Sacred Soil: The Piney Woods School Story

When a boy talks about the importance of not looking like the stereotype of a Black teenage "thug," the unprovoked violence to young Black men by law enforcement is implied. A teacher talks about the fact that many kids experience trauma and abuse. Some students condemn parents who beat their children; others don't think it's so bad. Some note that if a child is beaten at home, they might be likely to use violence to resolve issues when they come to school. One girl says that when she left home to come to Piney Woods, people at home warned her not to go out because "White people want to kill you."

"Damn," "ass," "douche," and "thug."

A student notes disapprovingly that some parents might be more supportive of a child who is a murderer than of a child who is gay.

Piney Woods School is devoted to educating young Black students to be leaders and contributors to their communities. The emphasis is on social justice, character, independence, integrity, and academic excellence. A male student talks about his dark skin color and how his mother told him he couldn't wear baggy pants or earrings because it would put him at risk with law enforcement, who would take him for a "stereotypical" Black teenage "thug" or criminal. A girl talks about "code-switching" and wonders if the need to speak differently to a boss from the way she would speak to a friend is code-switching or just being professional. Girls talk about insecurities. One says she felt bad she's worried about her hair being "too curly." She felt societal pressure to want to be "more White." An African American boy tells a student from Africa that he is not "Black," but that in America people will think the African boy is Black. The African boy pushes back and insists that he is "Black," because that category describes color, not a culture. A boy challenges the school's emphasis on Christianity and the way it ignores other world religions with similar values. He also bridles when someone says all sin is the same. He argues that the so-called sin of being gay is not the same as being a murderer. He notes disapprovingly that some parents might be more supportive of a child who is a murderer than a child who is gay.