Talking About Race

April 20, 2021

Dear Lowell Families,

 

Upon hearing the news that the jury for the Derek Chauvin trial had gone into deliberation, my heart felt a familiar sense of déja vu. We have been here before—too many times.

 

Since the horrific events of January 6th, this year has been filled with outrage, tragedy, and sadness, from the deaths of Daunte Wright in Minnesota and Adam Toledo in Chicago to the rise in violence against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and the recent spate of mass shootings. One has to wonder if the trial’s outcome will lead to more unrest and violence regardless of the jury’s decision.

 

Graphic accounts of violence permeate the news and our social media feeds, and the raw emotions are palpable. None of us are immune, including our children. You have heard me say before that children are always listening and carefully watching, taking their cues from us on what and how to feel. Processing events like the ones we are experiencing is difficult, even for adults, especially in an intentionally inclusive environment such as the Lowell community, where different people will have different experiences and feelings. This makes our work supporting children in processing their thoughts and feelings in the coming days, weeks, and months necessary and important. For these reasons, I hope you find this list of resources and tips helpful as you and your family process the verdict of the trial:

 

 

In the classrooms of Lowell School, we are prepared to address these issues with sensitivity and care. As a school, we remain committed to listening to the voices of our students, emphasizing the deep conceptual understanding children need to make sense of the world around them, and supporting the growth of students who advocate for equity and justice. Similarly, we are committed to partnering with our families to help you through these troubling times. Please feel free to contact your child’s division director or division counselor (Aline Anders, Pre-Primary and Primary Counselor; Teryn Gilmore, Middle School Counselor) should you have any questions or need support in the days to come.

 

“Our unity is our strength, and our diversity is our power.” Let us move through these next days and weeks, keeping Vice-President Kamala Harris’ words in our hearts, minds, and actions. Our children deserve nothing less. I am proud to be present for them, with you.

 

Sincerely,

 

Donna

June 1, 2020

Dear Lowell Families,

 

I have struggled all weekend trying to decide what to say to you, my school community, about the events surrounding the lives of Christian Cooper and George Floyd, and the violence that has gripped our country. I want my words to hold the gravitas of a head of school, but first and foremost, this is personal for me. Like you, I have watched the news reports, although sparingly, with a mixture of emotions rooted in my identities as a black mother and the wife of a black man. While I did check in briefly with my son, Sam, after learning of the incident involving Cooper in Central Park, it was upon hearing the initial reports of George Floyd’s death that I called Sam immediately to find out where he was, and to remind him yet again of the rules for staying safe in this world as a young black man. I am scared, and angry, and so, so sad. I feel lucky that my son is visiting me right now. His close physical presence brings me a level of peace during these times that is indescribable, because for me, this is personal.

 

I consider my responsibilities as your head of school to be personal as well. We are a school with a philosophy and values that include diversity, equity, and inclusion. As a progressive school, our commitment to educating our students as citizens of a democracy, to social justice, and to action is woven into our curriculum and the ways we challenge children to make a difference, no matter how small. We prepare them to use their voices in ways that will change the world. But I watch Amy Cooper call the police and pretend she is being attacked by a black man and I wonder: Are we doing enough? The inheritance we are leaving all our children is filled with racism, bigotry, and discrimination. I hear about how George Floyddied, and I ask myself: How do we prepare our students for a world where this is still able to happen? What more can we do now to help them grow into individuals of agency, advocacy, and action so that this no longer happens on their watch?

 

I don’t have the answers, but I have many ideas. We must confront our own biases. We must discuss the real reasons behind the protests and fires. We must harness our anger, sadness, and fear to teach our students about the systems of oppression that birthed our country hundreds of years ago and exist today. We must be model disruptors of prejudice and discrimination in front of them. We must actively model anti-racism. As a school, we must take steps to ensure that Lowell is living into our values of social justice and action every day. We must support our white students in processing what is happening so that they grow up to be willing co-conspirators in the breaking down of a system that hurts us all. We must create space for the processing of our black students’ emotions right now, particularly our black boys. We must ensure that other students of color are part of the conversation in ways that don’t make their own race-based challenges appear invisible in the moment. And, we must do this together. We do not have a choice; we simply must.

 

We do so much of this work already at Lowell. Jason and Kavan sent letters to the families in their divisions yesterday, sharing examples of how we engage students in these challenging conversations and providing resources to help guide you in talking with your children. The Pre-Primary School is taking on these topics as well, albeit in very different ways geared toward the ages of our youngest learners. Some of our teachers created space last week for students to talk about what they were hearing and seeing in the news. Our curriculum is designed to engage children in conversations about important and necessary topics year-round. We are doing the work, and we will continue to do so, because we must.

 

Reading yesterday’s communications, I felt proud, and yet I continue to feel a sense of urgency. This is a time when our integrity must be on display as a school that stands proudly by its commitment to its values. These values are part of our legacy, and our responsibility to our students and each other is one we cannot afford to shirk. We simply cannot rest.

 

Please join me in ensuring that our students become the change agents of our world, and know how thankful I am for your presence in this wonderful community.

 

Sincerely,

 

Donna Lindner

Head of School

There have been nearly 3,800 incidents of hate violence targeting Asian folks nationwide since last March, according to @stopaapihate. There are many ways we can show up for Asian and Pacific Islander (API) communities. As Alice Wong (disability_visibility) shared on Twitter, we can all do our part by: Engaging in political education, Following Asian and Asian American people & support their work, Learning about Asian American history, supporting organizations doing the work to protect and resource API communities:

• https://caaav.org/ - Builds the power of low-income Asian immigrants and refugees (NY-based)
• https://apienc.org/ - Building power and increasing visibility on the non-binary, queer and transgender AAPI community
• https://apen4ej.org - Helping Asian communities build cleaner and safer environments, and fight big polluters
• https://www.apexforyouth.org/ - NYC-based organization providing educational and mentorship opportunities to underserved Asian youth and immigrants
• https://asianhealthservices.org/ - Provides health, social, and advocacy services for Asian people
• https://stopaapihate.org - Tracking and responding to Asian hate crimes
• https://www.aaldef.org/ - Asian American Legal Defense Protects and promotes civil rights of Asian Americans
  
  

A list created by writer and producer Sarah Sophie Flicker and activist Alyss Klein, of anti-racist teachings and resources including, articles, podcasts, and videos for families, to deepen anti-racist education and personal work.

A Parent’s Guide to Preventing and Responding to Prejudice. PDF by Teaching Tolerance.

EmbraceRace
EmbraceRace identifies, organizes, and creates tools, resources, discussion spaces, and networks to meet 4 goals:

Author Jason Reynolds helps young people understand what led to the protests we’ve seen over the past week and what children can do to build a less racist society.

Nurturing Brave Kids Who Seek Social Justice

Raising White Kids: Bringing Up Children in a Racially Unjust America By Jennifer Harvey. "For families, churches, educators, and communities who want to equip their children to be active and able participants in a society that is becoming one of the most racially diverse in the world while remaining full of racial tensions."

Resources from the National Museum of African American History & Culture (NMAAHC).

A conversation with Howard Stevenson, clinical psychologist from University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education, whose studies investigate racial stress and racial trauma.

Resource from the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP). "NASP seeks to help schools and families engage in constructive dialogue about privilege, prejudice, power, and the ways that all of us can work together to shift the conversation from hate and violence toward understanding and respect to ultimately bring about positive change and unity to our communities."