In light of the brawl that took place at our school on February 14th, the Southerner’s editorial staff would like to applaud the groups and individuals of the school that are making reconstructive efforts. In particular, we would like to encourage the student participation that has played a large part in these efforts.
For example, the administration has organized a Restorative Justice Peace Circle, which will allow students representing various student groups to talk about why it happened and figure out how to resolve tensions. The administration also allowed for classroom discussions about the fight on February 15th, which was a great platform for student discussion about problems at South.
In addition to our administration’s valiant efforts at recuperating after such a tumultuous day at our school, the Southerner would like to extend our thanks to members of the community that have made reconstructive efforts as well. For example, Somali community leader Hussein Samatar organized a news conference at which students and parents could address the causes of the Valentine’s Day brawl.
Perhaps the most inspiring post-melee efforts have been student-led. S.t.a.r.t. organized a student dinner at which only students could express their opinions, and the adults in the room had to listen. Aside from being an astounding night that brought the beginning of mutual understanding between students of all backgrounds, the fact that the dinner was completely student-centered was fantastic.
These instances point to an uplifting trend of student involvement and voice in solving the problems at our school. The adults in our school and our community have immense power in resolving conflict and making South a better place, but so do we. The Southerner would, once again, like to extend a thank you to everyone who has been involved in reconstructive efforts, and we would like to encourage students to take advantage of their voices and be part of a solution to the cultural ignorance and misunderstanding that can be found in Minneapolis.