/Clarksdale community demands ‘Black lives do matter’

Clarksdale community demands ‘Black lives do matter’

Nonprofit Mississippi News CLARKSDALE — Almost an hour into a heated and emotional school board meeting, Derrell Washington, school resource officer, stood up to address Clarksdale Municipal Schools District’s Board of Trustees. I heard his voice crackle and looked in his direction. I repositioned my glasses over my N95 mask as foggy, and he nodded. Washington was overcome with emotion and said that he was offended. H. Clay “Sandy” Stillions was the Clarksdale school board president. He held his left hand up in front of him to give a piece to the meeting attendees. There were about 10 Blacks and three whites. It was a photograph of Maxine Waters (a Black California congresswoman who is known to clash with Trump’s administration), frowning. The caption of the photo was “This is What Coronavirus Looks Like under a Microscope.” Stillions, who’s white, replied, “Everybody, look at this picture, and tell me that it’s not scary.” Washington replied immediately, “That’s no scary picture.” Stillions replied, “It looks pretty frightening to me.” This Mississippi Delta school district is also being forced to confront a national reckoning about race and racism as the nation. A high school senior and youth advocate rallied community members, politicians and students to protest racism in Clarksdale Municipal Schools District that night. Because a district employee shared the Waters photo on his social media, it was discussed at the meeting. Rodger Fullilove (director of facilities in the District), shared the Waters meme on his Facebook page on March 3. Stillions, the board chairman, laughed at the social media post and commented, “Man! That’s some scary stuff.” A tense exchange ensued that resulted in several Black attendees shedding tears. My right leg started shaking as it all happened. I looked at my audio recorder constantly, trying to keep my mind clear and my emotions in check. It is a skill that every journalist has to have. But how could I? As I tried to make contact with the other Black people in the room, all I could think of was “What if Maxine’s face were replaced with mine?” This moment was a reflection of the larger issue about inequitable privilege and systems that disproportionately affect Black people. Mississippi officials have continued to make racist and offensive comments about Black people during this time of increased racial tensions, and lower tolerance for racism. In the last few weeks, I have written about a Clarksdale former nurse who wished death on Black protestors. Also, a former fire chief called the Mississippi Legislative Black Caucus racist symbol. Again, I was covering a powerful white leader who made insensitive remarks that were hurtful to Black people. He was this time doing it in front of us. But I did what many Black journalists across America had to do this year. I tried my best to keep my cool in difficult situations and kept watching the exchange. Marchellos Scott, a Clarksdale High School student, stood before the school board meeting in his navy blue suit jacket, gray vest, pants, and matching tie. While waiting for his group to arrive, he carried a black briefcase. More than 20 people held signs with messages such as “He Must Go!” in reference to Fullilove. The meeting was attended by people who wanted to terminate the facilities director and to criticize the chair of the board for not engaging in his posts. “(Stillions] said it was funny. Washington, the resource officer nearly yelled at Washington during the meeting, saying that he liked the Facebook post because it was funny. Washington continued, “You pointed (the newspaper) at us and said “Ain’t this a frightening picture?” They are saying that this is how the coronavirus looks, and she’s ugly. She’s nasty. She’s disgusting. She is disgusting. He wrote, “F. BLM. “Terrorists” in a June 7, post. The original post was deleted. Fullilove also shared a photo on his Facebook page that showed a man holding a Confederate battle banner with the words “I wonder what if I said, ‘God Bless Dixie!’ How many of you will respond?” These social media posts caused outrage among parents, students, and members of the community on social media. Scott, the youth activist, brought it to his attention on his page. Scott wanted Fullilove to be fired immediately. I was tagged by many community members in social media posts. I then emailed Joe Nelson, Jr., Clarksdale superintendent, Carlos Palmer, the school board attorney, as well as the school board. I enclosed four screenshots of Fullilove’s posts that he shared and hateful to Black people in my July 24 email. I asked the school administration whether they were aware of Fullilove’s posts and if they had any comments. Also, how do they decide if an employee is speaking for the district or their own interests on social media? Nelson did not respond to my email. The district’s personnel and social media policies state that staff, faculty, and employees should not use their personal accounts to advocate for the district. They are also expected to behave in a positive manner. At the school board meeting, this was the topic of heated discussion. Was Fullilove using hate speech or freedom of speech? How can we expect our children to go to school every day if we aren’t taking care of them? At the meeting, Bishop Zedric Clayton, a newly appointed board member, stated that if we don’t take care of them, then what is the point? As a parent, I wouldn’t want my child to go into a building where they could be viewed as terrorists. “My question is, what do we do?” The executive session was originally scheduled to discuss student safety. Scott, 17, handed folders to the officials of the district, which included four of the five members of the board. One attended the meeting via telephone. The folder contained copies of Fullilove posts as well as the district policies. Scott presented his material to the board and reiterated that students aren’t comfortable with employees making degrading remarks about Black people. “Posts that discuss his political beliefs and values are allowed, but not “F. Black Lives Matter, terrorists. That’s not freedom to speech –,” Scott stated. The board chair interrupted, “No, it’s –,” Stillions.” Scott stated, “That’s hate crime.” “No, it’s not. This is freedom of speech. This is not a hate crime. You’re controlling speech when you tell people they can’t voice their opinions about any group, any church, any organization, or government. Stillions assured the senior that this was not hate speech. He works in a predominantly Black school district. “It still doesn’t make any difference. He has a right to speak his mind.” “… “You indulge in racist remarks,” Scott said, in reference to the Waters meme. He was stopped by Stillons “…wait, you’re talking. Let me speak. I laughed and saw it. Scott said that it was a funny photo, and not because she is Black. “I sure did. “You can look at this face and tell me it’s not frightening,” Stillions replied. Although many people, including board members spoke out to say that Fullilove’s social media actions were offensive and made them and their children feel unsafe and disregarded in the district, neither Fullilove nor the board took any action. Scott was thanked by Stillions for his presentation. He also said that he appreciated Scott’s courage to speak up. Citizens Ralph Simpson stated that in order to move the country, the district and the state forward, it was necessary to “ensure Black Lives Matter.” They’re marching everywhere, Blacks and Whites, hand in hand, to get the message to you Sandy Stillions that Black lives matter. Freedom of speech is possible. You can’t infringe on the rights of others. You can’t say that my life doesn’t matter. I was aware of the criticisms I would face for using my voice when I began writing this story. You can see the criticisms if you look at comments to articles I have written about racism on Facebook. These stories are important to me, so I continue writing. As a journalist, my job is to present the facts and seek out the truth. I also have to hold government officials accountable. My job includes advocating for marginalized communities that don’t have the space and opportunity to confront racism head-on. Ida B., the late Mississippi civil rights activist and suffragist, said it best. Wells said: “The only way to correct wrongs is to shine the light of truth upon their.” Superintendent Joe Nelson confirmed to Mississippi Today, Aug. 28, that Rodger Fullilove has been fired by Clarksdale Municipal Schools District.