The New Black Lives Matter — The Detroit Writing Room

Youth in Dallas organize protests to have student voices heard.

By SeMaj Musco

Faith Williams stands watching the multicultural crowd gathered before her. The movement has expanded. Students who beforehand hadn’t been involved now came out to support Black Lives Matter. White, Asian, Latinx and a myriad of other races and ethnicities have all gathered in support of social justice. This is the new Black Lives Matter movement.

Over the past few years, the rallying cry “Black Lives Matter” has taken the forefront of our collective minds and news cycles. Throughout the entirety of the movement, one group has led the charge in demanding equal treatment, and the youth and students have been at the forefront of this discussion throughout the entirety of this movement. Students like Faith Williams and Evan Brown have organized and led protests. For Williams, the rally was born out of a need for the recognition of adolescent commentary.

Students who were discriminated against protest in front of a Dallas Sonic in June. Photo by Ray Quezada

“Three students from Greenhill, the school I attend, hosted a protest for our school,” Williams says. “After attending the protest, I thought about what it would be like to include multiple schools from around Dallas. Emily Kim from Alcuin called me the same night asking if it would be crazy if we hosted a protest, and that is where it all began. Emily and I did not hear about any other Juneteenth events going on, and we thought that was problematic, so we decided to host our own. We thought it was important to have something where students could go for Juneteenth and also have speakers speak about current events. We believed that it was important to have student voices heard from all around Dallas — private and public schools.”

Williams and Kim found it paramount to open up to many audiences outside of their immediate circles.

“We thought that it was essential for us to have something for public and private schools so we could unite and become an even stronger force,” Williams says. “I also wanted students to see that they were not alone in what they were feeling, especially in times like these where there is so much going on. We just wanted student voices to be heard about the injustices happening.”

The most important outcome of the rally for Williams is the chance for students to use their voices to impact change.

“After attending the Student Diversity Leadership Conference and the Dallas Area Diversity Youth Organization, I realized just how important it is for students to speak their truths,” Williams says. “Those events taught me that when you conceal your voice, you are not only hurting yourself but someone else that could have taken away something from what you had to say. Personally, it felt nice to talk to people my age about the things I was experiencing, only to find out that they were going through the same things. It was comforting to know I was not alone. So, when I had the opportunity to co-host an event where students could use their voices to talk about what they were experiencing or thought should be changed, I jumped on the opportunity.”

Senior Evan Brown’s path to establishing a protest was based on an experience he and a few of his friends had at a local Sonic.

“We went to Sonic after a graduation party, like we normally do,” Brown says. “A carhop came out to us and told us, ‘Hey, you guys gotta get back in your cars, or we’re gonna call the cops.’ … There were groups of white kids there later that night and earlier who were doing the same thing as us and, I know this because my mom went back; they weren’t being told to get back in their cars. When my mom went back and asked them about the policy, he went and told them (the caucasian kids) that (to get back in their cars) but didn’t mention anything about the cops.

After this experience, the Brown family, along with Evan’s friends and their families, decided to take action for change in their community.

“We held that rally as a way of showing the support we had as well as a way of making positive change because it’s important in this time to do something like that,” Brown says. “It was a way of showing it’s not just us but a whole community who wants to change.”

Brown wants his actions to inspire people to stand up in support of positive change for others no matter how small the step is.

“I feel that not only if people I know hear the story came from me but also just children, in general, hear that we as kids can make a difference, then they can maybe be inspired to do something whether it be they sign a petition, whether it be they go out to a protest themselves, or even if they just start posting small things,” he says. “Honestly, the way I see it, if my voice is heard and my story inspired one person to go out there and do something, then I have completed my job.”

About the Writer:

SeMaj Musco of Dallas, Texas

SeMaj is a 17-year-old senior at St. Mark's School of Texas. He throws shot put and discus for his track and field team, writes for his school newspaper and participates in his school's diversity club. Outside of school, he likes playing and watching basketball, listening to rap and R&B, reading and hanging out with friends.