Local leaders confront racism in Newfield schools

Several members of the Newfield school community shared their concerns about racism in the schools during the Dec 3. Board of Education meeting.

Caitlin Howell, who spoke during the first privilege of the floor session, shared stories of racism-related incidents in the community, which she heard from students who gave her permission to share them. These incidents included students using racial slurs against Black students, displaying the Confederate flag and making threats of violence against Black students.

Newfield alum Alejandra Diemecke said that not only were there many cases of racist behavior by Newfield students while she was in school, but there were also no people of color on the Board of Education. She said she had a difficult time because some of her classmates and teachers were racist.

“Now, for my classmates, I understand that, in sort of a rural area, surrounded by a lot of these mindsets, I expected my peers to treat me that way,” Diemecke said. “But it was really clear to me that my teachers were not trained how to interact with students of color.”

Diemecke said she was subjected to gaslighting while attending school in Newfield, with her teachers telling her that she was “not like the rest of the Mexicans” and blaming her for her peers’ racist comments. She said she has spent much of her life trying to overcome the damage her teachers did to her and that she believes Newfield teachers need to be able to deal with racism.

“This is a serious issue at Newfield, and I can’t imagine it has changed dramatically since the time I graduated,” Diemecke said.

Rayvon Kenyan told the Board that members should know how Black people had been treated over the course of America’s history. She described it as a cycle that must be broken and said Newfield’s teachers have a responsibility to break it.

“Every single student should feel comfortable in their own skin in your school, period,” Kenyan said. “And that means the students, that means people that are passing through, that means people, especially, that have lived there a long period of time.”

Lena Kennell, who graduated from Newfield High School last year, mentioned that she and Howell created a petition with the help of other community members. The petition asks the district to release a statement by Jan. 21, 2021, that outlines a plan to address equity issues in the district, to make recordings of meetings available and to establish an equity task force, among other steps to combat racism.

“I hope this finds you well,” Kennell said. “I hope this encourages you guys to create the best environment that we can for our children here, and I hope you have a lovely night. Thank you.”

After the first privilege of the floor session ended, Jennifer Pawlewicz, president of the Board of Education, spoke to those in attendance. She said she and the rest of the Board took racism seriously and had no desire for anyone to think otherwise.

“I’ve been looking at the comments, and no, this isn’t something that should be a dialogue in 2020,” Pawlewicz said. “But it’s a reality, and it’s a harsh reality, and it’s something that we’re working on. We have new leadership in our school district. We have a new administrative team. We have new momentum. And I think you will see the change you are hoping to see. I think it’s long overdue, and I think we’re heading in the right direction.”

Pawlewicz responded to comments about the lack of minority representation on the Board by reminding the public that Board members are elected officials and that there will be an election this school year. She said a few Board seats will be up for election this year and encouraged residents to run for them.

Pawlewicz said that she was happy about how many people attended the last two Board meetings, which she said was the highest ever in her long Board career. She said she was glad that people were willing to share their concerns and encouraged them to reach out to the Board or the superintendent, while promising to address racism in Newfield schools.

“We can’t fix what we don’t know is broken, and we’re trying really hard,” Pawlewicz said.
Kennell spoke again during the second privilege of the floor session near the end of the meeting. She said that ignorance was never an excuse for doing nothing about racism, especially after Newfield students have been reporting racism-related problems for years. Kennell promised to attend Board meetings to share student testimony and give updates on her petition and said she looks forward to seeing what the Board will accomplish.

Resident Kyeriel Loveless said many people are watching Newfield’s Board of Education. She added that because of this, the Board has an opportunity to fight racism in the community and show people that they care about the issue.

“That’s a really big advantage if you actually do something,” Loveless said. “But if you continue to ignore the cries of your students and the students around, nothing will change, and you will continue to have these eyes on you, so keep that in mind.”