Over the past five days we have held our collective breath in grim anticipation of yet another horrid sequence of events that has become all too familiar. The murder of yet another person of color in our country, George Floyd, has brought us to our knees. After weeks and months filled with undeniable reminders of the vast inequities in our country–where African-American men are hunted down for jogging in a white neighborhood, where a white woman uses her privilege against an African-American man and uses his skin color as his weapon, where COVID-19 infections and death rates in African-American and Latinx communities far exceed those in other areas–we are forced to once again face the deeply-rooted injustice and racism that plagues our country and our people.
As a community of educators, this presents an enormous challenge; yet this also speaks to our calling. It is our responsibility to help change the future by shaping the way our children see each other, process information, and make decisions. Today, amidst the anger and all of the violence, we believe that the glimmer of hope lies in the children who walk through our doors every day. (Or, in the case of these last few months, who we see on our screens.) It is our solemn vow to you that we will never give up on the opportunity to change the trajectory of humanity for the better.
The diversity in our Pine Village community is what sets us apart; it is the fuel that has allowed Pine Village to be 450 families and 20 years strong. It is our message and the basis for everything we do. Together we represent what is good and right, and it is during these days filled with fear that we get to look deeply inside and commit to doing better. We must do better and we must be louder and stronger than before in our message and our commitment to treat every human being equally and with respect.
Even though we are not physically together, please join us in spirit wherever you are and commit with us that we stand together united in our mission for diversity, equity and inclusion for all.
With love and respect,
Emma, Brid, and the entire Pine Village family