Teachers to Wear Black Lives Matter Shirts to Class to Protest 'Systemic Oppression'

Teachers at a Washington state elementary school plan to wear Black Lives Matter shirts in class Friday to protest “systemic oppression.”

Teacher Jennifer Whitney came up with the idea to make T-shirts that read, “Black Lives Matter: We Stand Together” with the school’s name, John Muir Elementary, on the bottom, KING 5 reported.

Whitney said she wanted to promote discussions about race, particularly with high incarceration rates and low college graduation rates among people of color.

“It is part of the oppression, the systemic oppression that continues on,” Whitney told KING 5.

Third-grade teacher Marjorie Lamarre said that being silent on Black Lives Matter would be “unforgivable.”

“To be silent would be almost unforgivable, and I think we have been silent for almost too long,” Lamarre said.

Donations paid for the shirts, which will be worn on Friday, September 16.

When KING 5 reached out for comment, a spokesperson for Seattle Public Schools said they support what teachers are doing at the elementary school.

“We are united in our collective commitment to eliminating opportunity gaps,” the spokesperson said.