APS is Empowering Voices with its No Place for Hate Campaign

The No Place for Hate districtwide campaign against hatred and discrimination, recently launched in Atlanta Public Schools and created a space where students and staff stood in solidarity to champion inclusivity.

Benjamin E. Mays High School held a special rally in which students took the lead in conveying their desire to cultivate a school community rooted in understanding, respect, and acceptance, and raised awareness about the impact of bullying and the strength that comes from embracing diversity.

A Benjamin E. Mays High School student holds a sign describing how she has been judged in the past. Photo: Atlanta Public Schools ©

At the heart of the rally was a living museum, a poignant display where students held up signs depicting the negative judgements they had endured during instances of bullying as their peers walked silently through reading and reflecting on the messages.

Anirea Chapman, a senior at Benjamin E. Mays High School and Ms. Mays’ second attendant, highlighted the positive impact the program and visual display had on the students.

“I think it was very beneficial to many people, and I feel like we should do [these] more often to raise awareness for bullying because people don’t often [have the opportunity], so it was great and I enjoyed it.”

Maya Winfrey, also a senior at Mays, shared a similar sentiment.

“I think it was nice for students to hear other peers speak to them about something that can affect anyone,” Winfrey said.

Benjamin E. Mays High School senior Cameron Green led the No Place For Hate Pledge. Photo: Atlanta Public Schools ©

Senior Cameron Green led the students in reciting a pledge to show their dedication to creating a school environment free from hatred. The pledge served as a promise to seek understanding, speak out against prejudice, support targets of hate, and foster a prejudice-free school environment.

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NO PLACE FOR HATE PLEDGE:

I will seek to gain understanding of those who are different from myself.
I will speak out against prejudice and discrimination.
I will reach out to support those who are targets of hate.
I will promote respect for people and help foster a prejudice-free school.
I believe that one person can make a difference.

All APS students are encouraged to take the pledge.

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In addition, Green expressed the need to talk about experiences of bullying openly and advised her peers who may be experiencing mistreatment.

“Just be yourself,” Green said. “I feel like we should accept people for being themselves rather than acting like others. I have a soft spot for just owning up to who you are, because I know I’m different than a lot of people. So I take pride in showing up and showing out as myself.”

Benjamin E. Mays High School ninth grade counselor Erika Blount. Photo: Atlanta Public Schools ©

Ninth grade counselor and the program director for No Place for Hate at Benjamin E. Mays High School, Erika Blount, shared plans for on-going initiatives at Mays, with bi-weekly sessions addressing post-traumatic syndrome and various mental health issues.

“I think [the rally] was beneficial. We’ve been getting a lot of negative press conferences and different things throughout the county and so this is a good turn of events for our students,” Blount said. “That’s really why I stayed in-house because I wanted everybody to see it’s not what you see in the newspaper that’s a 100% representation of what we deal with here at Mays. We do have positive kids here and we want to empower our students.”

Ramon Garner, principal at Benjamin E. Mays High School, also expressed the school’s plans to continue the message and outlined their commitment to fostering respect for all cultures.

“This is what we do every day,” Garner said. “Our core values are within the acronym of P.R.I.D.E. They stand for perseverance, respect, integrity, discipline, and excellence. And that’s how we want to live. We want to make sure that we are raising up good, powerful young men and good, powerful young women. To respect everyone, to be inclusive of all things that’s different from yourself and embrace and love each other. That’s what we stand for, that’s what we want to do.”

For more information on the No Place For Hate Challenge, please visit www.noplaceforhate.org and contact your local APS school for details.