On Jan. 14, Bonita Vista High’s (BVH) Black Student Union (BSU) participated in the Virtual San Diego National Association for the Advancement of Colored People/Southwestern College (SWC)/Sweetwater Union High School District (SUHSD) forum on the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr.

“[The webinar] was a meeting and discussion of Martin Luther King Jr., not just celebrating him but also discussing moving forward and building off of his accomplishments, especially [those that helped] the Black community [and] our citizens across the nation,” BSU Vice President and senior Halle Smith said.

BSU club members and Advanced Placement US History and Ethnic Studies teacher, and Advisor of the BSU Don Dumas participated in the meeting by listening to keynote speakers and providing their own input on systemic racism within the education system, including BVH’s.

“I’ve learned about how different racist things—[things that] have happened to kids younger than me—happened nationwide,” BSU President Mariah Journigan said. “It made me sad, but also made me want to fight even more.”

At the webinar, keynote speakers emphasized how the education system is set up to make people of color fail, a statement both Smith and Journigan nodded in agreement with. Smith described the webinar as a “heavy” discussion.

The discussion permitted BSU members to share their own experiences of systemic racism present at BVH. To the two members, discrimination is an issue at BVH seen through the actions of teachers with students—something Smith and Journigan shared at the meeting.

“I would say that [discrimination] is an issue here at Bonita. I don’t see it with my eyes but I just know it’s an issue here and I feel like it’s [not just] in our district, but many other districts too and it’s really a shame that [that’s] happening,” Journigan said.

Dumas’s involvement in advocating extends to SUHSD and SWC. Along with that, Dumas is part of a group of educators in the Sweetwater District known as BSU Elders. This group consists of advisors to clubs at different schools or people who work in the district office who help facilitate the growth of the BSU across SUHSD campuses. As a member of the governing board at SWC, Dumas facilitated the joint SWC, SUHSD and NAACP effort to commemorate King on the holiday weekend and to have student engagement.

“When we talk about Dr. King’s sacrifices I’m not talking about his life, I’m talking about professionally how much time he spent away from his wife and kids organizing people to build a better future. That’s the sort of stuff we should always remember and commemorate on Dr. King’s birthday—for us to proceed forward we can all do something,” Dumas said.

As BSU President, Journigan aspires to make sure she is doing her part to make change and to inspire the next generation to move forward. For Smith, she believes it is important to be role models in order to continue the momentum of advocating at BVH.

“We are young students. We’re young black women in this generation,” Smith said. “I think it’s our role as leaders and educators to teach other students about issues going on in the world because they pertain to them. [It’s also important to] encourage Black kids and any other person of color to advance and to make them feel inclusive.”

During the meeting, keynote speakers recognized Dumas for his role in advocacy and teaching. For the advisor, it was “amazing” to receive that recognition.

“It felt good to be recognized for that because this is not an easy path to walk. There’s always complaints about what you teach, how you teach it, or what you are emphasizing in class. Sometimes it can feel like you’re on an island but it’s good to know that people do appreciate it and recognize me for it,” Dumas said.

Since the meeting, the BSU has worked towards promoting anti-discrimination by creating posters to place around campus.

“Racism is still a plague that infects all of America; we’d be naïve to think that Bonita Vista was immune to it. Is this the worst place? Absolutely not,” Dumas said. “We do a lot of great things here, there’s a lot of great people here, but just ask any student and they’ll tell you they’ve witnessed or experienced racism right here at this school.”

This article was last updated on Jan. 21, 2022.