Jacob Blake and Trayford Pellerin

“I know people get tired of hearing me say it, but we are scared as Black people in America. Black men, black women, black kids, we are terrified. Because you don’t know…” Lebron James, August 24, 2020

It brings me great sadness that while we began the 20-21 school year with great excitement and joy, the specter of police brutality and racism is nowhere near gone. Just this weekend, two unarmed Black men, Jacob Blake in Wisconsin, and Trayford Pellerin in Louisiana, were shot by local police. Blake is currently recovering in the hospital, and Pellerin was fatally shot. 

These acts of police brutality are disturbing and infuriating to all of us, but are especially chilling for the Black members of our school community. I want to acknowledge the unique pain and fear that many members of our community may feel as these events continue to happen. Fearing for your life, and the lives of family members, every day, takes a severe toll that may not always be visible to others. And yet it is there, and must be named.  

We also continue to see this plague of violence impact many of our students and families, who have lived through a very difficult last month.  So many of our students have witnessed or experienced tragic violence.  

As we embark on a new school year together, we must continue to acknowledge the racism that plagues our country and communities.  And we must love each other and support each other, particularly our community members of color who feel the weariness of this fight.  

Every single one of us has a role to play in acknowledging, addressing and taking steps forward to creating a more inclusive, equitable and hopefully anti-racist society. 

All my best, 

Bill