Many Morton teachers wore black on December 1; but why? 

December 1 is the beginning of joy, but not always.  December 1 was the day Rosa Parks refused to surrender her bus seat that started the Montgomery, Alabama bus boycott led by Martin Luther King. December 1 is the 335th day of the year, it can also be someone’s birthday. According to Google black can symbolize different things:   black can stand for mourning, or it can mean power. Yet that wasn’t the reason teachers were wearing black on December 1. In a random survey of 25 teachers all of them said yes to wearing black on December 1. 

The real reason teachers were wearing all black was not because someone died or because it was a coincidence. The teachers were wearing black to show unity, power and support for each other. 

“We wore black to show unity and support between the teachers and clerical members as we ae going through the negotiating process of a new contract. We choose black simply because it is a popular color and figured most people owned an article of clothing in black. To me, I feel like the color black symbolizes strength… And it is nice to know that teachers and clerical members are supporting each other at every Morton campus. We have been working really hard for our students and it is nice to have that extra support from each other to lean on,” Morton Council Teachers Union president Tracey Bornheim said.

“I don’t think they teachers planned wearing black; I feel like the school planned it so teachers could have a day where they all wore the same color,” a junior at Morton West, Anais Gomez, said. 

Students believed that teachers didn’t plan to wear black, but other students believed that someone died on December 1. 

“I feel like they were wearing all black because someone died. The students didn’t know what was going on because I feel like they didn’t even notice,” a senior at Morton West, Dulce Preciado, said. 

While some students didn’t notice teachers were wearing all black, some students did. 

“I found it very weird honestly because I mean seeing all the school in the same color, mmm, I mean seeing 2-3 teachers the same is okay but the whole school,” a junior at Morton West, Breani Seaton, said. 

The school wearing all black is somehow weird, but some might see it as doing out of respect. 

“In my opinion I feel like the teachers wore black because of the tragedy that occurred the day before, which included the death of the 4 or 5 kids I believe that passed,” a senior at Morton West, Mayah Rico, said.