The Rochester City School District will hold a “Black Lives Matters Day” following an effort to establish the special day by teachers and parents.
Friday, February 17 has been designated as a day of understanding and affirmation in city schools that while all lives matter, black lives deserve special affirmation, attention and understanding right now.
Chris Widmaier, a science teacher at World of Inquiry School is one of the organizers of the event.
He said there has been some criticism of the effort from outside the school community.
If you think this is unusual, you are not alone. The school has gotten some criticism.
“Our response to that is there’s enough love to go around for everybody. We can affirm that black lives matter and that doesn’t diminish other peoples’ lives or identifies in any other way,” said Widmaier.
So what will “Black Lives Matter Day” look like?
Widmaier said there are a number of ways teachers and students can participate in the Black Lives Matter at School day, such as inviting local activists and experts as guest speakers, initiating classroom discussions, or wearing t-shirts and stickers to show their support.
“People can come to this in a way that they’re ready. So, if they’re uncomfortable, the first step might just be to study more and do some reading about Black Lives Matter.”
One thing you can study is this video:
https://youtu.be/9xNxoeqf0Ws
The “Black Lives Matter Day” has no affiliation with the national BLM movement, however it is supported by the Rochester Teachers Association, The Association of Supervisors and Administrators of Rochester, and the Rochester Board of Education.
Of course it is.
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