May 30, 2020
Dear Colleagues and Students,
The Loomis Chaffee community is an academic community drawn together by a common quest for knowledge. We share a set of values and beliefs around academic inquiry, integrity, and respect. We believe in the best self in service of the common good. And when public events combine to challenge those beliefs, we pull together to talk and discuss, to debate and to try to understand whatever is happening. We cannot do that in this present pandemic moment, and hence the need for this letter. The murders of Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia and George Floyd in Minneapolis, the latter a case that is depressingly similar to the death of Eric Garner in 2014, as well as the recent incident in New York's Central Park where a white woman called the police on an African American man who was birding with the false claim that he was threatening her, have all highlighted the systemic racism this society faces. In addition, the COVID-19 virus has had a disproportionately heavy impact on African Americans, Latin-x Americans, and Native Americans, underlining the pervasive and massive social and economic inequalities of our nation. And, the pandemic has also resulted in an increase in anti-Asian attacks. And, and, and ….
Words cannot begin to capture the anger, sorrow, and despair so many of us feel—and this letter cannot replace the need for conversation and emotional support. We feel impotent and powerless to bring about change. For many of us it is easy to pull down the shades—especially given our current isolation—and ignore what is happening. Other members of our community do not have that privilege, and so it falls to all of us to pay attention and to speak up. Just as with the pandemic, now is the time to remember our motto, ne cede malis, and to bear witness, to take action, to express our opposition to these sorts of incidents, and to support our students and faculty of color.
We as the adults in the community, as teachers and advisors, coaches and supporters, must have the conversations, we must share resources, we must create comfortable spaces where all community members, but especially students, can learn how to raise their voices. We must educate ourselves as to the issues. We must double down on the promise to be inclusive and thoughtful in our curriculum and required readings. And, we must ensure that we are actively antiracist by being mindful of our actions and getting the training that we need. For students, I hope you will be present for the conversation, ready to listen and to share, supportive and understanding of one another, and open to different perspectives. All of us, adults and students alike, need to be, in Mellody Hobson's words, "color brave," willing not only to see race but also to confront racism.
I recently came across a quotation by James Baldwin that captures the imperative: "There is never time in the future in which we will work out salvation. The challenge is in the moment; the time is always now."
I will write again before the end of term, but for now, in these remaining few days of the academic year, let us not miss the opportunity to learn about and react to this current moment in our society. I have included links to some articles that I have found helpful and informative.
Ne cede malis, Sheila
Lorenzo Reyes, "Bear witness, record, de-escalate: How race may affect what bystanders are called to do in cases like George Floyd's," USA Today, May 29, 2020 Mellody Hobson, "Color Blind or Color Brave?" Ted Talk, May 5, 2014 Ibram X. Kendi, "Who Gets to be Afraid in America," The Atlantic, May 12, 2020 Joanna Walters, "An athlete, a father, a 'beautiful spirit': George Floyd in his friends' words," The Guardian, May 29, 2020 "Killer Mike on the Protest in Atlanta over the death of George Floyd," Fox 5 Atlanta, May 29, 2020.
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