Middletown Valedictorian: I Survived Years Of Race Discrimination

MIDDLETOWN, NJ — The valedictorian of Middletown High School North, Jada Tulloch, released a video on Instagram last week where she said she survived "years of racial discrimination and disgusting comments from close-minded people ... in this Godforsaken town."

Tulloch, 18, who is headed to Columbia University in the fall, will be delivering the pre-recorded Middletown North commencement address on June 18. She said she plans to talk about issues of racism and the Black Lives Matter movement in her video speech. (At the moment, Middletown is not having an in-person graduation; her speech will be broadcast on the Internet to all Middletown North students and families.)

Tulloch, 18, had the highest GPA out of all the students at Middletown North and that achievement gave her the honor of delivering the commencement address. She will have to submit a draft of her commencement address to school officials this Friday, and they must approve what she says.

Tulloch said the point of the video was not about herself, but to encourage her classmates to care about racial injustice.

"As valedictorian of Middletown High School North, who has had her opportunity to make a speech at graduation 'tragically' stolen away from her, I would like to share a few words. For some of you, graduation may represent your athletic achievements, your athletic achievements, your grand acceptance into National Honor Society or you know, you just want to show off your cute graduation outfit," Tulloch began in her Instagram post. "But for me, graduation represents the fact that I survived years of racial discrimination, oppression and disgusting comments from the close-minded people that I surround myself with in this Godforsaken town."

In the video, Tulloch takes issue with fellow Middletown students who are complaining they cannot have an in-person graduation.

"So if I don't care about graduation right now, I don't know how you could. So, I don't know, put your energy into something that actually matters. Stop trying to invalidate the Black Lives Matter movement and the protests against police brutality by comparing the injustices faced by minorities to the 'oppression' that you're facing from the Board of Ed," she said. "Are you joking? Wake up! Oh my god!"

Here is her video:

Tulloch's video generated both positive and negative feedback, with some cheering her on and others criticizing her comments.

"Well articulated!," commented one user. "You’re going to go very far. Probably farther than those 'closed minded individuals' you spoken of in your video. The skies the limit."

"I feel sorry for you," wrote another.

Middletown schools superintendent Dr. William George said he fully supports Tulloch.

"I have spent the better part of the past 24 hours reading, listening and responding to communication in support of High School North valedictorian Jada Tulloch," said George in a letter sent home to Middletown parents June 4. "The racially insensitive words of a few do not represent the views or a community or our school district ... We support our Middletown North valedictorian in using her voice to share her perspective and speak out against racism."

The superintendent also said that Middletown has been making changes to its curriculum in the past two years to incorporate more learning about diversity and the contributions of Native Americans and African-Americans in the area, including working with Monmouth University and Rutgers to address inequities in education. Middletown schools are also in the process of developing a "district-wide Equity Council with students, parents and staff to ... develop a culture of anti-racism," said George.

In the Council, Middletown students at both North and South are encouraged to meet and talk about racism and come up with concrete plans to address it.

Middletown may possibly hold small group in-person graduations after July 6; that remains to be determined.

According to 2019 data from the state Dept. of Education, the Middletown school district has 9,500 students total: 85 percent of them are white, eight percent are Hispanic, 1.4 percent are African American, two percent are Asian and 2.7 percent are two or more races. Eleven percent of all students in the district are economically disadvantaged.

Patch contacted Tulloch to ask her to elaborate on what she said in the video.

"I made this video to address my feelings towards the current social climate not only in my town but in the country and world," she said in a statement. "I think it is so important for students to stand up for what they believe in and use their voices, because it is that energy and passion that will result in progressive change in the future."

"With that being said, I entirely respect my peers for protesting for an in-person graduation, because everyone is entitled to their feelings and opinions and have every right to speak on them," she continued. "I too was disappointed about graduation potentially being canceled, but in my video I was really trying to put things into perspective for others. I felt that it was important for people to acknowledge the reality of what is going on in the grand scheme of things and emphasize the importance of the social movement advocating for justice in terms of Black Lives Matter, but also for anyone else who has experienced systemic oppression."

"My word choice in saying 'god-forsaken town' and 'oppressed by the Board of Ed[Education]' in my video has been a topic of conversation but that’s exactly the point," she said. "I think it was these words that sparked this discussion of the seemingly daunting, uncomfortable subjects regarding race, discrimination and injustice in general. This underlying bigotry and ignorance is not limited to where I live, but my story and my experience do emphasize the need for a social revolution in mindset and education. Growing up, I have felt alienated just being the only person of color in a class or environment. But I believe even if there is only one student that is a little different, they should still be able to feel safe and comfortable expressing and embracing who they are."

"I am just trying to show people that they have a voice and can call out ignorance if they see it or hear it around them, because everything is an educational opportunity and a way to raise awareness, especially during this global movement."

"As I have emphasized in other interviews this is not about me, but instead about raising awareness for the greater movement at hand. I understand that my story has served as a catalyst of change in my smaller community, but it is the small scale conversations that are capable of bringing about greater change," said Tulloch. "Education is so important and such a powerful vehicle of change. I hope that part of this progressive change is a redesign in curriculums or an introduction of new classes that focus on historically marginalized groups whether it be because of race, sexuality, gender or class. This is not a partisan or political issue and instead just about humanity and how everyone deserves to exist safely and comfortably even if they may be different. As I noticed my video getting more attention, which I never intended on happening, I made my caption “Text 551-56 FLOYD [for a petition] for George [Floyd], JUSTICE [for a petition] for Ahmaud [Arbery] and ENOUGH [for a petition] for Breonna [Taylor], all victims of police brutality, because systemic reform — whether it be through education or legislation — is what matters to me."