Students from all four high schools in Keller ISD have created new accounts on social media where students can share their experiences with hate and discrimination within KISD.
Recent events like the death of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter protests have sparked a new political environment for teenagers. Social media platforms are being used to make activism accessible to teenagers all across the world. Platforms like Tik Tok, Twitter, and Instagram are being used to spread news, to educate, and to debate topics and opinions. Teenagers can plan and attend protests, sign petitions, and donate money all from information found on social media.
“I want to make a difference by making Keller schools and admin a safe place and people to go to with racism, homophobia, and sexism and them be able to combat it effectively,” a Minority at Keller collaborator said.
Students at Timber Creek, Keller, Central, and Fossil Ridge High School have created Instagram accounts where students can share their experiences and opinions as BIPOC, LGBTQ+, etc. All four of the accounts were organized by students attending each high school and are not official accounts endorsed by any school. Through them, students can learn about what their classmates experience at school on Instagram.
Below are the Instagram accounts for the following high schools:
Timber Creek HS- @minorityattimber
Keller HS- @minorityatkeller
Fossil Ridge HS- @ignoranceatridge
Central HS- @minorityatcentral
“We don’t understand the effect that our words or our actions have on other people, and so whenever we amplify these minority voices and we give them a platform to share their stories,” a Minority at Timber Creek collaborator said. “The people who may have not known things like this even happen and the people who take part in this kind of discrimination, they see the damage that can be done.”
Within the Instagram accounts are hundreds of posts, where students share their experience with racism, homophobia, and many other acts of hate. When scrolling down on the Minority at KISD’s accounts, students can learn and realize what their peers go through daily.
“I believe that exposing the current state of our school’s discriminatory student body is the first step to fighting against the hate dwelling in Keller ISD,” a MATC collaborator said.
According to the MAK collaborator, The MAK will present the Instagram account and their posts as cases in front of the school board. The MAK will attend a public school board meeting to suggest that teachers should be trained in anti-racist procedures and should be taught how to combat racism and discrimination in the classroom.
“I think this account is still fairly small, but for those who use hate: my hope is that they see the current social climate that we live in and instead of using hate to fuel the social tension, they rather shift their perspectives to become a better person for themselves, as well as others,” MATC collaborator said.
The Timber Creek Instagram accounts are one of the smaller and newest accounts from the four high schools. The Timber Creek account joined the platform when a Central High School collaborator suggested that Timber Creek should have an account as well.
“My main goal is to bring positive change, to amplify minority student voices and to hopefully bring a change in protocol when it comes to hate speech and hate crimes at Keller ISD to better protect minority students from discrimination,” MATC collaborator said.
