Plea for the Fifth

'Privilege' and Representation at Staten Island High Schools by Valeriana Dema

New Dorp Assistant Principal Deborah Morse-Cunningham received national news coverage in June after sharing a racist and classist post on her Facebook page. Although not explicitly referring to race, the post shared by Morse-Cunningham invokes welfare stereotypes that have been historically directed towards Black people. Nearly 35,000 people have signed a petition calling for the Assistant Principal’s immediate removal.

Soon after Morse-Cunningham’s post gained public attention, the Equity  Alliance of Staten Island (EASI) penned an open letter emphasizing that,  “the racial tension that exists on Staten Island is not new.” The  collective’s letter goes on to say, “most damaging is that these are  accepted practices and a way of life in our schools causing horrendous  educational injustices and failures throughout our school system.”

On July 2, EASI held a virtual press conference condemning the post and providing a platform for students and parents of color to express their concerns. During the conference, TJ Butler, a New Dorp High School student who graduated this June, said, “When you look at the island, there is not a lot of African Americans going to New Dorp.” Only ten percent of New Dorp’s student body is Black. 

Read more at www.pleaforthefifth.com

PFT5 jingle by Patrick Meagher, Read by Valeriana Dema, Produced by Emily Nadal

Greetings by Michael R. O'Brien

Plea for the Fifth aims to empower Staten Islanders by providing a new media platform for our borough. There are many stories that often do not get the coverage they deserve, and we are here to change that. We will broaden the kind of coverage Staten Island typically receives by including and uplifting voices that are frequently unheard.

Unlike what our name may suggest, we are not using our 5th Amendment right to remain silent. We are here to tell the overlooked stories about the fifth, and often forgotten, borough. A borough that is caricatured in pop culture, and is considered socially and politically conservative.

Staten Island has gone too long without diversity in their news coverage. Plea for the Fifth will expand our stories to reflect the growing communities of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC). Plea for the Fifth will celebrate all the Island has to offer, and we aim to represent the full spectrum of the Island’s voices and viewpoints. Plea For the Fifth will be a place where you’ll find relevant and meaningful articles and opinions.

Our commentary aspires to hold those in power, on both sides of the aisle, accountable. We will address civic issues ranging from transportation to housing, to equity, to workers’ rights. We’ll track movements for social, racial, gender, and ecological rights.

Staten Island has a long tradition of speaking out against oppression, calling back to the protests sparked by the killing of Eric Garner in 2014, and that history continued this summer when thousands marched to protest against police brutality. Activists walked together in unity down Hylan Boulevard to the 122nd NYPD Precinct after the killing of George Floyd in what was possibly the largest civil rights demonstration in the history of Staten Island. Days later, on June 7th, an even larger crowd of 1,800 people gathered on the South Shore to march to the 123rd Precinct for the same message of racial justice. We will use our first amendment rights as journalists to support the rights of those protesting to create meaningful change on the Island.

Read more at www.pleaforthefifth.com

PFT5 jingle by Patrick Meagher, Read by Michael R. O'Brien, Sean Ghazala, and Jacqueline Caruso, Produced by Emily Nadal