"We Are the Dream": Spartans Stand Up Against Discrimination

Written by: Sawsan Srour

"We Are the Dream" is a group of students from Sparta High School who have come together to change the status quo. The club is built upon dreamers and allies of all races, creeds, colors, ethnicities, national origins, religions, sexes, sexual orientations and  gender expressions. All are eager to bring about change for the better of all people.

It began with student Maia Albuquerque, who is of Latinx descent, and has experienced years of discrimination and hate. She expressed her frustrations to Mrs. Brennan, her freshman English teacher, who has always made it clear that she will never tolerate any form of hate and or discrimination in her classroom. After hearing Maia's stories, Mrs. Brennan agreed that she wasn’t alone, having had other students who had experienced similar acts of discrimination and hate. From that conversation stemmed the idea for "We Are the Dream," a lunch meeting group of now over 50 students and teachers who have come together against discrimination.

Originally the group started off by wanting to raise awareness to the racism that minority students in Sparta schools experience. However, it has now transformed to not only raising awareness but to creating real change within schools and the Sparta community at large. As stated by Mrs. Brennan herself, “Their voices need to be heard. Their stories need to be told. Their struggles need to be validated through reform. We need long-lasting, meaningful change, and I am confident, with the collective voices that this group speaks through, that change is going to happen”. In addition to Mrs. Brennan, the group is also very fortunate to have Dr. Saskia Brown, the school district's Supervisor of Guidance, on board as well.

During "Dreamer" meetings, students don’t have to worry about fitting in because their varying stories are what connect them to each other. You don't have to have experienced racism and discrimination to be a supporter of the group. There are many allies who have pledged to be a part of change and to listen and amplify the voices that have long been ignored and silenced.

If you are wanting to be a part of the discussion, Mr. Rivers will be holding a discussion in film club about the 13th, a Netflix documentary that explores "intersection of race, justice, and mass incarceration in the United States".

“United we stand, divided we fall” and remember to stay #SpartanStrong!

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