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KAYSVILLE — To celebrate Black History Month, Davis School District Assistant Superintendent Jackie Thompson on Friday made a special appearance at Mountain High School to share a message with students and provide an update on the district's efforts to address challenges relating to racism.
Those who don't know Thompson might have mistaken her for an Olympic athlete, as she donned a navy blue tracksuit with "USA" imprinted on the jacket, along with three gold medals draped around her neck. She was dressing up as former Olympian Wilma Rudolf. Rudolf was a Black sprinter who won three gold medals at the 1960 Olympics in Rome, earning her the title of "the fastest woman in the world."
"It's more important that the students see living history, so if I step out as Wilma Rudolph and tell her story, I think it makes it more real for them," Thompson said. "It's so important for students to learn about Black history."
During the assembly, Thompson acted as if she was Rudolph, taking students on a journey through the life of one of the greatest athletes of the 20th century, a life that included overcoming a childhood polio diagnosis and growing up in the segregated town of Clarksville, Tennessee, eventually going on to become a decorated Olympian.
"Black history is American history. We must teach history, it's important for all students to know about the various diverse cultures and then also have a great appreciation of their own culture — celebrate each other," Thompson said.
In addition to telling the story of a prominent Black American, Thompson also spoke about some current initiatives in the Davis School District, in response to a U.S. Department of Justice investigation that found "serious and widespread racial harassment" of Black and Asian American students in the district.
"We can do better and we will do better," Thompson said.
The district, she said, is taking a collaborative approach to addressing the problem. One that involves students, staff, faculty, families and the greater Davis County community.
"So how we're planning to do that is with parental involvement, working with our communities, training our educators, working together with our interfaith groups and we believe it takes a village to raise a child," Thompson said.
Currently, she serves as the assistant superintendent over the new Office of Equal Opportunity in the district, an office that Thompson said is preparing to hire a director.
Additionally, the district on Monday will roll out the second video in a series of videos for K-12 students titled "No More, Not Here," that features student voices speaking out against bias, hate, discrimination and inequality while promoting unity and encouraging peers to speak out against hurtful speech.
"Already in kindergarten, students are saying, 'No more, not here.' We know to end racism, we must start small — nobody is born a racist," Thompson said.
Concluding the assembly, Thompson left the students with a message from an African proverb.
"If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together," she said. "That's what we plan to do. ... We always have and we'll continue to do that."
