The murders of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Rayshard Brooks, George Floyd and countless others, in conjunction with Amy Cooper’s weaponization of white privilege, have brought our nation to a breaking point requiring action. People around the world have come together to protest and denounce white supremacy and police brutality. The police serve as just one example of the physical and fatal manifestations of racist American institutions. However, racism bleeds into every facet of our lives - including the education system. Our society can no longer withstand the trauma of institutional racism that has a metaphorical chokehold on the necks of Black Americans.
As our nation faces a reckoning of its sordid history of systemic racism, it has become clear that Inter-Ac and Independent Schools in the Philadelphia area have a legacy of failing their Black students. We, the Inter-Ac and Independent School Black Alumni Association are speaking up in support of current students and parents, to demand institutional change.
Please read about our organization here: bit.ly/blkphlmis.
The failure to adequately support Black students has resulted in mental and physical harm, regardless of their socio-economic status. As the premier educational institutions in our area, this is unacceptable. A review of your websites’ diversity commitments shows varied good faith efforts have been made, including hiring diversity directors, instituting equity initiatives, and setting diversity targets. This is just a start. There is much more work to do as institutions.
You have a legal responsibility to ensure your faculty and staff address racial harassment and hostility. You also have a moral duty to prepare the next generation of leaders and to protect the spirit and the mere existence of your current students. This requires both the competency to respond to racist incidents from an anti-racist perspective and also the courage to directly address incidents of racial hostility and microaggressions.
This does not mean looking for a “both sides” solution: this means understanding the weight and legacy of 401 years of systemic inequity; this means understanding that our ancestors were not "slaves" but were enslaved human beings; this means understanding Black people love being Black; this means understanding Black people have a legacy of brilliance, achievement and success despite what they have endured; this means understanding that “people of color” are not the same as Black people. In fact, racial bias against Black people is often perpetuated by other minorities. These important principles are simply the baseline to allow Black students to comfortably breathe.
Beyond improving responses to individual instances of racism, your institutions must embrace foundational changes. Schools provide the context for a child’s first relationship with the world outside their families; and are thus instrumental in changing discriminatory attitudes and behaviors. You have the power to change not only your schools, but also our society as a whole. We are here to work with your institutions as alumni. We want our alma maters to be excellent and equitable for all.
Research demonstrates that a learning community is better, richer and more effective when students are from diverse backgrounds.1 Points-of-view are challenged by new thoughts and perspectives. Students concentrate and push themselves further. Cognitive skills, including critical thinking and problem solving are improved. Empathy for people who are different is fostered.2 Prejudice is stifled by promoting awareness and creating personal connections with diverse cultures. With the rise of globalization, students will be better prepared for a diverse workplace. In order for your institutions to obtain the level of global prestige to be relevant in our changing world and to equip and empower your students to become change agents, we have included the following action items.