Birmingham Seaholm High School vandalized with #BLM graffiti

A Birmingham school was vandalized with #BLM graffiti just hours after an anti-racist protest in the city.

Spray-painted in light blue on the exterior of Ernest W. Seaholm High School was the message, #BLM, which an email from district administrators noted commonly refers to "Black Lives Matter."

The slogan, associated with protests against police brutality and racism, was tagged on the building in at least two spots near the entrance from the Cranbrook Road parking lot on Wednesday afternoon.

It appeared a third tagging on or near a plaque dedicated to former Seaholm Principal Terry Piper, may have been partially removed. A black letter M defaced the wall adjacent to the plaque.

Birmingham Police and school district officials could not be immediately reached for comment.

The district's central leadership team and board of education sent an email to the BPS community on Wednesday afternoon with the news of the vandalism that occurred over night, and also acknowledging nationwide racial turmoil following the deaths of George Floyd and Ahmaud Arbery, both black men killed by white men.

School district administrators said in their email they wanted to "extend our love and support for our families of color that find themselves hurting once more due to inequities and systemic racism in our country."

"The political unrest that has occurred over the last several weeks has been overwhelming," the letter continued. "Combined with the toll COVID-19 has taken on Black/African American and Hispanic/Latinx persons, this is a time in which we must stand together as a community to support one another."

Protests against racism and police brutality have been sweeping the country after Floyd died May 25 as a result of a Minneapolis police officer kneeling on his neck for several minutes.

On Tuesday night, the protests extended to Birmingham, when about 100 people marched through the downtown and along Woodward, carrying signs and chanting Floyd's name, as well as that of Breonna Taylor, an African-American woman shot to death by police officers in March in her Louisville, Ky. apartment.

 "While we were disappointed to see the damage done, we’re heartbroken that anyone was hurting enough to take these actions," district administrators said in the email. "We’ll work to remove the graffiti and restore our property, but the message was not lost on us. We will continue to act to support our students as we collaborate with families to encourage civil discourse."

To support discourse and conversation, the administrators recommended several books that won Coretta Scott King Awards and multiple online resources for discussion about race, racism and police violence. 

The administrators stressed that they recognized "this is a human issue that touches each of us" and the pain caused to minorities and the disenfranchised. 

The letter concludes by wishing peace to all those in the community. 

Contact reporter Susan Bromley at sbromley@hometownlife.com or 517-281-2412. Follow her on Twitter @SusanBromley10.