Two Native MVMS students made fun of for wearing red handprint
Blackfoot SD55 officials intend to educate on Missing & Murdered Indigenous People awareness movement
From left, Leslie Decker, Cherish Decker Faulkner, CharLee Siow and Katie Siow.
By LORI ANN EDMO
Sho-Ban News
FORT HALL — Parents of two local Native Mountain View Middle School girls impacted by negative comments after they wore red handprints on their faces then removed it during Blackfoot School District 55 Indian Week activities are hoping the incident results in more education at the school.
The two girls Cherish Faulkner and CharLee Siow, MVMS seventh graders, woke up early September 24 to paint the red handprint on their faces that symbolizes the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women movement – the silence of media and law enforcement.
Cherish’s mother Leslie Decker said the two girls were supporting MMIW.
Cherish said she noticed CharLee removed her handprint after first hour, “because I guess she was getting laughed at and stuff.” Cherish then asked for makeup wipes to take hers off, “and then when I went to the bathroom, I heard some boys yelling like what happened to you? And they were laughing.”
Cherish said she went to the bathroom and took if off, she used her phone when she wasn’t supposed to, to text her mom to come pick her up.
CharLee said everyone was just staring when she first walked into the school — she went to her locker then the bathroom. Later that day some boy in her class kept saying that it looked like she got slapped and kept putting his hand up to her face. “I pushed his hand away many times and he still put his hand up to my face and wouldn’t stop,” she said.
Cherish said she felt embarrassed. CharLee said she also felt embarrassed, “I felt if I didn’t take it off, I’d get more negative stuff towards me.”
Leslie said both were crying after the incident. She received her daughter’s text saying she wanted to go home so she knew something was wrong. Cherish’s father William went to check her out of school. He was upset and called the school principal Wes Jensen. The principal reportedly viewed cameras but was unable to confirm who the boys were.
Leslie said she was upset and decided to post in the social media Facebook page “Life in Blackfoot” about the incident. That post generated 270 comments and had 56 shares as of September 29, many in favor of her post however some comments suggested the boys didn’t understand the significance. In her post, Leslie said it was a terrible day for her seventh-grade daughter and her cousin at MVMS as both wore red handprints on their faces for their heritage – an Indian Day activity they did. Boys started making fun and laughing at the two Indigenous girls – it hurt their feelings and they washed it off after first hour. She checked her daughter out because she was crying. “Every culture should have a right and a comfortable feeling to dress in their heritage,” she said in her post believing kids shouldn’t experience racism this early (divo boys). Leslie said she called the principal about the situation but now her daughter has missed a day because of disrespectful, bias, hateful kids that don’t get taught at home to respect all race.
Because of the incident, BSD 55 Superintendent of Schools Brian Kress shared a letter with MVMS students, along with parents/guardians after his administrator made him aware of it. He said in the letter it came to his attention that some students mocked some girls for wearing red handprints on their faces. “I believe it’s crucial to understand the significance of this symbol and to foster an environment of respect and empathy within our school community. The red handprints are a powerful statement that represents awareness of the violence faced by Indigenous women and girls. This movement seeks to honor those who have been affected by violence and to raise awareness about the ongoing issues surrounding the safety and rights of Native American communities. By wearing these handprints, our classmates were expressing solidarity and drawing attention to an issue that is often overlooked,” he said in the letter. I encourage each of you to reflect on the importance of understanding and respecting diverse cultures and the meanings behind their symbols. Instead of mocking, let us support one another and learn from each other’s perspectives. We are a community that strives to honor and respect our diversity, and it is among our responsibilities to promote understanding. Let’s strive to be allies, not adversaries, and create a school environment where everyone feels valued and respected.”
Kress said it’s important to educate and they intend on doing that in any upcoming events involving Native students.
Leslie believes the male students involved should be held responsible – maybe stay after school and clean or get suspended.
Katie Siow, CharLee’s mother, believes maybe the students should write an essay or something about what they did or what MMIP means because it’s all about educating our youth and parents. The kids were told before the Indian week activities to be respectful and understanding but it didn’t happen. “I just hope a lot of people open their eyes like I hope you know because these girls went in with a bunch of courage — knowing that they were going to get looks, but they still wanted to do it because of the message they wanted to bring awareness and it’s just ugly that they ended up feeling this way when they were so proud in the beginning and excited to do it.”
Katie said the principal called her September 29 apologizing for what happened to CharLee and Cherish and said he felt terrible. He spoke with the girls and got the kids names who were bullying them and is having them write letters of apology to the girls and the boy’s parents were contacted. The principal also said other forms of punishment are being issued but couldn’t go into details. He advised next year they will educate the kids more. When he spoke with CharLee and Cherish they mentioned May 5 is MMIW day and they would like to wear the handprint again to bring more awareness and he was all for it. The principal is going to let the two girls assist in planning for it and have Indian Education help them out, “which is so awesome they get to plan that for their school,” Katie concluded.
