More than 100 people attended a Swain County School Board meeting Monday night (May 9) that had the potential to be a showdown between school officials and an African-American mother who claims the school system has failed to address racial bullying experienced by her children at school.

There are only 11 black students in all of Swain County.

Evelyn Powell of Bryson City has compiled a laundry list of complaints against the school system since she moved here two years ago. Most deal with instances of the “n-word” being used against her second- and seventh-grade daughters by other students. School officials say they have addressed each instance with proper punishment called for by the school’s anti-bullying guidelines. The conflict came to a head in April when Powell’s daughter at Swain Middle School received a racially charged death threat in her backpack on April Fool’s Day.

The meeting was marked by two speeches: one from Cassie Miles, the seventh-grader who claimed some teachers and school leaders have not addressed use of the “n-word,” and one from Tracia Davis, the mother of four African-American students in Swain County who claimed sthe school has always been receptive to her racial concerns.

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice anywhere. Injustice would be for you the school board to turn a deaf ear and a blind eye to me,” Miles said. “Nothing has ever been resolved nor has there been a solution proposed.”

Miles said after the meeting that the white leaders don’t see the problem because they are white and don’t know what it’s like to be a minority.

Davis had a different version of being black in the Swain County schools, however.

“There has been some issue of racism, but all of them have been addressed,” Davis said. “It was always resolved right then and there. It was working with the system that I got resolution.”

Davis agreed the “n-word” is used in school and agreed that the school system should implement diversity training for teachers, but said Powell’s attack against the school system has painted the entire community as racist in the media.

“It has hurt a lot of innocent people,” Davis said. Davis said her children’s friendship with white students has been affected by the negative publicity. Davis received a standing ovation from the audience, the majority of whom were parents and teachers who turned out to support the school in the face of Powell’s criticism.

After the meeting, Monroe Gilmour, with the Asheville-based Western North Carolina Citizens For An End Institutional Bigotry, said it was tragic to see another black family used to counter Powell’s concerns.

“The real tragedy though was seeing teachers clapping for (Davis) who didn’t clap for Cassie, one of their own students who was up there pouring her heart out,” Gilmour said.

School Board Chairman Roger Parson gave a prepared speech following Miles and Davis.

“This (threat) was a terrible thing that happened. We don’t condone racism of any kind. We have not sat passively by and allowed it to happen. We are trying to get to the bottom of all these issues,” Parsons said. “We love every child that goes here and we will do everything we can to protect these children.”

Parsons then rapidly adjourned the meeting before other audience members could speak up.

Powell said after the meeting that next year her children will be attending Mountain Discovery School, a free, public charter school in Bryson City.