LOS ANGELES, CA – Black students at Beverly Hills High School (BHHS) have alleged harassment and intimidation by peers during a pro-Trump rally on campus following Donald Trump’s re-election as the 47th president of the United States. The Nov. 5 demonstration, which featured students wearing “Make America Great Again” hats and waving Trump flags, has sparked outrage and prompted new rules governing student gatherings.
Videos of the rally, widely circulated on social media, show students cheering and chanting “four more years” while a school security guard holds up a Trump flag. The rally took a darker turn, however, when a group of students reportedly targeted the classroom of the Black Student Union, banging on doors, rattling doorknobs, and shouting hateful remarks, according to witnesses.
Accounts of Intimidation and Fear
Teacher Bella Ivory, who was in the classroom with several students during the incident, described the scene during an emotional statement at a Nov. 12 Beverly Hills Unified School District (BHUSD) Board of Education meeting.
“Some of my students likened it to a Ku Klux Klan mob,” Ivory said. “I grew up in the South. I’ve seen KKK walk the streets of Louisville, Kentucky. I grew up being called [the n-word] as a little girl. I never expected this to happen.”
At least 12 Black students attended the board meeting, many recounting similar experiences.
“I’ve had to deal with a lot of racism my entire life, but coming to Beverly [Hills High School], I’ve unfortunately had to experience a lot more,” said Jurnee Burrell-Williams, a senior and president of the Black Student Union. She described the week following the election as a “nightmare,” stating, “From 8:30-2:30 all week, being at school felt like being in a nightmare. What the Black students and Ms. Bella had to deal with that week had absolutely nothing to do with politics.”
Other students and parents echoed her sentiments, recounting longstanding issues with racism on campus.
Administrative and Community Responses
In response to the incident, Principal Drew Stewart announced restrictions on gatherings, banning flags on poles and prohibiting behavior deemed threatening or intimidating. In a message to the school community, he stated that assemblies had made students and staff feel “unsafe, unwelcome, and in harm’s way.”
BHUSD Board members expressed dismay at the accounts shared during the Nov. 12 meeting.
“It’s not the high school I went to almost 40 years ago,” board member Noah Margo said. “It feels like we took a giant step backward last week, and we need to change that.”
Superintendent Michael Bregy acknowledged the gravity of the situation, saying the district would follow up with those impacted and address concerns raised by students and parents.
“We have some work to do,” Bregy said. He framed the incident as a “learning opportunity for students to understand the balance between expression and responsibility within a school setting.”
A Call for Unity
Ivory, whose mixed-race son has also experienced racism at a district middle school, called for unity among students.
“I’ve come to this school every day for almost five years, and I’ve given my all to these kids,” she said. “What happened last week was not about an election.”
A parent at the meeting, Sean Tabibian, urged the school to take a firm stand against racial bigotry, sharing his own experiences as a Jewish and Iranian-American youth facing discrimination.
“There’s no place for any kind of racial bigotry anywhere in America,” Tabibian said. “We’ve come too far.”
The incidents have drawn condemnation from BHHS’s student-run publication Highlights, which wrote, “Harassment of any form is never okay… As a community, we need to preach respect, not hate.”
While the district has taken initial steps to address the fallout, many students and parents are calling for more substantial efforts to create an inclusive and safe environment for all.
