CROMWELL, Conn. — Students at Cromwell High School say they’ve been experiencing intense and persistent bullying and racism for years. Those two students share their powerful stories to shed light on what, they say, is a crisis in the community.
Ania and Asiya Garrett are 15-year-old twins. Both are sophomores at Cromwell High School.
It all started with a social media post.
Feeling isolated and alone, the twins took to the internet to share their experience with racism and bullying at Cromwell High School with anyone who would listen. Within minutes, they knew they weren’t alone. Hundreds of comments came flooding in from others who experienced similar incidents.
“That amplifies the message, and I just want to say 'Thank you,'” said Asiya.
Their message was courageous but heartbreaking. The twins left the Hartford school system due to bullying, only to encounter racism in Cromwell. Ania said when they got to Cromwell, it was a "culture shock."
It started on the first day of school.
“I’ll never forget it,” Ania said. “He had dropped his jacket on the playground, and I picked it up, and when I tried to hand it back to him, he screamed, 'Ahh, a Black person!'”
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The twins told FOX61 stories about both verbal and physical harassment. They described being spit on, hit, and called "Sharpie pens." It’s blatant face-to-face racism that persisted even once they went home.
“We got messages from unknown numbers that would send us KKK GIFs,” Ania said.
They say the racism continued even in the wake of the killing of George Floyd.
“I had a poster, which only said 'Remember George Floyd,'” said Asiya. “'Remember the people who have passed away from police brutality.' When I got on the bus, a whole bunch of high schoolers didn’t like it, so they ended up throwing food at me and my sibling. They threw pencils at us. They told another kid to hit the darkest one, and when we got off the bus, kids were threatening to kill my family. They said 'I hope you die, and I hope your mom dies a terrible death.'”
Despite speaking up, Ania and Asiya said they felt manipulated by school administrators, who the twins said either blamed them or didn’t act.
“I went home that day with rage,” Asiya said. “I had to calm myself down and be rational because being angry and a Black person is a very dangerous experience.”
Their post caught the attention of Cromwell Mayor James Demetriades.
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“We cannot allow an environment to continue where students feel isolated, alone and prejudiced against, and if these two students are feeling this way that means there’s plenty of other students that are being silenced,” said Demetriades.
He’s working with the school district to make changes.
“One of the things that we’ve explored is getting additional funding from the state for diversity, equity, and inclusion projects,” said Demetriades. “Try to have some courageous conversations where we try to address what systemic racism is and how we can try to break the cycle.”
The mayor said he has contacted the superintendent on this issue.
Superintendent Dr. Enza Marcri issued a letter to the school community on Wednesday regarding the ongoing issue:
As the Superintendent of Schools, I was deeply added to read the anonymous Reddit post alleging institutional racism within the Cromwell Public Schools. The Cromwell Public Schools do not tolerate any form of discrimination. The Board provides various channels, in accordance with State and Federal law and Board policy, for students, staff, and community members to report incidents of discrimination. In addition, students and families are referred to the Safe Schools Climate Plan, and all members of the community, including students, are referred to the Board's Non-Discrimination Politics and complaint procedures as a means of reporting incidents of bullying and/or discrimination. The Administration accepts both identifiable and anonymous reports of bullying and discrimination and will respond to and investigate such allegations to the greatest extent possible.
The District is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion within our schools, and we value the unique backgrounds and distinct contributions of all our faculty and students. The Board and Administration are committed to an ongoing dialogue about racism and other forms of oppression as evidenced by ongoing initiatives and events within our school focused on raising awareness of diversity issues facing our community. The Board and the Administration are further committed to ensuring that all students have the opportunity to reach their full potential through equitable public education and will continual to work with students, staff, and the entire community toward the goal of creating an environment free of bias and discrimination.
Ania and Asiya said they want to leave other students who may be experiencing bullying or racism with a message that they are not alone and powerful. The twins encourage others to stand up and speak out.
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Matt Caron is a reporter at FOX61 News. He can be reached at mcaron@fox61.com. Follow him on Facebook, X and Instagram.
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