VILLANOVA, Pa. (KYW Newsradio) — A trio of high school friends from the Main Line have rallied behind the Black Lives Matter movement, trying to educate their peers about diversity and racism, as well as raise money for the cause.
17-year-olds Hannah, Kyrah and Kiera go to the Academy of Notre Dame in Villanova, and are all involved with their school's Diversity Club, which Hannah said tries to educate and create a safe space for students of color.
"We were watching all the protests happen, so we kinda wanted to like do something that would raise awareness and make an impact," said Kiera.
"One thing we don't really talk about is racism, and how we should be handling these things with our Black students since they aren't represented well in the school or with the administration," said Hannah.
Both Hannah and Kiera are white. The pair, along with their friend Kyrah, who is Black, they decided to design and sell t-shirts for the cause.
"Instead of just posting on our stories and stuff, what is something that we could do that will last more than 24 hours on an Instagram story?" Kiera asked.
All proceeds from their shirts go to the Philly Bail Fund, as well as the We Love Lake Street Foundation, which helps rebuild small businesses in Minneapolis.
The shirts don't just contain a simple slogan.
"On the back, it says 'Say their names,' described Kyrah. "It has a huge list of names of people murdered by police, and it says 'Too many more,' because we couldn't fit all the names."
Together, the three plan to host school-wide conversations about racial injustice, racism and diversity.
"We have had these conversations within ourselves, especially to Kyrah, with just like having to go to a school that's really predominately white," shared Kiera, who also had advice for her peers in school.
"Get educated as much as possible," she said. "And if you ever see a post and you are like, 'Oh, this would be so informative but it's so long,' read it. Always read it. Keep getting educated because there is always room for improvement."
