Letter: 115 high school, middle school educators sign message addressing race
June 12, 2020Dear Parents, Guardians and Students of the Harwood Union Community,
In the midst of a pandemic, we are now witnessing a worldwide uprising against systemic racial injustice, triggered by the murder of George Floyd. In the face of such turbulent times, the educators of Harwood Union High and Middle School and Crossett Brook Middle School are reaching out to our school community to encourage reflection, engagement, compassion, and courage.
Now more than ever, our students need resources and support. Even as our classrooms moved to distance learning, many of us fostered conversations about race and inequality, giving historical context to current events. But we need to do more and with more coordination. Harwood’s and Crossett’s staff are committed to creating spaces where all students feel welcome and safe so they can grow into mature and critical thinkers. As an overwhelmingly white population, we must start by examining our own privilege and biases and listening to people of color. We will spend this summer planning how to incorporate these ideas into our curriculum and spread this work through the Harwood Union community.
Talks about race can be challenging, but we must work together to understand and confront racism so that we can build a society where peace and justice thrive.
We hope you will investigate some of these resources over the summer and join us in this vision.
With faith in the future,
Harwood Union High and Middle School & Crossett Brook Middle School educators
This letter is signed by 115 teachers from Harwood Union High School and Middle School, and Crossett Brook Middle School. The linked document below contains a list of internet links to more sources of information to share with students, families and the community.
