BY MICHAELA CATOE, Junior
BLYTHEWOOD--Blythewood High School students decided to have a protest during lunch in the atrium on Thursday, Sept. 22.
Due to “Fifties Day” during spirit week, a large group of students opted to wear all black instead of dressing up.
“The blackout was meant to let everyone know that Black Lives Matter and that we want to be heard or seen, whichever. All we ask for is justice and peace. We’ll do whatever it takes to achieve that. No justice, no peace. The intentions were not to stir anything up or cause controversy. We’re just asking for equality,” Junior Imoni Johnson-Darby said.
Activities that were supposed to take place during lunch were cancelled as a result of the black out. Sophomore Nehemiah Cooper, a dance student who was supposed to participate in these activities, was disappointed.
“I think it was unnecessary. Because of the diversity of races [participating] in the activity, [it] shouldn’t have had an effect on anyone. If anything, it should have shown a more positive message.” Cooper said.
Parents have instructed their children of ways to handle situations peacefully.
Angela Walker has a daughter, niece, and nephew who attends Blythewood High.
“I love to see kids standing up for what they believe in. Peaceful Protest? I’m all for it. However, it should not escalate higher than that,” Walker said.
A large problem with the Black Lives Matter Movement is the lack of knowledge of what it really stands for and what it is trying to get across.
“[I’m] not very well versed on them. I know what their premise appears to be. I know that they aren't very well organized from a logistical standpoint and there's no rank structure or chain of command to centralize and send out a unified message. There are a lot of grassroots factions that in some cases, do more harm than good,” Cpl. L. Todd Catoe with the State Transport Police said.
While many people believe there is no leader to the Black Lives Matter Movement, BLM chooses to exploit this belief as an opportunity to point out all of their leaders.
“The Black Lives Matter movement is a leaderful movement. Many Americans of all races are enamored with Martin Luther King as a symbol of leadership and what real movements look like. The Movement for Black Lives, another name for the BLM movement, recognizes many flaws with this model,” according to the BLM website said.
While there is still a lot of progress to be made, students involved in the blackout are satisfied with the attention that they have been able to gain from standing up for what they believe in.
Shortly after the Blythewood blackout, Westwood High School, Spring Valley High School, and A.C. Flora High School all had their own blackouts to show support to members of the black community pleading for peace.
