The educational institution in Kansas School finds itself in tumult as current and former students voice allegations of fostering a racially charged atmosphere, leaving Black students in distress, reluctant to return.
The Shawnee Mission Unified School District claims efforts to implement diversity and equity training, yet Black students assert its persistent toxicity.
In a substantial community demonstration organized by the Black Student Solidarity Network—an activist group led by students covering Kansas and Missouri—protestors gathered after a white male student from Shawnee Mission East High School was captured on video repeatedly using racial slurs against a Black female student and physically assaulting her.
Numerous community members attended the Prairie View protest in support of Brey’anna Brown, the Black sophomore featured in the altercation. Protestors, clad in black, brandished signs demanding action to safeguard students of color, with messages like: “Justice for Brey,” “Protect Black Women,” and “Black Lives Matter.”
During the demonstration, Brey’anna expressed to local reporters her reluctance to return to school, stating, “I don’t feel like being under this principal anymore.”
Shaun Brown, Brey’anna’s father, expressed frustration, feeling like a failure as a parent. He criticized administrators for not taking stronger action against a “white male laying hands on a Black girl.”
“I go days trying to hold back tears,” he admitted, “but that breaks my heart.”
Brey’anna’s mother, Linyka Brown, condemned the male student’s parents, asserting they failed in raising a son who uses racial slurs and engages in physical altercations with girls.
In a Monday school-hours walkout led by students in support of Brey’anna, Shawnee Mission district spokesperson David Smith reported a successful and appropriate expression of the students’ voice.
Between 50 to 75 students participated in the 45-minute walkout, after which Principal Jason Peres engaged in a dialogue with them regarding their concerns and the path forward.
The incident reportedly began when Brey’anna confronted white female students about their use of racial slurs. According to Dee Moore, a Black parent, the white girls had been calling Black girls derogatory terms.
The viral clips, shared by the Kansas City Defender, depict Brey’anna confronting a white female student in a hallway. The situation escalates when a male student, dressed in an Adidas shirt, intervenes, culminating in a physical altercation.
The school district suspended Brey’anna for five days, citing a broken nose resulting from the altercation. The identity and fate of the male student remain unclear.
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Shawnee Mission East is not the sole school facing public incidents of racism in the district. Brittany Comeaux, a Black parent, recounted her son enduring racial slurs while playing football against Shawnee Mission South High School. Shawnee Mission South had previously dealt with a coach accused of making overtly racist remarks.
Despite these incidents, Smith asserts the district’s commitment to diversity and equity initiatives. A DEI coordinator has been hired, and monthly diversity training sessions are held among staff members.
“Inclusion is not the work of any one individual. It has to be all of our work,” Smith emphasized. “A lot of that work is one-on-one work with kids… You have to be willing to address [bias] head on.”
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