Maryland County votes in favor of ‘Black Lives Matter Week’ in Schools

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Prince George’s County, Maryland students will be learning about the Black Lives Matter movement in class. The school board voted to pass the Black Lives Matter Week of Action in Schools resolution unanimously.

The week will start on Monday and continue through the week at all schools in the district.

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The goal is to encourage conversation and reflection about social justice in schools, according to school board members.

The Black Lives Matter Week of Action in Schools is a national movement that was started by a group of teachers, administrators and parents. Prince George’s County Public Schools will be among the first school systems in Maryland to pass this sort of resolution.

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It is unclear what types of events and discussions will happen in the upcoming week and it will be up to the teachers’ discretion as to whether what they plan takes place during school, before or after it or if it includes instructional time.

“I think this is something that our students and our families see every day, especially being a largely minority population,” school board member Raaheela Ahmed said. “We have 60 percent of our students that are African American, 30 percent that Latino and this is something that they see and hear every day –on the news and day-to-day lives. It’s something that we felt was really needed and necessary at this time.”

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“I don’t believe it is political,” said Amanya Paige, a student member of the school board. “I believe it is a movement to encourage minorities and African American students to be proud of who they are and to embrace who they are because we live it every day. I think that it is important to understand our culture and understand where we are coming from in order to be productive citizens.”

The Black Lives Matter resolution that passed read in part, “The thirteen guiding principles of the Black Lives Matter movement highlighted during this week of action are a means of challenging the insidious legacy of institutionalized racism and oppression that has plagued the United States since its founding.”