BLM Flag Raising

On May 4th, 2018, I had the incredible honor of singing for Brattleboro Union High School as they raised the Black Lives Matter flag. They are the third high school to do this in the state of Vermont, perhaps in the country. This was preceded by Brattleboro Middle School raising the BLM flag earlier that morning, making it the first middle school in the U.S. to do so. The BLM flag raising was a student led action, in which they had to get approval from the school board, administration, and student body. On April 2nd, the students presented their proposal to the school board, and after hearing their presentation, the school board unanimously voted in favor of the proposal. We were invited by Mikaela Simms, the Diversity & Equity Coordinator, to participate in the flag raising, as well as offer a workshop on ending mass incarceration as part of their annual events for Diversity Day in Brattleboro. The workshop was amazing, with students and teachers actively engaged throughout. I am so moved by these young people, and feel honored to have been a part of this powerful moment in history.