Salem grad says racial inequity persists in city's schools

Jun. 4—SALEM — There will be few things remembered more about the Salem High 2022 graduation than the statements made that night about race.

"My name is Hawa Hamidou Tabayi," said the class president and salutatorian, who is Cameroonian, "and I come from whipped backs and torn lands. But I have faith in what I, descendants of those bloodied backs, will build anew."

Friday night's ceremony on Salem Common saw a class of 198 graduates rise above their high school education disrupted by a global pandemic the past two years. While most student speeches reminisce on cherished hallway memories or unforgettable incidents on the bus, Tabayi held the city and school district to task for what she described as holding non-white students back, saying she stood as salutatorian "not because, but in spite of this nation, this district, and this school."

She wasn't the only one to speak about race. The ceremony was kicked off by School Committee Vice-Chairperson Manny Cruz, who stood in for Mayor Kim Driscoll, who was not in attendance.

"I stood in the same shoes as you, as a member of the Class of 2010," said Cruz. "I remember the excitement, the anxiety and looking down at my brand new Jordans, saying, 'Don't trip on the way up or down from that stage.'"

The world the students enter when they exit the stage isn't an easy one, Cruz told them.

"The only constant in this world is, at times, it'll feel like there are insurmountable collections of systemic challenges," Cruz said. "You're entering the next chapter of your lives as we grapple with the racial reckoning in our country, from the murders of Trayvon Martin to George Floyd, far too many school shootings from Sandy Hook to Uvalde, attacks on civil liberties and the deep inequalities the pandemic has exacerbated."

For the last two years, Salem Public Schools has had more Hispanic students than white in its student body. Most recently, only 43% of students are white, compared to 43.9% Hispanic. Comparatively, 85% of the district's staff is white, and about 11% are Hispanic.

Tabayi's remarks moments later explained how that visible inequity, and other experiences in school hallways, felt to a graduate of color in 2022.

"At a time when the nation fears the facing barrel of guns bursting through the doors of our faces, calling out for the protection of kids... I can't help but yell, 'We've never been protected,'" Tabayi told her class. "To be Black, poor and a woman in this district is nearly impossible. It's the never-ending burden of proving yourself over and over again until sore and aching with time.

"It's dealing with the hostility of teachers meant to mentor you, who don't want to help, and paint you as aggressive and dominating while deliberately working against you," she continued. "It means watching administrators pave the road to prison for Black and brown students by policing them in the hallways, lunch rooms and bathrooms. It means watching your classmates side with the abuser and ostracize the victims of domestic violence."

As Tabayi's speech continued, casual conversations in the audience quieted down. Attendees began holding up cell phones and recording the moment playing out on stage.

"To the Latinos, Asians, Palestinians, Syrians, Africans, and all descendants of colonized ancestry that make up this school, you must understand your existence lies in resilience. Life may be tough, but I promise you, you'll have to be tougher," Tabayi said. "You're the child of generations of fighters with tongues, traditions and cultures woven into you, yes without choice, but with the ability to pass it all down.

"It's necessary to give back the stories of your ancestors to your descendants," she continued, "because every one of me who's class valedictorian or salutatorian that makes it up to this stage to speak, there's thousands who look like me, who get buried under the debris of white balance at the hands of this district."

Salem school officials had a response ready, following Tabayi's speech.

"We applaud Hawa for having the courage to share her authentic experience with the Salem community as part of our commencement exercises," wrote Superintendent Steve Zrike. "In her speech, Hawa referenced many of the long-standing inequities and systemic racism that exist in American public schooling and in Salem that are predictive of who succeeds and who does not in our schools. We are appreciative that Hawa, other students, families and staff have raised these concerns and shared their thoughts about how we can improve as a school system. They were the impetus behind our district's equity statement developed during the 20-21 school year that has spurred a series of actions that are at the core of our improvement work."

From there, Zrike outlined several examples of recent efforts the district has made to protect students of color. He explained that the district this year launched "district-wide staff training and facilitated conversations about systemic racism, implicit bias, white supremacy, micro-aggressions and demographic disparities in discipline and academic outcomes."

"Of greatest impact is our effort to elevate student agency through our youth participatory student voice action projects at each of our five secondary schools," Zrike said. "With the support of faculty advisors, students conducted research on consequential areas of concern and offered concrete solutions to address their problems of practice — mental health, substance abuse, institutional racism, and cafeteria food offerings."

Then addressing the need to "partner with these diverse student activists to make the changes they desire to see in our schools," Zrike thanked district staff "for their eagerness and openness to engage in the deep self-reflection necessary to confront their individual biases on their personal to becoming actively anti-racist."

He also said the district has set "ambitious goals" to hire staff that represent the racial, ethnic and linguistic diversity of the student body. To that end, they've hired a full-time recruiter and an executive director of family, community and staff engagement, who will design and direct inclusive recruitment practices and provide training on equitable screening and hiring.

"The work is hard and sadly, the pace of change is never fast enough for students of color that are currently struggling in our schools," Zrike said. "That being said, the resolve is earnest, and our students remind us of the urgency of these efforts as we ensure a more equitable learning experience for all of Salem's students.