Creativity should not be exclusive but it is too often ignored or misunderstood because of either the violence seen in Oakland or the gentrification that tries to erase the art that has already been created. --Judith Hernandez , 10th grade
Oakland School for the Arts is a school where many go to improve on their art and be around others who are trying to do the same. It is also a space for those who often feel as though they don’t belong in other more traditional schools. Because of this, often times when asked to describe Oakland School for the Arts, both students and teachers claim it is an open-minded, diverse, and liberal school. While this is true regarding the shared mindset many have towards social and political issues, the student body racial demographics demonstrate something else.
According to recent data, the student body at OSA is 37% Caucasian, 13% Multi-Ethnic, 18% African American, 5% Asian, 15% Hispanic/Latino, 4% Native American, 1% Pacific Islander, and 9% are unknown/decline to state. 60% of those (around) 800 students are from Oakland. However, according to Staci Smith, Executive Director of OSA, when OSA was created it was predominantly black. As the number of students increased, more white people began coming in as black students continued to leave. Although OSA is slowly becoming more of what it originally was, it is important that we ask ourselves what we are doing, as a school community that makes it harder for students of color to both come and then feel comfortable enough to stay.
For some, this difference in percentage might seem like it makes little to no impact on the students that walk the halls of OSA. However, for students of color this gap can alter our day-to-day experiences at school. Sunari Weaver Anderson, a senior who has been at OSA since 6th grade, explains that she feels included because she’s “had to fight certain avenues and arenas at this school to feel included.”
Diversity and inclusion in our schools is a long process that includes a lot of work but it is also necessary. Creativity should not be exclusive but it is too often ignored or misunderstood because of either the violence seen in Oakland or the gentrification that tries to erase the art that has already been created. Because of this, Heaven Harps, a senior at OSA states that OSA is for “Creative students who have deep roots in Oakland and the Bay Area, who have been enveloped in its culture for all of their lives. Artists who speak for the city and its culture through what they create.” Harps wants these artists to “not be looked at with judgement or as if they should tone it down” both at OSA and in general. Inclusion and diversity means understanding the value of where we each come from.
While OSA has been making a lot of progress, there is still a long way to go. For example, the Step It Up program was created to support students of color from East and West Oakland Title 1 schools to gain additional arts training and better access to OSA’s programming. Diversity and equity coordinator, Cava Menzies along with a group of adults, are doing the same. They “go out and do extensive recruitment in East and West Oakland” because according to Ms. Menzies, “[OSA] should be for a diverse population of kids and should really be reflective of Oakland”.
However, adults and teachers aren’t the only ones involved in this ongoing fight. The Board of Students of Color, a group of students advocating for inclusion, has organized many community forums to make sure the voices of all students of color at OSA are being heard. Getting people to contribute and share is the first step but the next is to make sure the school is listening. In order to do this the Board began working on a toolkit to help teachers at OSA better understand and support students of color without feeling the need to “save them.”
While many resources are being created, it is crucial we ask which ones are still missing. As a new student this year, I had to attend an orientation before school began to get a better sense of the type of environment OSA is. This orientation was done entirely in English and as a result, my mom understood nothing that was said. For those who grew up with a first language other than English, the burden of having to translate for our parents is often a challenge and a responsibility we face but shouldn’t have to deal with.
Additionally, I often have to be the one who asks my teachers to translate information we are told to share with our parents before it is actually done. However, there is work being done to get better resources for translating and communicating. Talking Points is a platform OSA is going to begin using as a tool to communicate with families that translates all materials to them in their home language. Through this, there will be less lack of communication and families won’t have to deal with the struggle of not knowing English.
OSA is an artistic and innovative space. It is where one is encouraged to be who they are and experiment with who that might be through creating art. Because of this, I believe that the OSA community won’t stop fighting for a more inclusive environment until it is achieved.
As the OSA community works to create the best possible space for all students, here is some advice teachers and students of color would like to give to white allies:
Sophomore in Vocal Music, Tai-Ge Min: No matter what background you come from, being a POC will always be a completely different experience from being white, that white people can simply never fully understand. Listen and support your peers when we talk about our experiences and we can all work together to create a vibrant community!
Senior in Literary Arts, Heaven Harps: We, as students of color, have lived and live experiences that you, as a white person, would not ever be able to comprehend or understand and the fact of that needs to be something that you consider when we are in your classroom, when you are teaching us, and when you are interacting with us.
Senior in Literary Arts, Sunari Weaver Anderson: It is their [white people] own job to educate themselves and no one is out to get them. We’re not trying to villainize anybody. It's been too long that we’ve been in educational environments that have overlooked us and educational environments where we had to sacrifice our comfortability for our education and that should never be the case.
Diversity & Outreach Coordinator, Cava Menzies: It is important for [white people] to do the personal work required in order to be in spaces in which marginalized communities are present as well. It requires a different kind of lens. It requires a different type of sensitivity and self awareness and I want them to know that it’s a constant work in progress to make sure that we’re maintaining a safe space. It’s not enough to just take one class or read one book it’s an ongoing dialogue that’s required in order to make sure everyone in these spaces feels represented and supported.
Executive Director, Staci Smith: It’s important to know that there are other perspectives of the world and to understand the privilege that they were born into and responsibility they have to hear your message and to not just act on what they always knew to be. It’s important to not make students feel less than for being who they are. It’s important to create a space for you to tell your story through your life experience and to know that it adds to the space that we’re in to learn together. It’s about learning everything we can and part of what we’re learning is what life is like for other people and how we can benefit from it because it’s not in a book.
Here is what they want other students of color to know:
Tai-Ge Min: We have to all learn to listen to each other and the experiences we do and don’t share, we all come from different backgrounds and one struggle doesn’t always look like another. [We have] to stick together and work together to make sure we can all succeed as a unit and acknowledge that a lot of us actually have a lot of privileges in other areas (ie: socioeconomic status, English fluency, being able bodied, etc).
Heaven Harps: Your voice is important. Remember that you allowed to speak up. You are allowed to be you. If ever feel as if you don’t have much to relate to, you are not alone. Be there for one another.
Sunari Weaver Anderson: There are people who care. There are people who are ready to listen and who are ready to do what they can and use as much time as they can to ensure that you have a good experience at OSA. There are people like Ms. Joshi and Ms. Menzies and Ms. Smith and even white teachers and allies who are really trying to be vocal and trying to prioritize our experience here. You just have to find those faculty members and find those peers who are ready to listen to you. There’s definitely community you just have to be willing to go after it and look for it.
Cava Menzies: I want students of color to know that they are valued. That they are seen. That they are an integral part of this school and important and necessary for this school. I also want them to know that they are part of the fabric of the original founding legacy of this school. This school was primarily students of color when we started and that’s the legacy we all stand on. So I want students of color to have a sense of pride and a sense of ownership. I want this to be their space and I want them to feel comfortable and supported. I want a lot for students of color here.
Staci Smith: I want them to know it’s okay to be who you are. It’s okay to show up with the things you know about your culture and yourself and speak up- to teach people what they don’t know. I also want them to know to have compassion because everyone doesn’t know what you know and it's not their fault because if they’re in a space where there’s nobody else who ever got to tell them or looks like you to tell them or has your experience to tell them, they won’t know.
What is something you want people at OSA to know?
However, adults and teachers aren’t the only ones involved in this ongoing fight. The Board of Students of Color, a group of students advocating for inclusion, has organized many community forums to make sure the voices of all students of color at OSA are being heard. Getting people to contribute and share is the first step but the next is to make sure the school is listening. In order to do this the Board began working on a toolkit to help teachers at OSA better understand and support students of color without feeling the need to “save them.”
While many resources are being created, it is crucial we ask which ones are still missing. As a new student this year, I had to attend an orientation before school began to get a better sense of the type of environment OSA is. This orientation was done entirely in English and as a result, my mom understood nothing that was said. For those who grew up with a first language other than English, the burden of having to translate for our parents is often a challenge and a responsibility we face but shouldn’t have to deal with.
Additionally, I often have to be the one who asks my teachers to translate information we are told to share with our parents before it is actually done. However, there is work being done to get better resources for translating and communicating. Talking Points is a platform OSA is going to begin using as a tool to communicate with families that translates all materials to them in their home language. Through this, there will be less lack of communication and families won’t have to deal with the struggle of not knowing English.
OSA is an artistic and innovative space. It is where one is encouraged to be who they are and experiment with who that might be through creating art. Because of this, I believe that the OSA community won’t stop fighting for a more inclusive environment until it is achieved.
As the OSA community works to create the best possible space for all students, here is some advice teachers and students of color would like to give to white allies:
Sophomore in Vocal Music, Tai-Ge Min: No matter what background you come from, being a POC will always be a completely different experience from being white, that white people can simply never fully understand. Listen and support your peers when we talk about our experiences and we can all work together to create a vibrant community!
Senior in Literary Arts, Heaven Harps: We, as students of color, have lived and live experiences that you, as a white person, would not ever be able to comprehend or understand and the fact of that needs to be something that you consider when we are in your classroom, when you are teaching us, and when you are interacting with us.
Senior in Literary Arts, Sunari Weaver Anderson: It is their [white people] own job to educate themselves and no one is out to get them. We’re not trying to villainize anybody. It's been too long that we’ve been in educational environments that have overlooked us and educational environments where we had to sacrifice our comfortability for our education and that should never be the case.
Diversity & Outreach Coordinator, Cava Menzies: It is important for [white people] to do the personal work required in order to be in spaces in which marginalized communities are present as well. It requires a different kind of lens. It requires a different type of sensitivity and self awareness and I want them to know that it’s a constant work in progress to make sure that we’re maintaining a safe space. It’s not enough to just take one class or read one book it’s an ongoing dialogue that’s required in order to make sure everyone in these spaces feels represented and supported.
Executive Director, Staci Smith: It’s important to know that there are other perspectives of the world and to understand the privilege that they were born into and responsibility they have to hear your message and to not just act on what they always knew to be. It’s important to not make students feel less than for being who they are. It’s important to create a space for you to tell your story through your life experience and to know that it adds to the space that we’re in to learn together. It’s about learning everything we can and part of what we’re learning is what life is like for other people and how we can benefit from it because it’s not in a book.
Here is what they want other students of color to know:
Tai-Ge Min: We have to all learn to listen to each other and the experiences we do and don’t share, we all come from different backgrounds and one struggle doesn’t always look like another. [We have] to stick together and work together to make sure we can all succeed as a unit and acknowledge that a lot of us actually have a lot of privileges in other areas (ie: socioeconomic status, English fluency, being able bodied, etc).
Heaven Harps: Your voice is important. Remember that you allowed to speak up. You are allowed to be you. If ever feel as if you don’t have much to relate to, you are not alone. Be there for one another.
Sunari Weaver Anderson: There are people who care. There are people who are ready to listen and who are ready to do what they can and use as much time as they can to ensure that you have a good experience at OSA. There are people like Ms. Joshi and Ms. Menzies and Ms. Smith and even white teachers and allies who are really trying to be vocal and trying to prioritize our experience here. You just have to find those faculty members and find those peers who are ready to listen to you. There’s definitely community you just have to be willing to go after it and look for it.
Cava Menzies: I want students of color to know that they are valued. That they are seen. That they are an integral part of this school and important and necessary for this school. I also want them to know that they are part of the fabric of the original founding legacy of this school. This school was primarily students of color when we started and that’s the legacy we all stand on. So I want students of color to have a sense of pride and a sense of ownership. I want this to be their space and I want them to feel comfortable and supported. I want a lot for students of color here.
Staci Smith: I want them to know it’s okay to be who you are. It’s okay to show up with the things you know about your culture and yourself and speak up- to teach people what they don’t know. I also want them to know to have compassion because everyone doesn’t know what you know and it's not their fault because if they’re in a space where there’s nobody else who ever got to tell them or looks like you to tell them or has your experience to tell them, they won’t know.
What is something you want people at OSA to know?
