Jeremy Weine

On Monday, December 16, 2019, the vast majority of students at The Beacon School participated in a day-long sit-in in the high school's hallways. A senior's remarks a week earlier, widely believed to be racially insensitive, sparked a more widespread discussion about the administration's treatment of race-related incidents. The sit-in was accompanied by a lengthy list of demands, almost all of which were agreed to immediately. 

Students gathered in the cafeteria before the day's scheduled "teach-ins" in the hallway started.

Members of the Beacon United Unions (composed of representatives from the Black Student Union, Asian Student Union, Latinx Student Union, Muslim Student Union, Jewish Student Alliance, and African Student Association) addressed the crowded cafeteria, reiterating the sit-in's agenda and schedule. 

Leaders of each union lead hallway teach-ins about how the members of the respective unions were affected by the school's racial biases.

While most of Beacon's students were in the hallways participating in the demonstration, there still were regularly scheduled classes for students who elected not to join the sit-in.

After lunch, there was an hour-long silent period, representing that students of color felt silenced by the administration.