Discussing Racism on Academy Life Day
This year on Academy Life Day, students will be spending the day discussing racism in Exeter, rather than participating in dorm-bonding activities. There’s no denying that addressing racism–in order to make sure all students are as comfortable as they can possibly be on campus–is important. We, as a school, need to talk about this issue in order to better understand it, so that we can address it. Especially now, more than ever, we need to combat racism on campus with open and honest discussions. However, having these discussions on Academy Life Day, a day in which dormmates get to interact with each other on a deeper level than a passing hello, isn’t a good idea.
"Therefore, rather than taking away Academy Life Day, the administration should use another day to have us talk about racism in depth, and leave Academy Life Day as strictly a dorm-bonding day."
The change in activity on Academy Life Day is in response by the administration to the Afro-Latinx Exonian Society (ALES) video that came out at the end of last term. In the video, students recounted stories of their experiences with racism in town and at school, and how it made them feel unsafe in their own living space. The video affected the faculty so much, that they called for an impromptu assembly on the last day of school, where Principal MacFarlane gave a speech to the student body. Since then, the administration, with the input of ALES and the Office of Multicultural Affairs, has been hard at work in making changes to make campus a more safe place for everyone.
As great of an idea as it is to spend a day on combatting and discussing racism, people are resentful. Students look forward to Academy Life Day, so that they can finally figure out the names of the preps in their dorm, play games, and horse around with friends, which is something we don’t have much time to do here at PEA. It’s like a scheduled play time for students. It’s great! Therefore, rather than taking away Academy Life Day, the administration should use another day to have us talk about racism in depth, and leave Academy Life Day as strictly a dorm-bonding day. Every year, the school takes a day off to talk about climate change, and about Martin Luther King Jr. and the progress he’s made. So why can’t we spend another day talking about racism on campus, its effects, and how to prevent it?
Watching the video may be an eye-opener for people who have never experienced racism before, but I think it would be a lot more impactful if we had student speakers who would be comfortable recounting their stories of experiencing racism. Listening to students tell their stories and show how much it has impacted their experience at school would give a face to the stories in the ALES video, and make it more real. This isn’t just a dispassionate voiceover as we stare at pictures of campus flit by the screen. Students would realize that the people being affected are fellow classmates, friends, and/or dormmates. After the student speaker, the administration should bring in speakers who specialize in the prevention of racism to explain what students can do to help.
Rather than simply watching a video and discussing it, students should be given the tools to first understand that this is a real issue, and that we all can do something to make racism something of this institution’s past. Students should feel safe on campus, and protected by the school. But taking away the dorm-bonding aspect of Academy Life Day will undermine this issue. Instead, people will focus on how their day of fun was taken away rather than putting all their energy into listening and discussing the issue at hand. And if we want to make a difference, then a day must be dedicated to showing students that a difference can be made.