Joint JCRC Statement with the Black and Brown Coalition for Educational Equity and Excellence on racist Incident at Wootton High School

The following is a joint statement from the Black and Brown Coalition for Educational Equity and Excellence and the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington on recent racist incidents at Wootton High School.

“Our respective communities know all too well that many children in MCPS do not receive the safe and welcoming learning environment they deserve. This is especially true for Black and Jewish children; reported hate/bias incidents targeting these two groups of students outnumber those for any other student demographic, comprising over 70% of all reported bias incidents within MCPS.

The latest racist incident at Wootton High School — the n-word being written on a Black student’s desk — follows a series of egregious racist and antisemitic incidents at the school in recent years. It should outrage all Montgomery County residents that Black students and teachers at Wootton have long reported persistent and unchecked anti-Black racism in their school community to no avail and that it took several days for Wootton administrators to report and respond to this latest incident. It is a reminder that MCPS has considerable work to do to better protect students.

We commend the members of Wootton’s Black Student Union for so courageously sharing their hurt, fear, and anger, and the Jewish students who have come forward over the last several days expressing support for and solidarity with their Black classmates. The BBC and JCRC proudly associate ourselves with  the BSU’s calls for greater action and urgency from school and district officials. In schools, it is typically children learning from adults. Here, it must be the reverse. By standing up so strongly for themselves, these remarkable students are reminding us all what’s required in this moment and beyond.

For generations, the Black, Brown, and Jewish communities have united in the face of hatred, and we do so now again. We seek a day in which students of all backgrounds, races, ethnicities, and faiths can come to school feeling safe rather than constantly looking over their shoulders. Together, we will continue to do the work necessary to make that future a reality.”