Carroll County Kids for Equality is an independent, student-led group. Our mission is to amplify student voices and spread awareness about inequality on a more local level. We also strive to identify racially dividing stigmas/policies within the education system. We are trying to achieve these goals by allowing students to have a safe platform where they can share their experiences.
We gained quite a bit of support from other students, clubs, and organizations with similar goals. As of 8/14, we have over 800 followers on Instagram, and over 40 people who applied to be a part of the team! This entire group started with a couple of friends talking over social media. As a group, we understand that inequalities exist, and we want to inspire our Carroll County community to do better. Specifically, we want to encourage student to student conversations, however difficult these may be. We also give students an opportunity to provide their feedback on what they think needs to be done about all of it.
We decided to look further into the nationwide educational data and were unhappy with the results of these studies. Just one example is suspension rates between black and white students. Across the country, a higher percentage of black students received out of school suspension than any other race/ethnicity. We found this to be quite concerning because it brings a whole array of issues for the students in the future. These national statistics had highlighted some issues, but we wanted to hear from students on a local level about their experiences with discriminatory behavior.
We devised a 78-question survey asking about the personal experiences of students in Carroll County. So far, we have 233 responses. Of those 233 people, 81.3% were Caucasian/White, 11.5% were Black/African, 9.8% were Asian, 5.1% were Hispanic/Latinx, and 5.5% identified with another ethnicity/race (students may have selected more than one). Survey takers came from a wide range of middle schools and high schools, with the majority in high school. 30.4% witnessed or experienced discrimination based on religion. 62% witnessed or experienced discrimination based on gender. 73.8% witnessed or experienced discrimination regarding the LGBTQ+ community. Of those students, only 6.7% of them were comfortable reporting it to administration and had further action taken, or consequences given for the discriminatory behavior. 60.7% of students of color felt that their concerns were not properly addressed. Overall, students reported that teachers, staff, and administration were more welcoming to people of different race, religion, gender and/or identity than fellow students. So, this survey will help us to understand, more closely, what is happening in the hallways of our schools. The goal is to create a more united, student-led movement to speak out against all forms of hate and injustice. In the words of John Lewis, “When you see something that is not right, you must say something. You must do something… and each generation must do its part.”
Please help us to gather more data or check us out by visiting us on Instagram, Twitter, and by taking our survey at: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfwKoK_f2Nc7XVYwZwY3pAumnmD8tWnGeczugMKVdgHPh3CBg/viewform?usp=sf_link
Written by Emma Rhoton and Sumiya Rahaman
If you are a student, please fill out the Carroll County Kids for Equality survey. If you know a student, please share the survey with them.
Emma and Sumiya are students at Westminster High School and are very active in anti-racism efforts within the Carroll County community and beyond. Recognizing the importance of youth leading the way toward a more just and caring society, Carroll Citizens for Equality commends their activism and dedication to racial equity. Thank you Emma, Sumiya, and Carroll County Kids for Equality!