Since the rise of COVID-19, we have seen a national push for responses in areas in which neglect has occurred nationally. COVID-19 in the United States has led to deaths, intensification of trauma, and the widespread recognition of the racial disparities within the United States. Although these disparities are nothing new, it has garnered a lot of media attention and has pushed the Black Lives Matter movement onto the streets in all 50 states in protest of the ongoing police brutality and the disproportionate criminalization of black folks. With school resuming soon, this leaves me to wonder how Gwinnett County, and other counties with large populations of black and brown students, will respond to making sure that vulnerable populations are safe in Fall.

Throughout my research for my project around getting police out of schools, I have found it quite difficult to locate information that is inclusive of substantial data with diverse populations. What I mean by that is a lot of what I can find has a lens focused around racial discrimination, but fails to fully elaborate on the hardship’s girls, students with disabilities, and LGBTQ+ students face. The reality is none of these are mutually exclusive; there is always overlap between communities that are disproportionately inclined to facing dangers by not only police, but also the effects of COVID-19. In this moment, I want us all to think about how our personal approaches to making changes within our local communities are intersectional; are we being inclusive of ALL identities? Are we putting forth the effort to make sure we are protecting and fighting for ALL vulnerable communities? It is essential for all of our work and efforts to be inclusive of all and that we take the time to listen to our community members, their needs, and how we can support one another during a time of such turmoil so we can also pressure our legislators to make decisions in Fall to protect students of all identities.