On November 3rd, a cold and windy Saturday night, a large group of RMHS staff and students met with hopeful minds and warm hearts to fight the terrible hate crimes in our school. For years Reading has had a problem with swastikas drawn on school property or around town. However, this year, there has been a significant uptick in instances of anti-semitic, homophobic, and racist slogans and pictures defacing and poisoning school property…and more importantly, thickening the divide between people in our community.
At the vigil, multiple students and teachers came together to tell their stories and empower others. Assistant Principal Mrs. Theriault opened explaining her extreme disappointed in the these actions and her desire to for all students to “feel free to be who they are, free to express what they believe in, and feel comfortable in their own skin.” Mrs. Theriault said this is what the RMHS community is really about.
Autumn Hendrickson, a junior with two moms, said “I am sick of hearing ‘faggot’ in the halls, this is a word rooted in hate. I am sick of hearing ‘gay’ thrown around like it’s ‘the.’” She said hate affects targets and non-targets alike saying, “I watched as the light fell from many of your faces, and I watched it as it fell from my own.” Autumn has seen RMHS react, noting “people smile at each other in the hallways, messages of support on peoples doors, there were teachers taking time in class to talk about what was happening, there were emergency club meanings and there were bridges being built and walls being torn down.”
Mrs. Cunha, a drama teacher, said, “we need to decide as a community here and now if we celebrate strength or if we accept our own weaknesses.” She said, “We need, as a community, to feel empowered to make the changes this school needs to be better...if we say this is not who we are, then we need to show it.”
Tali Shorr, a senior, spoke about her story as a Jewish student. She said that the first time she saw a swastika drawn in the school was her sophomore year, back in 2016. She explained that she didn’t really know how to react so she decided to scribble over it, to cover it up. But, later, she decided to take it to the principle and she also talked to teachers to organize lessons about the Holocaust to try to break these hateful actions...but lots of people didn’t respond well and thought it was “a waste of their time.” Tali explained she heard “take a joke, a swastika is just a joke” numerous times. She then said, “How is the death of 6 million of MY people a joke?”
Mr. Broken Rope, an english teacher, shared his story of coming out as gay at age 14 while living in Nebraska. Mr. Broken Rope described his hometown as “a place where now, many of my LGBTQ friends live in fear.” He then went on to describe the pain he felt trying to come out in an unaccepting town, and that it led to him trying to commit suicide. Mr. Broken Rope captured the spirit of the evening, one of sadness but also steely determination to persevere saying, “I will not run from the face of intolerance or hatred or injustice. I will not cower in the dark and disappear...The duty to protect and create and to push forward is ours now and it lies with us and we live this everyday with the students of color across this country, for the gay students across this country, not just in this community but to be a beacon, a city on a hill once again. I will not run, we will not run, and I have chosen to stay and fight.”
The evening touched the hearts of all who attended. Poems were read, the RMHS Chorus sang, and 11 candles were lit to honor the Jewish victims of the Tree of Life massacre. Along with the pain and anguish many members of the RMHS community have felt these past weeks, staff and students have begun to build a family with connections stronger than ever … what RMHS is really about.