Demanding Free Speech Rights, Maine Students Proclaim #BlackLivesMatter
Lewiston High School students face off with school officials in dispute over showing solidarity with police brutality protesters
A group of high school students from Lewiston, Maine is speaking out after school officials impeded their attempts to show solidarity for the growing racial justice movement in the U.S., in a move which they say infringes on their First Amendment rights.
The Lewiston High School students had initially planned to join a nationwide day of walk-outs from schools and places of work to protest police brutality and racial profiling after the recent deaths of Michael Brown, Eric Garner, and other black men and women who were killed by police. But the school administration dissuaded them from taking part in the protest, warning that the action could lead to "unintended consequences," such as suspensions, the Portland, Maine Press Herald reported on Wednesday.
Muna Mohamed, senior class president and one of the student leaders organizing the protest, said the administration advised the group to find another way to express themselves, like hanging a poster.
So they did just that--creating a banner that read "#BlackLivesMatter" and was decorated with quotes that have become symbolic of the movement, including "I can't breathe," Garner's final words.
But shortly after the poster was hung, Principal Linda MacKenzie told them to take it down.
"They keep saying they want students to raise their voices, but they want to define the students' voices, and I feel that's unfair," Chandler Clothier, a junior who helped design the poster, told the Press Herald.
School officials said the poster was taken down because the group did not obtain permission to hang it up, as is required, but the students told the Press Herald that that policy is often ignored.
But MacKenzie told the Press Herald that she had not seen the poster.
Senior Kalgaal Issa, who helped create the poster, told the Press Herald that Lewiston High School has largely ignored the recent events that have galvanized people across the country to protest police violence and racism.
"There should be more awareness about it," Issa said. "It's like this really didn't happen. That's unbelievable."
Superintendent Bill Webster said the issue was simply obtaining permission from officials, but reiterated on Wednesday that he would review the poster and determine whether it could be displayed.
"I don't know of any reason why it shouldn't be approved, but I have yet to see it," Webster told the Lewiston-Auburn Sun Journal. "It's been a few years since I've dealt with a poster of a political issue. I look forward to meeting with the students."
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
A group of high school students from Lewiston, Maine is speaking out after school officials impeded their attempts to show solidarity for the growing racial justice movement in the U.S., in a move which they say infringes on their First Amendment rights.
The Lewiston High School students had initially planned to join a nationwide day of walk-outs from schools and places of work to protest police brutality and racial profiling after the recent deaths of Michael Brown, Eric Garner, and other black men and women who were killed by police. But the school administration dissuaded them from taking part in the protest, warning that the action could lead to "unintended consequences," such as suspensions, the Portland, Maine Press Herald reported on Wednesday.
Muna Mohamed, senior class president and one of the student leaders organizing the protest, said the administration advised the group to find another way to express themselves, like hanging a poster.
So they did just that--creating a banner that read "#BlackLivesMatter" and was decorated with quotes that have become symbolic of the movement, including "I can't breathe," Garner's final words.
But shortly after the poster was hung, Principal Linda MacKenzie told them to take it down.
"They keep saying they want students to raise their voices, but they want to define the students' voices, and I feel that's unfair," Chandler Clothier, a junior who helped design the poster, told the Press Herald.
School officials said the poster was taken down because the group did not obtain permission to hang it up, as is required, but the students told the Press Herald that that policy is often ignored.
But MacKenzie told the Press Herald that she had not seen the poster.
Senior Kalgaal Issa, who helped create the poster, told the Press Herald that Lewiston High School has largely ignored the recent events that have galvanized people across the country to protest police violence and racism.
"There should be more awareness about it," Issa said. "It's like this really didn't happen. That's unbelievable."
Superintendent Bill Webster said the issue was simply obtaining permission from officials, but reiterated on Wednesday that he would review the poster and determine whether it could be displayed.
"I don't know of any reason why it shouldn't be approved, but I have yet to see it," Webster told the Lewiston-Auburn Sun Journal. "It's been a few years since I've dealt with a poster of a political issue. I look forward to meeting with the students."
A group of high school students from Lewiston, Maine is speaking out after school officials impeded their attempts to show solidarity for the growing racial justice movement in the U.S., in a move which they say infringes on their First Amendment rights.
The Lewiston High School students had initially planned to join a nationwide day of walk-outs from schools and places of work to protest police brutality and racial profiling after the recent deaths of Michael Brown, Eric Garner, and other black men and women who were killed by police. But the school administration dissuaded them from taking part in the protest, warning that the action could lead to "unintended consequences," such as suspensions, the Portland, Maine Press Herald reported on Wednesday.
Muna Mohamed, senior class president and one of the student leaders organizing the protest, said the administration advised the group to find another way to express themselves, like hanging a poster.
So they did just that--creating a banner that read "#BlackLivesMatter" and was decorated with quotes that have become symbolic of the movement, including "I can't breathe," Garner's final words.
But shortly after the poster was hung, Principal Linda MacKenzie told them to take it down.
"They keep saying they want students to raise their voices, but they want to define the students' voices, and I feel that's unfair," Chandler Clothier, a junior who helped design the poster, told the Press Herald.
School officials said the poster was taken down because the group did not obtain permission to hang it up, as is required, but the students told the Press Herald that that policy is often ignored.
But MacKenzie told the Press Herald that she had not seen the poster.
Senior Kalgaal Issa, who helped create the poster, told the Press Herald that Lewiston High School has largely ignored the recent events that have galvanized people across the country to protest police violence and racism.
"There should be more awareness about it," Issa said. "It's like this really didn't happen. That's unbelievable."
Superintendent Bill Webster said the issue was simply obtaining permission from officials, but reiterated on Wednesday that he would review the poster and determine whether it could be displayed.
"I don't know of any reason why it shouldn't be approved, but I have yet to see it," Webster told the Lewiston-Auburn Sun Journal. "It's been a few years since I've dealt with a poster of a political issue. I look forward to meeting with the students."