We are tired of being treated as less than human. We are tired of having our voices silenced in order to keep white teachers, parents, and students comfortable. We are tired of having our demands swept under the rug. We are tired of witnessing our schools blatantly protecting the very same students and teachers that hurt us because of the colour of our skin. We are tired of only being good enough when the school needs to use us to market how 'diverse' it is. 

Parents of colour all over South Africa make extremely difficult sacrifices to be able send their children to private schools for a better education. However, the fee for this education is not only monetary but also comes at the cost of their children's dignity as kids of colour. 

Systemic racism can be defined as racism that is embedded as normal practice within an organisation. From hair policies that discriminate against people of colour, to the lack of systems in place to hold students and teachers accountable for their racist actions and protect students of colour. The very same students that degrade us are allowed leadership positions within the school.

We are calling on you, Government, to appoint a committee dedicated to:

• Drafting an anti-discrimination policy that protects students and teachers from different forms of discrimination based on areas such as race, gender, sex, and religion, etc. that all schools have to adhere to,
• imposing penalties on schools that fail to adhere to this policy,
• monitoring the inclusivity of rules and systems in place by schools,
• holding schools accountable for incorrectly handling racially charged incidents,
• holding schools accountable for condoning racism from management, teachers, and fellow students against other students based on the colour of their skin, &
• implementing a support structure for students, teachers, and parents to report unfair discrimination that occurs in respective school environments.

Today, we say no more. Today we call for change. Today, to take back our dignity.