Two high school students from Bloomington High School North will speak at an upcoming national conference of more than a thousand educators in a conversation about racial justice and equity.
Caleb Poer, 16, and Emma Cannon, 18, have been selected to participate in the National Education Association’s National Leadership Summit, which takes place Feb. 24-26 in Orlando, Florida.
The NEA, which is the country’s largest professional employee organization, represents teachers and administrators in public education nationwide.
Beth Applegate, who is president of the local Applegate Consulting Group, will moderate a discussion between the duo and other students from around the country.
“They will have the opportunity, from the student perspective, to share with educators why issues of racial diversity and inclusion are important to them and how educators could support creating more racially diverse classrooms and school systems,” Applegate said.
In October 2016, Poer and Cannon organized a student-led demonstration in objection to students who were wearing Confederate flags as capes to school. The students started wearing the flags to protest a LGBT Spirit Day at the school.
Poer said he was uncomfortable with the students’ display of hatred.
“Every student should come to school and feel safe,” he said.” I definitely didn’t feel safe.”
The two students were part of a discussion between students and educators at the superintendent’s office. After this conversation, school administrators issued a policy banning the display of Confederate flags at the school.
The ban led to backlash from students and parents. Some people complained about the display of the LGBT flag, and members of the school’s Gay-Straight Alliance were the targets of online harassment, Cannon said.
After Applegate told NEA members about this student-led effort, the organization invited Poer and Cannon to the conference.
The students will share their stories at the conference.
Poer said he did not expect his involvement in getting the Confederate flag banned to lead to the opportunity to speak at a national conference.
“A smile came to my face because I knew this was the kind of thing I was looking for in terms of reaching a broader audience and how we can make schools better for students,” he said.
He said he hopes this conference will allow him to have an even larger effect on other schools.
Cannon said participating in the conference is an once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. She decided she could not turn it down even though she had been cast in a school play that takes place at the same time.
“I’m excited to go to a place where I can hear the stories from people around the country,” she said.
Cannon said she wants to discuss the ways educators can engage with minority students.
“It’s important that educators have conversations about these difficult topics,” Cannon said. “They need to help de-stigmatize conversations about racial, LGBT and religious issues.”
