Amid Black History and Black Literature classes being cut throughout the school district, students of all backgrounds came together during a staged Walkout, ignoring the consequences. The students highlighted the importance of the courses and the need to recognize and support the contributions of Black individuals inside and outside of FHC, let alone the United States. Walkout leaders, Junior Isabella Duncan and Senior Noah Layman aimed to project the value of the many diverse perspectives that are often fostered in these courses. Knowing that someone had to eventually speak up about the cancellation of the classes, Duncan decided to become the main voice that advocated for change. With help from Co-leader Noah Layman, within the school district, hoping to remove the politically neutral agenda.
“Black History and Black literature are a vital part of our own history as Americans and just regular humans. People deserve to know about histories that aren’t just their own,” said Layman. “And trying to make such history that is so politically active in nature, ‘neutral’, is in itself a massive undermining of what education needs and deserves to be.”
Students like Isabella Duncan and Noah Layman actively try to make a difference during this time by shedding light on similar issues as well, such as the Anti-Racism Resolution Act being removed, earlier in the school year.
