Jamie's Update: Confronting Racism
June 01, 2020
Dear SGS Families,
This past week has been one of the most challenging and troubling that I can remember. The senseless killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery has brought many Americans together in protest and solidarity across the country and in Spokane. Their deaths have caused grief, frustration, fear, and anger across the nation.
I am at a loss to find the adequate words to denounce these actions, and to capture all my thoughts and feelings as I process this situation. I continue to listen, learn and think about what I can do to contribute to the change that is needed and long overdue in our country. I feel particularly for our students, families and friends of color. I continue to seek better understanding of and perspective on their life experience. I am hopeful our nation can work together to rid racism and intolerance from our society, and I know our school community will be a part of that work.
Last summer, I drove from New Orleans to Atlanta and stopped at The National Museum for Peace and Justice (https://museumandmemorial.eji.org/memorial). “This is the nation’s first memorial dedicated to the legacy of enslaved black people, people terrorized by lynching, African Americans humiliated by racial segregation and Jim Crow, and people of color burdened with contemporary presumptions of guilt and police violence.” The museum is powerful and visually represents the loss of lives, with large steel plates engraved with names of the African Americans that were unlawfully killed through 1955. It was shocking and gave me a new perspective on the historical events that shaped our current racial environment.
I am sure many of you are having some of the same personal challenges with these issues. A colleague at the Seattle Girls School shared several resources to help process this situation. If you are looking for resources to help you talk with your kids, these might be helpful.
• Teaching Tolerance - Beyond the Golden Rule
The COVID-19 pandemic also adds to these stressful and difficult times. Yesterday should have been the 62nd gathering to celebrate our graduating seniors on the lawn. I was closely monitoring the weather, per usual, as we neared the 2:00 o’clock hour after a night and morning of steady rains. I was saddened for our 44 graduates and their families and friends as I stood on the front patio of the Davenport House looking down at the empty graduation platform. In light of everything else going on around us, I hope our families were able to carve out some time to celebrate the accomplishments of their seniors until we are able to hold our graduation in July.
This is the last week of classes, in what has been less than an ideal year. I am hopeful we can all find some peace and comfort as we prepare for a better summer and renewed personal connections in the fall.
Sincerely,
Jamie Tender
Head of School
PS: Congratulations to our 5-8 grade students that presented their projects today at the Student Showcase. We had over 110 students, approximately 25 faculty/staff, and a welcome number of guests and tech grandparents logging in today. Well done everyone on very informative projects and experiences.