“I hope they have gone through and read every story” BlackAtProvidence creator speaks exclusively to Action News Jax

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Local Black students at four of the most prominent, private schools in Jacksonville are calling for change, inside and outside of the classroom.

And they’re using social media to do it.

Anonymous social media profiles, labeled, “Black At _____” have been created for Bishop Kenny, Episcopal, Providence and Bolles.

In an Action News Jax exclusive, Cole spoke to the creator of the Black At Providence page.

The alumna told Cole it’s the lack of response that leaves Black students feeling like they don’t matter.

“I was told by a teacher that I was ‘beautiful for a Black girl.’”

“I remember being in lunch one day, and a white student at my lunch table, who I wasn’t really friends with, was openly using the ‘n’ word. It bothered me, but a lot of kids throw around the ‘n’ word as if it’s nothing. So I asked him to stop, and I explained how it was offensive to me and he replied, ‘I don’t care. You’re literally not going to do nothing about it.’ I didn’t tell anyone in authority out of fear of being labeled a ‘snitch’, but I wish I would have. This has been going on way too long, unnoticed.”

Those are just two of the dozens of posts shared by students, alumni, parents and staff at Episcopal School of Jacksonville, Bishop Kenny High School, The Bolles School and Providence School.

“I hope they have gone through and read every story, read all the comments, to see how students, parents, faculty is responding to all of this.”

The Providence alumna Cole interviewed asked that we protect her identity, so we showed her in silhouette.

“We shouldn’t need these platforms where they share these things, because it should have never happened in the first place,” she said.

She spoke exclusively to Cole and said she created this page as a safe space for Black students to share their experiences.

When Cole asked the alumna what it was like when she saw the type of responses she was getting to the page, she said this: “It was... eye-opening and heartbreaking. I am so happy and grateful that these students were courageous enough to share their stories and experiences.”

The former student told Action News Jax her experience at Providence School overall was good, but things still need to change.

“Things that happen at a school that is said to be ‘boldly Christian’ is very disheartening.”

While the page has gotten a lot of attention, she wants the momentum to go beyond social media.

The goal is to hopefully sit down with the school and have a conversation about creating an environment where Black students feel more comfortable at their school.

“We have a list of ideas, things that we believe could help. And I’d like to see and hear what they’ve come up with.”

On Wednesday, Cole received a response from Episcopal, Bolles and Providence. Bishop Kenny provided a statement on Thursday morning. Read each statement below:

Providence School:

Providence is a private Christian School where our mantra is “boldly Christian and unquestionably academic servant leaders”. Each day the school strives to live up to those standards and in addition to scholastic academics teach the love of God. In response to the black@prov social media site that was established we are aware of the site and it’s content. We would encourage any current or past students who have experienced racism in any form during their time spent at Providence to come and meet with the Head of School at any time. The school has an open door policy and is interested in listening to your concerns and experiences and look forward to working with you to improve in every area it can.

Providence School has taken multiple pro-active steps to deal with racial diversity, such as:

• 2019 Created and established a Diversity Committee, consisting of Providence students, parents, and administrators;
• Conducted 3 professional development opportunities regarding diversity for the entire faculty with more planned;
• Currently studying and reading a publication regarding diversity
• Pro-actively hiring more people of color and minorities

There is zero tolerance for any form of racism at Providence

Please refer to our website where our position on this issue has been made very clear

We welcome any current or former students of Providence to come forward and we will talk with them but most of all LISTEN to their concerns moving forward, that we might work these issues out together.

Ken Jefferson

Providence School Board Member

School Spokesperson

The Bolles School:

We find ourselves swept up in a national movement. Bolles is one of hundreds of independent, public and charter schools around the country (including colleges and universities) that have become the focus of social media accounts created to share stories of black students, alumni and parents. Some of these stories are positive, others raise serious concerns.

Although we are troubled by the anonymity and tone of some of the content, we take it all seriously. We are listening and acting with intent. These challenging conversations must be advanced by The Bolles School Community in the spirit of candor and mutual respect to ensure the changes we pursue will make our school stronger.

All of our statements to our community, including the most recent from last night, are posted to our website at this link.

Episcopal School of Jacksonville:

ESJ strongly denounces Racism and bigotry in all forms. We are committed as an institution to do all we can to create a culture that is respectful of the dignity of every human being. It is painful to read the posts shared on this account as our mission is to offer a nurturing and compassionate environment – one that is welcoming to all.

We will be doing even more to combat Racism as we begin the 2020-2021 school year and in the years to come. We are planning a series of forums, led by our Awareness, Inclusion, and Respect committee, to hear from current and former students and discuss ways in which we can work together to end Racism and bigotry in all their forms.

We will also be considering curricular efforts to ensure that all members of our community are heard and their experiences shared. This is just the beginning as we consider other opportunities and structural changes. We are deeply sorry members of our community feel they have not been heard or their issues have not been addressed.

Bishop Kenny:

The school is aware of the page and we are taking the content seriously. Attached you will find the statements that have been made to our Bishop Kenny community with regards to current events as well as the social media page in question. 

These statements reaffirm the Catholic values of the school, which unequivocally condemn racism in any form on our campus.  Bishop Kenny believes in a God that calls us each by name regardless of race, nationality, or color, and we welcome all students as such.  We are listening, we are reviewing current practices, and we are prayerfully working to ensure our existing curriculum and policies continue to uphold these values.

The school has responded, and will continue to respond, directly to every concerned stakeholder that has contacted us regarding these matters. My administration and I maintain an open door policy for anybody who would like to come and speak with us about their experience at Bishop Kenny or their suggestions for change at our school. 

Mr. Todd Orlando

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