Following alarming stories of racism in schools, RISE hosting an educational forum on the issue Friday

WAYNESBORO — In May, Leigh Ashley Harden stood before the Augusta County School Board, describing to the members acts of racism her 8-year-old son had faced as an elementary school student.

Harden returned for the June 6 meeting, telling the board that she was upset that no action had been taken despite numerous stories about racism from her and others. Yet, Harden pointed out, a work of art at Fort Defiance High School that at least two members found offensive prompted a called school board meeting on a Saturday night.

"When mothers like me plead for you to take action against racism our concerns are met with inaction," Harden said.

School board chair David Shiflett's response particularly upset Harden. Shiflett told The News Leader that school staff would check into the reports, but he wasn't sure "it's something that we will necessarily be discussing." He also told The News Leader that, "There's always more than one side to a story."

Harden said Shiflett's response "reflects a disturbing lack of urgency."

Harden's story isn't isolated. In both March and May meetings, parents stood before the the board with similar stories. The stories prompted Sharon Fitz and Chanda McGuffin, co-founders of RISE, to organize an educational forum last month for those concerned about racism in area schools and the community. RISE is a Waynesboro-based civic group that helps elevate Black voices and bridge a gap between communities.

Amy Tillerson-Brown, a professor of history at Mary Baldwin University, joined Fitz and McGuffin on the panel June 7. The three will host a second forum on this topic Friday, July 12 at 6 p.m. at RISE, 1320 Ohio St., Waynesboro. It's free and open to the public.

"More often than not, rather than address what everyone knows to be the reality of race relations outside of the school building, they are in a position to ignore it and say it never happened, sweep it under the rug," Tillerson-Brown said of the decision makers in school divisions.

Those who experience acts of racism go to the people who are in charge, hoping some action is taken, but none is. That makes people who are already marginalized in the community feel even more insignificant, Tillerson-Brown said.

That's where the importance of educational advocates come into play, she said. It's where the importance of support from the community comes into play. Tillerson-Brown said all people need to band together and tell the school divisions this isn't OK, even if it begins as a selfish response because they realize a time may come when they need support.

"If that's what gets you to the table, fine, come to the table," Tillerson-Brown said. "But when you've really gotten to the point where you're totally anti-racist, you can't know about stuff like this and not respond because denial of racism is what keeps racism going."

The forum in June led to a discussion among those attending about the racism they've experienced in the Shenandoah Valley. At least two people who had moved to the Waynesboro area said that racism is more blatant in this community than any other place they've lived.

A local coach talked about getting fired because he stood up to racism. As the only Black person working in a medical office, a woman talked about the racist comments she heard from patients and staff. A young Black woman born in the United States was working at a retail store when she was told by a white customer to "go back to the country you came from."

"If you have an iota of humanity in you, you have to be able to see how inhumane this treatment is," Fitz said. "And we're talking adults. We get conditioned as we get older, but we're trying to make sure the children do not have to keep doing this."

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— Patrick Hite is a reporter at The News Leader. Story ideas and tips always welcome. Connect with Patrick (he/him/his) at phite@newsleader.com and on Instagram @hitepatrick. Subscribe to us at newsleader.com

This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: RISE hosting educational forum in Waynesboro focused on racism in schools