A Seattle high school principal faces backlash after a failed attempt to implement an initiative to get Black students to enroll in college last week.
Members of the Black Student Union at Franklin High School reached out to the principal after she proposed the “Franklin High School Keepin’ It 100 Student Covenant” only for Black students. The “Keeping’ It 100” bit of the proposal especially rubbed many students the wrong way.
According to KIRO 7 News, the student union acknowledged that their principal’s intentions were well-meaning. However, they believe she could have implemented her plan in a different way.
“I like the message, just not the way it was delivered to us,” senior Ocean Taylor admits. “It’s like we’re African-American, yes. We have some things that we need to work out like every other race does. But don’t single us out … We’re taught to be someone who articulates. And we’re taught to speak proper … But yet, the way that you address us is [with] slang.”
Since the blowup, the student leaders sat down with the principal and have established a council to improve the outreach initiative.
“And we now have a council of Black students here at Franklin where we are talking to her about … our interpretations of what happened,” says Zion Perez. “And how we can better do this initiative.”
The Seattle school district responded with the following statement:
“[We] want 100 percent of African-American students to be college-ready when they graduate.”
