Are Brighton schools racist? That’s the question at the center of an ongoing community discussion. Earlier this week, Brighton High School student Keniyah Vickers posted a YouTube video and spoke at the Town Board Meeting about a number of racist incidents she says she experienced, including racial segregation in middle school, not being able to say the n-word and school leaders comparing Black Lives Matter to white supremacists, which the school maintains it didn’t.
She says when she was younger, she was mistaken for an Urban-Suburban student, a mistake that she says shows how biased the staff are.
“Before asking, she hands all three of us a pass, I told her I don’t live in the city, I live down the street and she’s like ‘Oh really? I thought you lived in the city.' And she even searched it to check," Vickers said.
Vickers says she’s not the only one to experience this treatment but does hold a special position as a resident; she can fight without worrying they’ll kick her out: “It’s very risky for them because they can do something and then they can try and find any other reason to say Ok now you're not in Brighton.”
Superintendent Kevin McGowan says the family never reached out but that diversity continues to be a priority in a statement released this week:
“Over the past several years, the District has engaged in a variety of efforts to support equity for all students and to better address issues related to diversity. This work has been a focus and will continue to be a cornerstone of our efforts on behalf of all students.”
But Vickers says often their idea of diversity is relying on students of color to provide context in school lessons or “be a spokeman for their race.” She says specifically in middle school, she felt there were a lot of flags on display but that teachers did poorly teaching the cultures behind these flags.
Vickers is the daughter of Wynette Vickers, who was the campaign manager for Robin Wilt's candidate in the Democratic Primary for the 136th Assembly District. Later on Friday, Wilt pulled out of the Assembly contest, saying that she wanted to devote more time as a Brighton Town Board member, helping to deal with racial and other issues.
Town Supervisor Bill Moehle responded to the student's video and complaints in a news conference on Friday, saying he plans to propose that the Town Board pass an inclusion, diversity and equity board. This board would have up to 17 diverse members who make recommendations to officials and school leaders about ways to be more diverse.
“It is more important than ever that we begin this work and it’s important to have all the voices who have expressed an interest in being part of this process working together to improve our community,” he said.
He will discuss that with the Town Board at their next Board meeting which is scheduled for August 8.