Students Talk Race, "Black Lives Matter," At Forsyth County Forum

A diverse panel of Forsyth County high schoolers came together at Parkland High School Thursday night for a frank talk about the role that race plays in their lives.

The forum covered everything from how the students talk about race in their schools to how recent high-profile news items like protests in Ferguson and Baltimore affected their thinking on diversity.

Regina Mundy is an anthropology student at Wake Forest and moderated the panel. She says she hopes the students will keep the discussion going with their friends.

“I hope they're going to take back these conversations – some of the questions that may have made them feel uncomfortable – and think about those, maybe engage with their peers a little bit more about the topics,” Mundy said.

One of the night's most lively discussions centered around the meaning and impact of the Black Lives Matter movement on the students' lives.

Nonnie Egbuna is a senior at Parkland High School. She spoke passionately about the movement, and says she gets frustrated by how people misunderstand its meaning.

“People take it all types of different ways, trying to make it something that it isn't,” Egbuna said. “[Saying] ‘black lives matter' is not to say that all lives don't matter – that black lives matter more, or only black lives matter. But this is where the focus is right now and this is where it needs to be right now.”

The students will now try to start projects centered on discussing racial issues at their schools.

They're planning to reconvene again in the spring.