“Central’s problem with discrimination is fundamentally engrained in our system. There has never been a point where I felt that the school was a kind, welcoming environment, because that would require trusting adults within it, the same teachers and staff who reminded me time after time that they saw LGBTQ people as nonexistent. Politics are supposed to be kept out of the classroom, to keep school a friendly and welcoming environment, but what this often meant was that racism, structural inequality, homophobia, and the long-lasting effects of colonialism and imperialism are dismissed and ignored. In my four years of attending school, I rarely felt comfortable talking about my cultural experiences. This is the same school that had our school musical be Anything Goes my freshman year–a musical with racist caricatures of Chinese characters–and since then, I don’t feel like Central has been any different. 2020 was terrible in a lot of ways, but the BLM protests are not part of that. The cause–structural racism, police brutality, and injustice–is the terrible thing about it.”

~Vineela Ravilla ‘21

“I think Central is trying to make a non-discriminatory environment. We are going in the right direction (with taking everything seriously), but it is definitely not perfect and is still in the process.”

~Melissa Armenta-Quiroz ‘21

As a senior this year, I’ve seen many changes in the administration to better combat discriminatory acts, especially when they have become more mainstream. But I can not say I’ve noticed that same change regarding the general school environment. The school needs to take more actions towards the more subtle discriminations and micro-aggressions we POC experience every day in school. It’s not enough to just send an email out condemning the actions of a few students. The administration needs to set a better precedent; all acts of discrimination, not just the blatant ones, are unacceptable. Until the school can reach that point, POC and other marginalized groups will continue to feel uncomfortable. Especially in the current political climate, it’s important actually to be proactive and stop the problem from the source. 

~Rachel Amedume ‘21

“I think the school is taking more than enough steps, but I don’t believe there are enough steps to change how some discriminatory students think about their actions.”

~Anya Fenn ‘23

“As a black student at the school I think the school is finally starting to take steps in the right direction to create a non-discriminatory environment. Creating the Board Committee on Racism, Equity and Diversity, expanding on having student unions and safe spaces for students as well as the new no tolerance policy with derogatory behavior and incidents are all good strides; however, discrimination and racism are unfortunately deeply rooted in the culture at Central, casual microaggressions, racist remarks and other things have been endured at our school for so long without consequence that it is going to take a lot to overcome that norm.”

~Mya Mcneill ‘21

“Although I have never really encountered much discrimination this year due to being a hybrid schedule, I really do think Central underestimates the amount of racism and discrimination in the school. I have seen the school take steps towards creating student alliances, so I’m hopeful that the future is better.”

~Andrea Larson ’21