On the morning of Feb. 3, Bexley Middle School students sat in their homerooms watching the morning announcements. It's Black History Month, so the students on the show planned to briefly talk about contributions Black individuals have made to art, science, politics, literature, etc.
However, on this particular Friday morning, the historical fact that was shared was overshadowed by what appeared on the greenscreen behind the students: an image of an orangutan eating a watermelon, a racist trope that has existed since the Reconstruction period following the Civil War. Along with this, racist social media posts have been going around the school district.
This column is going to be different as this situation is much closer to me than what I usually write about. I attended Bexley City Schools from sixth grade until I graduated high school in 2021. Although I appreciate the district’s quick condemnation of this blatant act of racism, I fear that the district is failing to realize that this incident is part of a greater phenomenon: the culture of privilege, money and influence that exists within the city itself, and trickles down into the schools.
The district’s administration continues to push that the school system is committed to anti-racism and bettering the community’s conversations surrounding racism, and I genuinely think they believe in this mission. However, the problem is in some of the students, particularly young white men, who see it as a joke.
This is not the first of this type of racism to occur in the school district, various examples of which are found here. To fully understand the culture and environment of Bexley Schools, however, it may be helpful to see some statistics.
To begin, the district is 83% white, with Black students only making up 6% of the school district’s population. More specifically, in a school district of 2,366 students, only 144 of them are Black. 1,928 students are white. These statistics are wildly different from those for the state’s average, with 17% of the population of the average Ohio school identifying as Black. This total lack of diversity is the first problem.
The second problem is the amount of sheer wealth that exists within the confines of the school district. People in Bexley hate talking about this, even though it is blatantly obvious to literally everyone else in Columbus how much money is in Bexley. The median household income in Bexley is $121,182, nearly double the average median household income of Franklin County where the school is located. So, you have a majority white school district with a whole lot of people with a lot of wealth floating around.
Even when you are not one of Bexley’s ultra-wealthy, you grow up around them in what is often referred to as the “Bexley Bubble,” frequently joked about by students. However, it is a real phenomenon with implications that students do not seem to actually understand.
The Bexley Bubble is a group of privilege, insulated by parents that can sue or quickly rearrange their lives when their child does something stupid, or in cases such as these, something blatantly racist. Kids think they can get away with anything, and this is a prime example of that. Perhaps it's because in many cases, they receive little more than a slap on the wrist.
Bexley has some really wonderful teachers that I am grateful for in endless ways. However, the vast majority of the teachers in Bexley are white. The average Bexley student is likely white and may very well have spent their entire academic life answering to white authority figures. Even on a subconscious level, this can't help in developing respect for their Black classmates, or Black people in general.
The district prides itself in its progressivism to a fault. There may be Black Lives Matter signs in yards, but few conversations happening in homes. There is the promise of equity and inclusion that vows to deal with the situation, but in a way that completely lacks transparency or consequences that send a clear message. Emails sent out about the incident are incredibly vague, and although the behavior is condemned, the school fails to explain how it will hold the students accountable.
Bexley needs to make more effort in holding students accountable, but also in dismantling the culture that exists within the school system. A school in which students feel they can get away with anything because of their parents or family ties to the school is not a school of equity.
Megan is a sophomore studying journalism at Ohio University. Please note that the opinions expressed in this article do not express those of The Post. Want to talk to Megan? E-mail her at md396520@ohio.edu.
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