Birmingham Students Use Their Voices to Promote Change

In Birmingham, Michigan, student leaders formed an organization supporting the Black Lives Matter movement with the hope of uniting their community in support of racial justice.  They are using their platform to ignite change in the government, in the classroom and in the community.

By Audrey DaDamio 

Jarred by the death of George Floyd, who was killed by a police officer during his arrest on May 25, five student leaders in Birmingham, Michigan asked themselves, “What can we do?”

Their answer: start an activist group with a mission of providing young Black boys and girls with a platform and safe space to express their thoughts and opinions.

Within a week of Floyd’s death, Jaida Turner, 16; Kamryn McPhaul, 16; Syminee Griffin-Miller, 16; Naomi Richardson, 18; and Trinity Santa-Ana Sutherland, 16, formed the organization Eyez to the Future to inspire hope and promote change. “The future can sometimes seem fuzzy” for Black Americans, Turner says.  By helping to educate others in the community about the damaging impacts of racism and by providing people a stage on which to share their personal stories and beliefs, Turner and the other leaders hope to help establish a brighter, clearer future for Black youth.

Turner, along with many of the other leaders of Eyez to the Future, is heavily involved in the Black Student Union at Seaholm High School. This club is open to members of all races who are interested in discussing racial issues, and it has provided these Black students with a greater sense of community at Seaholm, which, according to Public School Review, has a minority population of only 12% (much lower than the state average of 34%). 

Eyez to the Future members at their first protest in Shain Park on June 15. Pictured (left to right): Elani Williams, Jessica Turner, Jaida Turner, Kamryn McPhaul, Syminee Griffin-Miller, Trinity Santa Ana-Sutherland and Jordan Snyder (bottom). Photo by Clarissa Sutherland.

Turner and McPhaul are co-presidents of the club, while Griffin-Miller is a vice president. Because these young women already had experience working together, the formation of Eyez to the Future went smoothly. The leaders organize and plan meticulously for each protest, sharing the responsibility of creating fliers, guiding chants, giving short speeches, and bringing music or other materials for breaks. “We’re kind of just a big team; there’s no one that’s really in charge,” Turner says.  “We work together and make sure everyone has an active role.”

It is their organizational skills, Richardson explains, that sets their group apart. “People don’t expect a group of 15 to 18-year-olds to get together three weeks in advance (of a protest) and have meetings each week to plan.” But it is this dedication and planning that makes the group so successful. At their first protest, they estimated that about 70-100 people participated. “Because we’re such a new organization, it was great to have so many people support us.  People that I didn’t even know supported BLM came,” Turner says.

While there are many people visibly displaying their allyship at public demonstrations, the group recognizes that negative press surrounding the BLM movement might deter some citizens from protesting.  However, the Eyez to the Future protests are safe, productive and peaceful — participants are required to wear masks, and the leaders of the organization check with the city police beforehand to ensure that they are allowed to march. According to Turner, the Birmingham Police assured the group, “We’re fighting with you.”

Still, citizens who feel uncomfortable protesting can get involved in the BLM movement in other ways. There are petitions to be signed, donations to be made and difficult (but important) topics to be discussed with friends, peers and family members.  “There’s more than one way to help,” Griffin-Miller emphasizes. For instance, one member of Eyez to the Future, Kiran Healey, 15, created a petition on Change.org to require Birmingham Police to wear body cameras while working.  The petition made an impact on the city legislature, which unanimously approved the purchase of 40 body cameras on June 22.  All 1,635 people who signed the petition made a positive change in the community — and they didn’t have to leave their homes to do it.

People of all ages and races came out to support the Eyez to the Future organization at their first protest in Shain Park on June 15. After marching through the city, participants were able to give short speeches and display their signs. Photo by Clarissa Sutherland.

The group hopes to continue bringing positive change elsewhere. At Seaholm in particular, they would like to see increased action to limit racism. One way to do this is by having more conversations about racial injustice in the classroom. “We do (have conversations about race), but not to the full extent,” McPhaul says. Her involvement in BSU has made her more vocal about the things that make her uncomfortable, and she says that being a leader of the club has made her more aware of how to talk to people so that they will listen. 

In addition to having more open conversations, Griffin-Miller pointed out that having more people of color as teachers would be beneficial since it would provide minority students with mentors that look like them. According to Birmingham Public School records, only seven of the 103 teachers employed at Seaholm belong to minority groups, with three teachers identifying themselves as Black.

It is clear that Eyez to the Future has made an impact on the community, and many people are appreciative of their efforts.  To Griffin-Miller, the “little things” like the sound of car horns honking in solidarity or receiving a kind message from a fellow student or teacher make her feel the most supported. 

“Don’t be afraid to reach out to us,” Griffin-Miller says. “We’re all going to welcome you and find something that you can help out with.”  At one protest, for instance, a participant brought a case of water bottles.  “She didn’t have to do that,” Griffin-Miller explains.  But since it was hot, many people appreciated the gesture, including herself — she had biked for nearly an hour to get to Shain Park where the protest was held.  The ride, though difficult, was well worth it.

Leslie Martin, a teacher at Seaholm High School and the advisor of BSU, describes the five leaders as passionate, intelligent and thoughtful.  “(Starting Eyez to the Future) is a way for them to spread their wings…and get their voices heard,” she says.  In doing so, they have united members of the community. 

“This movement is for everyone — you don’t need to be Black,” Turner says.  Echoing this point, McPhaul says the Eyez to the Future protests have garnered encouragement from people of all different racial groups.  Griffin-Miller adds, “No matter what area (you are from) or what color of skin (you have), it’s important to show that we’re a united front” and that “we’re not going to sit down and watch injustice happen.”

The young leaders are challenging citizens across Michigan and the United States to become more involved in their own communities. “If you don’t have a club for people of color or people of your race to get together, make one!” Griffin-Miller says.

“It’s like every teacher’s dream,” Martin says. “You want to inspire (your students), and then you want them to go and fly out on their own.”

About the Writer:

Audrey DaDamio of Bloomfield Hills, Michigan

Audrey is a rising senior in high school and is a competitive cross country and track athlete. She earned All-American honors this fall and plans to run in college. Audrey also enjoys acting (she is a member of her school’s forensics team), playing music (she is a percussionist in the school band), reading, painting, baking and hanging out with her friends.