Waterford Today

A diversity speaker caused quite a stir in the community when she went off script during a speech earlier this month at Bloomfield Hills High School.

The Bloomfield Hills School District discussed how to handle the matter at a March 20 special board meeting.

Huwaida Arraf, a former candidate for Michigan’s 10th congressional district and a Palestinian activist, spoke at an assembly, which was mandatory to students, and discussed oppression and violence in the Gaza Strip on Palestinians. The school, which had not approved the topic, received backlash from the community as parents and students were upset with the anti-Israel rhetoric. There is a large Jewish population in the school.

Principal Lawrence Stroughter, who said the school does not stand for speech targeting people through race or religion, never mentioned “Israel, Jewish, or antisemitism” in her apology, which the community interpreted as a weak apology. Stroughter has since been placed on administrative leave.

The district is looking into methods to keep students feeling safe at school, along with healing and moving on from the incident.  A two-hour public discussion ensued that revealed counselors and social workers have been made available to students, along with regular visits from local law and the district's therapy dog. In order to make sure another incident never takes place, the district will provide an Islamophobia and antisemitism training for all staff.

Over three dozen speakers shared their concerns during public comments and many parents were angry that the school did not vet the speaker more in-depth as her social media reveals many of the same opinions that she shared with students. Moreover, they were upset that none of the adults or teachers stopped the speaker when she continued to single out groups of people in her speech.

Imam Abdullah Al-Mahmudi, from the Muslim Unity Center, and Rabbi Asher Lopatin, from the Jewish Community Relations Council, were among the more prominent voice at the meeting.

“Students and parents from my congregation have expressed their concerns, fears and opinions are being silenced,” said Al-Mahmudi.  “They're being ignored and dismissed by the school administration. They have automatically been labeled and have been told by the school administration things such as and I quote, ‘If adults cannot solve these problems, how are (a) bunch of high school (students) going to do so.’ Let me be clear. We are not here to solve the crisis. Rather, we are here to educate and learn from one another as we work together and respect each other. Students in my congregation need to be heard.”

He added that without respect for the student body the value of “free and open inquiry” is compromised and no one should “weaponize disagreements into threats of violence.”

Rabbi Lopatin followed the Imam, sharing that “I want to share two approaches that I believe are crucial for the Bloomfield Hills School community at this time. First, as a Jew, a rabbi, a proud Zionist, also a supporter of Palestinian rights, I ask the school to support all students Jewish, Muslim, Christian, Hindu and others in expressing their beliefs and passions on any issue, from how to deal with racism to how to approach Israel or the plight of the Palestinian people.”