A Massachusetts school board meeting went the ugly way they typically seem to these days. A courageous young woman was explaining that while CIS white students may not experience discrimination, gay students sure do.
Angry adults started to shout.
"When kids are coming to theater every single day telling me, 'Oh, I got called a f—got in the hall today,' or 'I got called a racial slur in the hall today,' that's not something to, you know, joke about," Mackenzie Atwood told those gathered. "Though it's become something that we're so numb to that it becomes a joke."
Atwood was speaking with the permission of the school board after a parent at the meeting asked if her daughters were even "protected" at the school since they are white. The mother was referring to the concept of protected classes of people, which generally refers to preventing discrimination of a group based on certain characteristics.
The senior explained that of course every student is protected at the school, but there is real bullying happening against students who are in minority groups, whereas kids aren't being bullied because they're white.
Adults in the audience quickly tried to shout her down, causing School Committee Chair Anne Bergen to bang her gavel to bring the meeting to order and allow Atwood to continue.
