Students voice concerns about racism at Carroll ISD, Southlake City Council meetings

The students who organized the June 6 protest took their concerns to the mic this week at the meetings of the Carroll Independent School District board and the Southlake City Council.

The elected officials at both meetings sat on the dais as the students and other members of the community spoke out one after another against racism.

At the school board meeting, students took aim at racism and criticized the school district for an email sent out to parents expressing safety concerns about the protest.

“Fear-mongering is what you were participating in when you sent that email,” said Maddy Heymann, who graduated from Carroll Senior High School in 2017 and supported the Town Square protest.

“This idea that people outside of our community might come in and create a hostile environment is one steeped in racism. Dallas, Grapevine, and Colleyville all have higher minority demographics than we do, so I want you to think about the undertones of your wordings,” Heymann said.

Heymann and her younger sister Alex, a senior at Carroll Senior High, attended both the school board and the city council meetings.

Alex Heymann said at the school board meeting that “racist incidences continue to occur involving CISD students,” despite anything that the district has done to address it.

“The closest we have come is establishing the District Diversity Council, but in a year and a half since it was established, what has it done beyond sending out a survey? I certainly have yet to see a significant shift in culture,” she said.

Several parents also spoke at the board meeting about other issues. Jolyn Potenza, a parent who spoke during public comment, complained about the district moving to remote learning in the spring because of the pandemic and said that the district’s reaction was “fear based” and that the pandemic is “not as serious as the mainstream media has made it out to be.”

Potenza then said that “the Chinese plague is successfully treatable” with hydroxychloroquine, an anti-malaria drug which President Donald Trump claimed to have taken to prevent a coronavirus infection.

The Food and Drug Administration recently revoked its emergency use authorization after clinical trials proved the that the anti-malaria drug is not effective in treating or preventing COVID-19 and that its risks outweigh any potential benefits.

The parent was immediately booed by the audience to which Potenza responded, “Chinese is not a race.”

After public comment during her report, Carroll ISD Board President Michelle Moore praised the students for holding a peaceful protest and commented on the mass email the district sent out.

“I know you all were upset with us in terms of that communication, but our intention was to just let families know what was going on. Our intention was not to discourage students from participating,” Moore said. “I was personally there. I know it took a lot of courage to do what you did, and I congratulate you all.”

Moore said that the district will be adopting and implementing its “Cultural Competence Action Plan” in collaboration with its District Diversity Council this upcoming school year, which she said will address racism and other issues.

At the city council meeting, several spoke about their own experiences with racism in Southlake.

“I was in third grade when a fellow classmate asked me why I looked so dirty. Within seconds, a crowd of students surrounded me asking me why my skin looked so dirty, why I didn’t shower, shaming me for the color of my dark skin,” said Vivian Kumar, who attended grade school in Southlake.

“I went to a teacher to explain what happened and she told me ‘We don’t tattle on our friends.’ I went home, sat in my bathtub and scrubbed at my skin with a hard sponge until I was red and bleeding. That if I scrub hard enough, there would be some light skin underneath so I could finally be considered beautiful and worthy,” Kumar said.

Maddy Heymann complained to Southlake Mayor Laura Hill for posting on Facebook that the protest should be moved to a city park instead of the city’s popular Town Square.

“You tried to silence us. You tried to move this protest to a park where we would not be seen or heard. I’m not trying to convince birds that Black Lives Matter,” Heymann said. “I’m trying to convince my elected officials.”

The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported that Hill and Southlake Acting Police Chief Ashleigh Casey met with the student organizers of the protest prior to that day to discuss the event.

Once public comment at the council meeting ended, Southlake City Council member Shahid Shafi spoke in support of the protestors.

“I hear you loud and clear. I agree that systemic racism exists and we have clearly not done enough. I’ve been on this council for six years and I didn’t run for this office to be the minority vote on the council,” said Dr. Shafi.

Two years ago Shafi, then vice chairman of the Tarrant County Republican Party, faced removal by a group of precinct chairs who tried to oust him over his Muslim faith. Shaif prevailed and kept his post but the issue caused nationwide controversy.

“But I remain optimistic. My life is an example of how you can rise above hate, injustice, racism and bigotry,” Shafi said.

This story was originally published June 18, 2020 at 1:15 PM.