The unjust deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and countless others are causing anguish and turmoil across our country.
To our students, families, faculty, staff, alumni/ae, and community members who are grieving and suffering through these recent events within the context of a long history of racial injustice and inequality: We see you, we love you, and we support you. You are not alone. We are here with you. Our hearts ache for you. We stand beside you.
Each of us is part of something larger than ourselves.
Summit's mission is to provide a challenging curriculum within a caring environment to help students develop their full potential--to inspire untold possibilities. The world needs that potential and those possibilities now more than ever. This moment in history is not invisible to our children. We are deeply committed to teaching them, modeling for them, and engaging them in this fundamental truth: There is more that connects us as human beings than divides us.
We are equally committed to living out Louise Futrell's dream of creating a school where "everybody could be a somebody," and in doing so, are continuously working towards creating a more equitable, just, and inclusive community within and beyond Summit. Summit's Dream School Initiative is real, and its work--our work--of creating a place of belonging is an essential facet of our community.
Our country is living out the expression of what happens when any one of us feels that we do not belong. On the other side of the conflict and hurt we are experiencing throughout this country is the opportunity to better understand our humanity, and in doing so, to reimagine a nation that celebrates both the things that make us unique and that bring us together. The way forward requires compassion and honesty. Compassion for the lived experience of those around us. Honesty about the unique role each of us is called to play in rooting out the racism that limits all of our lives and compromises our collective humanity.
At our best Summit is a community of empathy and action. This historical moment begs for both. To that end, we invite you to use the resources found at the bottom of this letter. While we can't predict the future, we can come together to help create it.
Onward and upward,
|
