A week ago, a number of Latino and African American students became embroiled in conflicts around the Santa Monica High School campus. While school administrators categorized the conflicts as problems between certain groups on campus, and mainly problems between groups off-campus, to many students the fights represented another thread of the assaults on African American students at Santa Monica High School.

A group of concerned citizens known as the Committee for Racial Justice (CRJ) has called for the District to get to the root of the problem. They are insisting that the School District address the school’s climate of racism. CRJ formed last summer after an incident that took place in May, 2011 involving members of the Santa Monica High School Wresting Team.

On May 4, 2011, an African American member of the Santa Monica High School wrestling team was held against his will by two Caucasian team mates while there were chants of “Slave for sale” and a noose was hung nearby. The school staff members and the school district administration never notified the mother of the victim. This racially charged incident and the District’s slow response were the catalyst for the formation of the Committee for Racial Justice. The Committee consists of parents of students at Santa Monica High School, students, community members and clergy.

“To quote Reverend King, a threat to justice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere,” says Gina Frazier, mother of an 11th grader at Santa Monica High School. “And what we see on campus is injustice to the African American students. Many non-African American students don’t understand how their attitudes towards African American students have caused a climate of hostility.”

Since its inception, the Committee for Racial Justice has met with Santa Monica Malibu Unified School District Board members, the superintendent, the principal of Santa Monica High School and other district officials.

“Of course, a major concern of parents is their children’s safety, but we are equally concerned about their educational progress” said Frazier. “The parents are alarmed by the consistent decline in test scores of Black youth. We need the teachers, students and administrators to become aware of how racism plagues the classrooms. And we’ve called upon the District board members and staff to launch a vigorous plan to address both the cultural and educational needs of the students.”

The Committee has hosted several racism awareness workshops including presentations by Fluke Fluker from The Village Nation, UCLA professor Jerome Rabow, Reverend James Lawson, (a former colleague of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.), and students from Santa Monica High School to talk about their experiences with racism.

“Whether it’s the issue of racial tensions between Black and Brown students or the chaining a student to a locker, we need the staff and students to understand the dynamics of racism and we need them to become allies of the African American students on campus,” said Frazier. “That’s why we are calling on the School District to bring in programs that have a solid track record in building racial awareness and expanding the appreciation of cultural differences.”

The Committee for Racial Justice hosts racial awareness workshops the second Sunday of each month 6:00-8:30pm at The Church in Ocean Park located at 235 Hill Street, Santa Monica, Ca 90405. For more information email sanctuaryofchange@yahoo.com or call Rev. Janet McKeithen at 310-399-1631.