A 12-year-old California boy’s heartfelt speech on his personal experiences with racism and discrimination is prompting action from his school board and community members alike.
“I want to be judged by the content of my character and not the color of my skin,” Daniel Pocklington said as his wiry frame stood tall behind a podium that covered most of his body, culminating what turned out to be a revelation to the faculty and staff at Rock Creek Elementary school.
“I’m here to talk about what it’s like to be an African American boy in your school,” the fifth-grader said. “I’ve been hit, chased, thrown down, and called the N-word several times this year. It’s hard for me to find a safe way to go to school and actually feel important.”
Pocklington’s speech was incited by a countless number of incidents that he and his mother say were just too much.
“It keeps happening and I don’t feel safe, or that it will get better,” Pocklington said.
Pocklington is involved in his school’s council and highly active on his school’s cross country team and is described by his family as a smart boy who gets good grades. Nonetheless, he still struggles to fit in at school.
Adrian Pocklington, the 12-year-old’s adoptive mother, said she has reached out to the principal on multiple occasions about her son’s bullies but little has been done to stop it.
“He[the school’s principal] said he was handling it, that they were doing one-day in-school suspension and I said ‘that’s not enough, that’s not teaching my child that he matters and that the school isn’t gonna tolerate it,’ ” the elder Pocklington said.
Reports show that African-American students only account for 2 percent of Rocklin County’s entire public school population. But Pocklington and his mother say that one injustice is one far too many.
Pocklington said he knew there were other kids who felt the same way he did but were too afraid to speak out.
With minimal assistance from his school’s faculty, Pocklington knew it was time to take action and address the issue that he and some of his peers were facing.
“I feel like my friends deserve a better way to go to school and feel safe,” he said.
After his speech, Pocklington received a standing ovation from the audience in attendance. While he is happy his message was well received, Pocklington said he still wants the school to implement policy changes to prohibit hate speech.
The Rocklin County school district released this statement following Pocklington’s speech:
“We are aware of instances regarding offensive behavior at one of our elementary schools. Each allegation was addressed immediately with an investigation and appropriate disciplinary actions taken when appropriate. Following the final instance, the principal met that day with all 5th-grade students to speak seriously about a variety of related topics including tolerance and acceptance. The Rocklin Unified School District is a place where we build people up and celebrate each other, and embrace our diversity. We will continue to work together with all our families, students and staff to reach that aim.”
