Former Teenage Mom Launches Online Campaign to Reinstate Black Teen Mom Valedictorian

by Carol Scott · July 27, 2011
Topics:

    * College Access ·
    * Education Reform ·
    * Equal Access · 

Teen mothers are expected to fail. Just ask Bee Lavender, who, after she became pregnant at 18, remembers a swift and merciless change in the way most people treated her:

"It was a profound shock to go from being the good kid, the honours student, the girl who talked about youth leadership on television, to being perceived as human detritus," Lavender wrote in The Guardian.

Lavender dropped out of college and moved back home. But you wouldn't know it today if you met her. An acclaimed writer and activist, her books include a memoir about danger titled Lessons in Taxidermy and the anthologies Breeder and Mamaphonic. She's the publisher of the website Hipmama.com and is the founder of Girl-Mom.com, an advocacy project for teen parents. She's also taking a stand today for another teenage mother, Kymberly Wimberley of McGehee, Arkansas.

Wimberley was a straight-A student who, after getting pregnant her junior year of high school, took only three weeks off of school before returning to continue her education. By the end of her senior year, she had the highest GPA in her class, but she's alleging in a lawsuit that school administrators made her share the honor with a white student because awarding the honor to an African-American teenage mother would have been a "big mess."

She also argues that black students in her district are systematically discriminated against, and warned against taking AP or other honors classes because the courseload will be "too hard."

This wouldn't have been the first time a situation like this has happened in Arkansas, the Washington Times reports. (And if you'd like some context on race and school in Arkansas, check out the National Park Service's website about the Little Rock Nine.)

Bee Lavender is taking a stand with a petition to Wimberley's school district, urging them to apologize and give her the solo valedictorian honor, on Change.org.

"Teen parents are routinely discriminated against and face significant institutional barriers to education," the petition reads. "Teen mothers are expected to fail, but Kymberly Wimberley defied both the odds and the stereotypes. She went back to school a few short weeks after having a child, and worked endlessly hard to achieve high grades in advanced placement classes - courses often considered too difficult for even bright students. Kymberly is a committed scholar and she excelled beyond her peers. Without faltering or failing, she achieved high scores. She did not just graduate: she graduated with honours. Kymberly is an exceptional, talented young woman and the fact that she is a black teenage mother does not detract from her accomplishments.

Kymberly Wimberley earned the right to be sole valedictorian of her school."

Wimberley and her lawyer are fighting a battle through the courts -- stand with them, and Lavender, by signing the petition today. Each petition signature will be sent to the district superintendent. And if you're a teenage parent, or a former teen parent, who wants to take a stand for Kymberly Wimberley, email educationtips@change.org.

Photo credit: Sarah via Flickr
Carol Scott is the Education Editor for Change.org. 
