On Thursday, May 8, Spencer Butte Middle School was tagged with some very harmful and discriminatory graffiti. The graffiti targeted Jews, gays, different races, and people with disabilities. This harmful graffiti also targeted specific teachers and administrators in our school. We have decided to respond to this hate by supporting the victims and publicly demonstrating our resistance to discrimination. We held an assembly Monday morning when school began and have been working all week to create appropriate responses. Classes have been discussing the the need to respect one another. On Wednesday, members of the Eugene Human Rights Commission, The ACLU, The Mayors Office, 4J District Diversity Team, The Jewish Community, Hispanic Community, Gay and Lesbian Community as well as others, visited our classrooms to discuss the impact of the graffiti on the community at large. Also, every day this week up to 200 + students have been meeting at their lunches to design our strategy.
The students of Spencer Butte Middle School will be leading a unity walk at the end of the school day on Friday May 16. We will be signing our Harassment and Racism Free Zone (H.R.F.Z.) pledge. This statement will signify our unity as a school.
After signing our names to the pledge we will invite community members to join us in a potluck/vigil here at SBMS between 5:30pm and 8:00pm. We will share food and music and circle our school in a symbolic gesture to reclaim our space. We would be honored if you would join us for any or all of the day's events. Please come and join the students of Spencer Butte Middle School for
a peaceful demonstration in response to hurtful graffiti that was sprayed on our school last Thursday night. We invite you to come and celebrate our diversity and unity on the night of May 16th from 5:30 to 8:00pm.
Potluck: We will provide flat ware, plates, tables to set food out on, briquets and a grill. Please bring something to throw on the grill and a dish that celebrates your families' unique history, culture, religion or ethnicity. If your last name begins with A - I bring a side dish, J - R a salad and S - Z a dessert. Also, please bring a card with the name of the dish and the ingredients.
PLEASE BRING A MUSICAL INSTRUMENT AND ANYTHING ELSE THAT YOU WANT TO SHARE WITH THE COMMUNITY.
Please contact the school at 687-3237 if you have any questions.
SBMS DIVERSITY CELEBRATION AGENDA
2:55 Students invite teachers to help them highlight our history as the first Racism Free Zone in the United States of America by walking out the front doors of the school and signing our HRFZ pledge.
3:15 School is out and some students will remain to decorate the school while others will go home and help their parents create food that highlights our diversity and tastes like unity.
5:30 Students, family and community members gather in front of the school and finish preparing and presenting food.
5:45 Students welcome the community, explain the reason for our celebration, the agenda for the evening and invite the community to eat together. Please bring blankets to sit as the event is a picnic.
6:15 Students begin cleanup of the meal.
6:25 Students invite the community to come together in a giant peace sign and lead a moment of silence to acknowledge the unifying atmosphere that has been created. Community members have an opportunity to speak at this time.
6:45 Students lead a music/drum circle to signify our response as positive and creative.
7:15 Students invite community to help us circle the school signifying that we are taking our space back and surrounding it with love and acceptance.
7:45 Regroup and have closing statements from students, staff and community.
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