Racial Injustice- Community letter
To our community,
At Walnut Hill, we value equity and inclusion for all members of our community and beyond. American novelist, poet, and essayist James Baldwin said, "Not everything that is faced can be changed, but nothing can be changed until it is faced.” As a community, we welcome transparency and critical conversations. We know we've been in communication a lot lately, but now is not a time to stay silent. The racially charged events happening in this country deeply affect members of our team and community — as fellow humans, they affect us all.
We are aware, as I am sure you are, that Covid-19, racial disparities, and police violence have disproportionately affected the Black community and underrepresented communities who are essential workers. We say the names of Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and George Floyd, because these are just a few of the lives lost tragically too soon. We are outraged by the systemic racial injustice and loss of life that has led us to where we are today, and continue to ask ourselves how we can do more. We’re sharing a few of these small, starting steps with you today. We know this is not enough, but it’s a start.
As an organization, we’re committed to diversity and inclusion, and, like most organizations, we have a long way to go. As a school, we have some significant measures in place for diversity training, including our yearlong SEED (Seeking Educational Equity and Diversity) training that we require all full-time employees to complete. Fifty-three faculty and staff signed up this year to engage in a year-long cultural competency training through a conversational community framework.
During the school year, every effort is made to recruit speakers to our All-School assemblies to bring a diverse perspective to our school community. We offer a safe space for Students of Color groups on campus to convene on a regular basis. We have started a virtual Black student affinity space and will continue to offer other such opportunities for ongoing conversation with other groups of students and adults, including an ongoing conversation with our faculty and staff of color.
We have been holding community conversations virtually for our students, families, and alumni who want to process what these recent violent events in our own backyards, and across the world, mean for us as a community, and a nation, going forward. As a School that aims to be welcoming to all, we continuously evolve our Diversity & Inclusion practices and policies.
Our Director of Diversity & Inclusion Linda Hughes has also been a part of the Natick Freedom Team since its inception, which started in response to the events in Charlottesville. Along with the Natick Chief of Police, a Natick Selectwoman, and representatives from Natick High School, Spark Kindness, as well as an attorney and a counselor, Linda meets monthly with this group to respond to any racial and inequity events that occur in Natick. As a team, they provide strategies and supports and guidance for local businesses and residents.
Many people have reached out to me about how they can help support their colleagues, friends, and neighbors in this time of crisis. There are a number of ways that you can join alongside members of our community to support organizations that support racial justice and healing, and you can find a list of resources on what to read, what to watch, and how to connect here on our Diversity & Inclusion page.
In reading the news lately, the violence and systemic racism that has brought about these events can seem insurmountable. But, as a Head of School and as a father, I have to think that we can help make change. We have to ask ourselves difficult questions about the systems we inhabit, and our role in preserving the status quo. We must educate our students and ourselves so we can dismantle the thinking and the systems that maintain institutionalized racism. We all live in those systems; we can all help make changes. I know we are brave enough to ask these questions, and I know we can make a difference, together.
As we come together again as a community in the fall, in whatever form that takes, I have hope that Walnut Hill can continue to act as a beacon of hope for those who value a community of inclusivity, and how artists of all disciplines can ultimately prove to be the change-makers for a better world.
Sincerely,
Antonio Viva, Head of School
