Today, the verdict for the murder of George Floyd was released. It is important to keep these points in mind:
- George Floyd was wrongfully murdered; this was a racial hate crime;
- Anti-Blackness is a struggle for all people, and we must all begin to dismantle anti-Blackness if we are going to be anti-racist;
- Check-in on the mental health of your Black students and Black Staff; this is not a celebration in any way. The Black community is mourning;
- Take the time to listen to your students and staff; this is not an intellectual discussion. It is a human-to-human connection.
Until every Black person feels safe, supported, and valued, we are not an anti-racist organization. There’s work that needs to be done to fight for justice and racial equality.
We are calling on White people and non-Black people of color to continue to fight or begin to fight with us and acknowledge the humanity of Black people.
There is no going back; we must live daily to fight anti-Blackness. The members of our Black community deserve it.
Sincerely,
District 219 Cabinet:
Dr. Sandra Arreguín
Dr. Antwan Babakhani
Laura Bolech
Ray Chung
Bridget Connolly
Dr. Jim Edwards
Marlon Felton
Oyindamola Idowu
Tom Kim
Tim Neubauer
Steve Parnther
Dr. Karen Ritter
April Stallworth
Jim Szczepaniak
Dr. La Wanna Wells