Dear McAuliffe Community,
In the wake of the disturbing and preventable killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis, McAuliffe’s Anti Racism Community Action Team wants to acknowledge that many of our students, families, and staff are struggling right now. Please know that we share your outrage and grief about yet another black life taken by police violence.
To all of our African American students, staff, and families: you matter. Black Lives Matter. We see you, and we support you.
Nellie Zupancic, Director of Teaching and Learning, shared the following during a faculty meeting on Tuesday morning: “A core element of our mission -- I would say
the
core element of our mission -- is to raise students who are ethical people and upstanders for justice. Now is the time for us to think more deeply, and commit even more fully, to moving that mission forward.”
Even though we’re not physically together to discuss this tragic event and the large-scale protests, we appreciate that faculty have created space for our students to talk during crew and classes. We also are enthusiastic about a group of McAuliffe students who are planning a peaceful youth protest.
Last year, on May 31, 2019, our Executive Director, Kristin Harrison, wrote to our community about racially insensitive comments made “in jest” to students of color at McAuliffe. We remind our community of this to hold us accountable to the fact that racist and biased actions take place daily contributing to a culture in which black males are at risk of experiencing police brutality. This is all part of the same problem and stemming from the same history.
We again ask ALL of our families to be upstanders by engaging in conversation with your kids about race, racism, and police violence. Here are a few resources we’ve gathered to share with you. We encourage families to look through these and use them to help you open up and further conversations with your children:
What is happening right now in our country is upsetting, exhausting, and frightening. Some of us may be experiencing trauma responses. Additionally, it is tempting to fall into despair or apathy. We encourage everyone to take care of themselves and their families right now, and to tend to your hearts as well as your minds. If you are experiencing stress and trauma, know that this is normal. If you are feeling despair, take time to unplug and regenerate. But as much as possible, stay in this fight with us. As a school, we are dedicated to working for racial justice, and we know this road is long, slow, and difficult. But it is up to all of us to hold each other up and engage in hard work, even if it is the first time we have ever done it. Because We Are Crew, Not Passengers.
We’ll leave you with
a
motivating message from Melody Cooper
, sister of Christian Cooper, the black man who recorded a disturbing confrontation with a white woman in New York City's Central Park:
If you’re an ally, what can you do? Stand with us. Bear witness. Continue the discussion and support legal action. Refuse to accept racism in your midst, even in small ways — call out a cruel joke or rude behavior. Be brave and challenge it all. You can transform your own world through how you teach your children, and how you speak to your neighbors and co-workers. It is up to you, not to a leader nor any single protest or petition. Your everyday commitment is what will start to bring the change you want to see. Start small, step forward and let your action join with others’ to become a rising tide that cannot be stopped.
Again: To all of our African American students, staff, and families: you matter. Black Lives Matter. We see you, and we support you.
Stay safe and be well,
Amanda Finizio, Leader of McAuliffe’s Anti-Racism Community Action Team
Kristin Harrison, Executive Director
Nellie Zupancic, Director of Teaching and Learning
