When students returned to Roxborough High School in Philadelphia earlier this week, they were met with chalk messages of love, support, and belonging. The supportive messages came on the heels of antisemitic graffiti, including swastikas, that had been drawn on the school building over the weekend. Neighbors and families rallied to show students they were not alone.
After the offensive graffiti was removed, principal Kristin Williams-Smalley invited the community to write encouraging notes on the sidewalks outside the school. She says the goal was to make sure students felt supported as they came back from break and to show that hate would not define the school.
Former student Sarai Nathaniel, who’s now a teacher at a nearby school, joined in by adding her own messages and using the moment as a teaching opportunity in her classroom. Community members say the response helped soften the impact of the hateful vandalism.