(15:58:17) Toby and Lennay

Speaker [00:00:06] For most of my life, I've lived in South Plainfield. I've gone to South Plainfield schools and I've just, I've just gone through the traditional kind of basically ignoring racism. I mean, going to South Plainfield, and then, like, hearing one of your friends like, throw in a little racist joke there, say the N word. And where or just flat out be racist. You just laugh it off and ignore act like it didn't happen. Because, growing up in a dominantly white town like this. You don't want to lose friends for basically just for standing up for who you are. And as I've gone through South Plainfield's School System and everything, I... I'm honestly at fault for not standing up for my skin tone, my race and just other people of color when I see racism.

Speaker [00:00:54] But I could confidently say that this year I've decided to make a change. And I have. There's been multiple acts of racism gone though, that has gone throughout this high school. I have constantly been ignored and I honestly chose to take a stand this year. And expose some of those racist acts.

Speaker [00:01:26] I mean, yeah. I lost on Snapchat, followers or Instagram followers, but in the end, who cares? Because if those people unfollow you for standing up for your own skin tone and who you are, then I promise you they weren't really your friends to begin with. So you will benefit.

Speaker [00:01:45] Using the platform that I have right now, I would just like to shine light onto the South Plainfield School System. We've let.... A lot of people here have seen racist acts that have gone on recently in the South Plainfield High School and other racist acts and things that people have said in this town. And honestly, we've seen no response to what has happened, cause not only to black people alone, but people of color.

Speaker [00:02:09] People have said things that are just hurtful, things like go back to your country or if I see another Asian person wearing a mask. They said it because basically they brought the corona virus here.. Things like this should not go on. [Inaudible] slid under the rug by the South Plainfield school district, we brought light to these things like this and we've seen no consequence to the people said it. Most people were just, basically get some social media slander and it just, get the free pass. I honestly think that is just wrong for them to get their free pass for saying racist acts and no consequence happen.

Speaker [00:02:51] Honestly, in South Plainfield, is seems like, they don't care about our skin tone. I mean, you could go ahead and see the examples of a black person saying the N-word to another black person and then getting 3 days suspension from the South Plainfield School District. But having a white person say the N-word, to another black person. And just, they look it off like it just never happened before. It makes no sense. It makes no sense that some supporters can wear their "Make America Great Again" T-shirts in the high school, but then when children in my school try to wear "Black Lives Matter" T-shirts, they tell them that they can't.

Speaker [00:03:34] So basically, what I want to say that, I know I haven't been the first big activist were Black Lives Matter and the people of color in general. But starting with this movement starting this year, starting today, right here, right now, I know that I'm making a change and then I want to make a change. And I want this this community, this country and just a general to be better for the next person of color who has lived, who through, throughout this place, their whole life. I also want to say thank you for everyone who came out today. I know a lot of people had to go home and just deal with different things right now. But living in Southaven my whole life, I would have never thought that you'd be able to make this happen in the preliminary stages of this.

Speaker [00:04:22] A lot of people were like, oh, these people just want to protest and riot, barricade your houses because they're going to riot/destroy the town or whatever. And those people are honestly just ignorant and don't know what we stand for as a Black Lives Matter movement, and just protesting in general. They don't know the meaning behind protest and the true history behind protest.

Speaker [00:04:40] Because if you look at American history, protest is in our life. This is in our blood and DNA. You protest for everything. The Boston Tea Party. You go ahead and look up, go on Twitter. Use Twitter. Scroll through. Scrolll through. We see white people protest because the Eagles won the football championship. Because their sports team lost. And then, when we want to protest or the color of our skin. We're in the wrong. It makes no sense.

Speaker [00:05:10] So basically, I want to thank you for coming out today, because, honestly, not in my wildest dreams I would never imagine this happening in South Plainfield, and that we are a part of the change here. And that, we are starting something different in this community. We are starting a new legacy in South Plainfield.

Speaker [00:05:27] Accepting everyone for who they are, no matter skin tone, color, race, believe, sexuality. No matter what. Thank you.

Speaker [00:05:42] Activism and charity starts at home. It starts at home when we all come together and talk to one another, we talk to our friends and we talked to who might not be our friends. Who may have some words for us, but we have to let them know that's not right. We come together and we make our voice heard. For charity and activism start right here at home. If you can't do it in the hometown, where else can you do it?

Speaker [00:06:18] My name is Lennay. I've been a South Plainfield resident for over 15 years now. I graduated from SPHS in 2017. I have six siblings, three who have gone through the SPHS school system, three who are currently going through the system. I attend and work at Impact Church in town and I am a student working on my degree in criminal justice.

Speaker [00:06:41] So a movie that's had a profound impact on my life. Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing. Towards the end of the movie, there's a scene where one of the characters, Radio Raheem, is in a chokehold by three white police officers and he's struggling to breathe. The community is pleading with the officers to stop and let him go. But the officers ignored their request. And this resulted in Radio Raheem's death.

Speaker [00:07:10] Mooky, Spike Lee's character in the movie responds angrily as he throws a garbage can through his workplace. Sal's pizzeria, which sparked rioting in the pizzeria, gets burned down. After this is done. Mooky contemplates whether or not he did the right thing. But I wonder if it's more important to us why his reaction was anger. Rather than condemn, condemn him for his anger. Today, I want everyone to leave with the qualities of active listening, critical thinking and empathy for others. Similar to Spike Lee's story, there is a listening problem in our society. So today I'm asking you to listen instead of judge and empathize with me about an experience that only I, and black people, can know about.

Speaker [00:07:55] A few years back, I posted a picture of myself with the caption "Because Black is Beautiful" on social media. And the responses I received for the most part were positive. But there is this one common in particular that threw me off guard. The comment read, Actually, all shades are beautiful.

Speaker [00:08:13] Think about this in response to my confidence and my pride as a black woman. Someone's response was actually all shades are beautiful. We live in a time where people have a problem recognizing that Black Lives Matter, too. And we must recognize that so long as lives are treated, black lives are treated this way, all lives matter. It's just a platitude statement. So now I offer you the same words that I offered two years ago. Are you aware of the insecurities that people of color and black people, more specifically black girls, face in the community because their beauty is not of the norm?

Speaker [00:08:49] Do you know what it's like for someone to tell you that your skin color is too dark or not light enough. For someone to make you feel worth less than what you are over the color of your skin? For you to say all shades are beautiful or all lives matter undermines the message that black lives matter, too. The truth is, we live in a society that does not value black lives, that continuously perceives black lives as less significant. The news of Ahmaud, George and Brionna was alarming and shocking to you, to those of you who are not of color, but to us, this was our reality. This is what waking up black feels like every day. We have to worry about whether or not we're too black. We have to question our identity because black people for some reason can be black and articulate. Yes, we have to constantly prepare ourselves to not do anything that would attract the attention of those in law enforcement. We have to subdue our blackness in order to get a job. We have to be overly cautious in our travel as anti black hate groups still thrive in this country. We can't touch things in the story without being accused of stealing. We always have to be on our best behavior.