Nu OriginsHigh school students at Charlottesville High School in Charlottesville, Virginia, walked out of class Monday and demanded reformed following a recent 4chan threat.
The Huffington Post reported that the walkout, dubbed #racialjusticewalkout, was organized by local activist and student Zyahna Bryant and the high school’s Black Student Union. It was in response to public schools being closed for two days last week due to a user on 4chan threatening “ethnic cleansing”. 200 people reportedly marched in protest.
Police arrested a 17-year-old male and charged him with felony threats, as well as misdemeanor harassment. He was not identified due to him being a minor. On the same day, another teenager was arrested for threatening Albemarle High School.
Bryant said that Charlottesville High School needed more cultural reform and increased safety measures.
“There can be no reconciliation without redistribution of resources for black and brown students,” Bryant said.
Some of the other demands by the students included more resources on African-American history courses and for these classes to hold the same weight and honor as others, hiring more black teachers racial bias training to resource officers and install a lock and buzzer system at high schools for safety.
“In the wake of the recent school closings due to threats of racial violence that targeted Black and Brown students, the students of Charlottesville High School are calling on the Charlottesville City Schools to address racism in all its forms,” the Black Student Union said in a press release.
Superintendent Rosa Atkins released a statement in which she decried the threats to the school. She was upset that someone who was not a part of their community would bring such division.
“Since August 2017, we have made concerted efforts to have difficult conversations around race and to build trust and relationships. This comment attempted to undermine our community.”
Charlottesville has attracted bad actors in recent years. There was a deadly Unite the right rally in 2017. That white supremacist rally resulted in three deaths and 35 people injured.
