial bullying that have been taking place in Hawkins County schools. Recently a lawsuit was filed against HCSS for this issue.

Heres the thing, I would like to say that this is not the only county [where these types of issues are] happening, said Shavone Lovell, President of the Hamblen County NAACP. I think the thing that everybody needs to understand is Ive attended sit-ins at Greene County, Greenville city, Hawkins County, Cobb County, Grainger county is next, Kingsport City, Bristol City, all of these places.

Lovell said the group is trying to bring awareness to what is taking place in our local school systems.

Its been going on forever, Lovell said. Its something that I need parents to understand that theyre not alone and theyre not the only ones this is happening to. But as far as our schools since COVID, we have seen an increase; weve seen it very ramped up for our children. Our children are being called the N-word, theyre being called monkey, theyre being called all sorts of racial slurs, and its not okay. So, the thing that were trying to do is were trying to bring awareness to them, make sure that we stand in the gap and make it stop.

Lovell said she believes that complaints of racial bullying have been dismissed by staff.

Whats happening is when our students are coming to the teachers and saying that Ive been called the N-word every single day, or Im being bullied in some way, racially, the teacher is saying sticks and stones may break my bones, or its just words, or it wont hurt you, or to ignore it, Lovell said. Weve been told that our entire lives, and thats not how it works. The way that we demand respect is the same way that everyone else demands respect. So, were asking for the administration not to eradicate racism; Im not asking them to fix racism, Im asking them to stop it at the door.

Lovell said teachers and administrators should enforce policy.

Every parent I talked to gives a very similar account of whats allowed to happen, Lovell said. If its against the policy, then all I need you to do as a teacher and administrator is enforce it. There are connections that I am seeing, personally, from county to county of administrators that go from one county to the next, and those policies seem to follow. Children being illegally detained for two in three days in the office away from class, to be interrogated, not allowed to speak to their parents, there are bigger issues that are happening that nobody wants to talk about.

Tavia Sillmon, President of the Johnson City, Washington County NAACP, also attended the sit-in. She said it is important to hire teachers who are people of color.

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Its a known fact that when [kids] have someone and they can look up to have their own race, studies have shown that they can excel when they can see someone who looks like them doing what they want to do, Sillmon said.

According to Sillmon, she was told by Hawkins County Director of Schools, Matt Hixson, that they had no people of color working in the schools.

Sillmon said the school system isn’t protecting children.

We want change for racism, Sillmon said. It has been blatantly exploited at school, where our children are supposed to be protected by law. Were forced by law to send them to school. You are supposed to protect them when they are in your custody, but youre allowing them to be abused or to experience bullying, and more specifically, racism.

Sillmon said another issue is that people dont want to speak out and report what is happening.

Thats what the people need to know, were here to help you, but you got to stand up and say something; me coming from another county can only do so much, Sillmon said. I really need you to stand up and fight, and I will fight with you.

Dani Cook, who identified herself as an organizer and advocate, said there needs to be specific rules against hate speech.

Im born and raised in this region and what were seeing in the school system are things that existed 50 years ago, Cook said. Its important to understand that in 2022 our children deserve an environment where they can come in, where they are safe, where theyre not hypervigilant, where theyre not being targeted. It matters whether Im bullying you because youre wearing glasses, which you can take off. It matters if youre being bullied because of the color of your skin, which you cannot change. Theres a reason that the legal system has special laws regarding racism, and thats exactly why school systems even do the same exact thing.

Hixon said after the meeting that he was unaware that the sit-in was taking place. He also said that the school does look at hiring people of color.

When I was hired four years ago, a question from the board came up on recruitment and my thoughts on making sure that the teachers and the adults working with the students matched up with what we saw as our student demographics as much as possible and increasing that diversity across our staff, Hixson said. So, it is something we look at.

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