Skip to main content

Name Dropping, Twitter-style

I attended the PATH IAF/HCEA meeting last night at UUCC. It was my first full-scale PATH event, and it gave me a glimpse at why this community organizing group has been so successful. I'm going to have more to say about the theme of the evening later in the week. It's going to take some time to process all the information and do it justice.

Today I want to talk about one of last night's speakers. I know her on Twitter as @llurking . I started following her in the aftermath of the turmoil caused by the racist video posted by a Mount Hebron student. While the administration was instructing all of us to look away, Lina was challenging us to look at it and own that this ugliness was also a part of the Howard County experience.

Lina and her friend Sara (@saracherni ) worked together to mobilize students and the community to support a student-led walkout. They created the hashtags #stopthesilencestartaconversation and #hocostudentwalkout and used them on Twitter to spread their message. They participated in WAMU's Kojo Nnamdi Show in a discussion on protesting racism at school.

The activism of these two students and their engaging and effective use of Twitter contributed to a much broader discussion of race and discrimination within our community. But it goes further than that. From Sara:

Last week Lina and I were flown into San Francisco to speak on a panel series called "Creators for change" hosted by Twitter. We shared our story as the organizers of the Hoco Student walkout and how we used Twitter, periscope and the hashtag as a platform to bring the community together to stand against racism and discrimination in Howard county schools. The panel was broadcasted to all 34 Twitter HQ around the globe and we were featured on twitter's teatime special. Along with this amazing opportunity, we had a 30 minute meeting with Jack Dorsey (CEO of Twitter) !!! We shared our story and heard his input on the power of the hashtag and how he built up the company. We are the first young people to be invited to their HQ to speak! The entire event felt surreal and I'm so grateful we had the opportunity to share our story with a widespread and progressive audience!! If you don't have a Twitter, do yourself a favor and make an account...it might change the way you see and interact with the world.

Lina spoke at the PATH meeting last night about racism in our schools and what we need to do to address it. She challenged us to commit to making Howard County a better place for our children and youth. Her words were thoughtful and powerful, her presentation confident. I am so grateful to her, to Sara, and all the students who refused to be silent and chose, as their response to a shameful act, to start a conversation.


These two students truly embody the kind of excellence that HCPSS should be celebrating.

Thank you for talking with us about #hocostudentwalkout and the power of the hashtag.

 

 

 

 

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Getting Fresh

One of my favorite days in the Spring comes when this year’s list of Farmer’s Markets is released. That happened this week. New this year are markets in Old Ellicott City and the “Merriweather Market” which, according to the address, will be located here . I mistakenly thought at first glance that it was in the new-construction part of the Merriweather District. I find the name confusing considering its actual location. I’m going to guess that this market is an initiative of the Howard Hughes Corporation because the name seems chosen more for branding purposes than anything else.  Alas, the market in Maple Lawn is gone. The thread on the markets on the County Executive’s FB page will provide you with quite the education in who actually runs the Farmers Markets vs what people often think is going on. Short answer: they are not  chosen nor run by the county. Each market is an independent entity, sometimes started by community volunteers, other times supported by local businesses...
1 comment
Read more

They Can Wait

This is not a typical Saturday post. That’s because, in my community, it’s not a typical Saturday.  Oakland Mills High School, after years of deferred repair, needs massive renovation. It’s pretty simple: when you don’t fix a problem it gets bigger. The school system itself said the the OMHS school building was  "no longer conducive to learning" back in 2018.  2018 .  But Thursday the Boad of Education voted to push it out of the lineup of important projects which will be given the go-ahead to proceed soonest.  In my opinion it’s a terrible decision and sets a dangerous precedent. To explain, here’s the advocacy letter I sent in support of Oakland Mills High School. I was rather proud of it. I am writing to ask you to proceed with needed renovation at Oakland Mills High School in the most timely and comprehensive manner humanly possible. I have read the letter sent to you by the Oakland Mills Community Association and I am in complete agreement. You are extremel...
1 comment
Read more

What Kids Are Thinking

  It’s a Monday in February, and if you guessed that a lot of Howard County students have the new cell phone policy on their minds, you’d be right. It will mean big changes and it will be stressful, no matter how much good we hope it will do in the long run. But on this particular Monday cell phones might not be top of mind, as amazing as that seems. Some kids will go to school wondering if they or family members will be seized by ICE. Some will fear that their parents’ employment will be purged by the ongoing rampage of Elon Musk and his cronies through Federal Government. Some fear heightened and renewed racism as programs that supprted Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion are vilified and destroyed.  Some worry that it soon won’t be safe for them to use the bathroom in school anymore. It goes without saying that some kids fear going to school every day because of the prevalence of school shootings.  And look! Here’s something new to fear. That old hate group, Libs of TikTo...
1 comment
Read more