As conversations about anti-racism continue in the workplace, the discussion is now extending to the classrooms at some of Jacksonville’s most prestigious and elite schools. But the only way many students feel comfortable speaking up is anonymously, a new Instagram trend reveals.
Over the last week, students at schools across Jacksonville — including The Bolles School, Bishop Kenny High School, Episcopal School of Jacksonville and Stanton College Preparatory School — launched new Instagram accounts to elevate Black students’ voices and document examples of systemic racism at school, according to WJCT News partner The Florida Times-Union.
The accounts all follow a similar format: They’re titled “Black At [the respective school]” and include a link to a survey where students, parents, alumni and faculty are encouraged to share their perspective anonymously. Those survey responses are then posted publicly on the Instagram accounts.
All four Jacksonville-based Instagram accounts share a similar mission: to bring awareness to the discrimination students say they face while trying to learn.
Due to their anonymous nature, the Times-Union is unable to independently verify the accuracy of the comments or that the comments are only coming from the school’s respective community. Moderators say that’s the only way students feel comfortable speaking out.
“I believe that the anonymity of the outlet allows for Black students to share their experiences without fear of judgement,” a moderator for the Black at SCP [Stanton College Preparatory] said. “It’s important because it allows them to speak about the racism they face without the worry that the people who are partaking in the action will invalidate their experience or make excuses for it. In many of the responses, the student said that they didn’t feel as though they could speak out about the situation.”
Read the rest of this story at Jacksonville.com.
