Dear PUSD Students, Staff, Families, and Community,

I write to you today shattered as we have witnessed a senseless killing of yet another black person, George Floyd, at the hands of those who were charged to serve and protect him in Minneapolis.  Once again, a spotlight on racially motivated violence reveals the deep divide in our country and across communities, from San Francisco to Washington D.C..

Over the past several years, I have reached out to our community to express our unshakable condemnation of racially motivated bias, hatred, and violence–wherever it may rise, whether here in Piedmont or in any city across our country.  Over the past several months, we’ve heard that “we’re in this together” as our nation has grappled with more than 100,000 deaths due to COVID-19.  Forty million Americans have lost their jobs, and so many more spend every day in fear of the health and economic consequences.  While it can feel as if hope is in short supply, now is the time for us to demonstrate that we are truly “in this together” by condemning racial injustice in any form and showing our children and community that we:

• Stand united to promote acceptance and kindness.

• Stand up to bigotry, hatred, intolerance, and violence.

• Stand up for each individual in our diverse community.

I grieve for the families who have lost loved ones and for those who are suffering. It is simply not enough to try to imagine what others are going through. We must have the respect and resolve to do something about it.  Racial bias, hatred, and violence are wrong and unjust.  It must stop and I plea that our nation can take actions that bring us together, to talk, and to heal.

More than 50 years ago, as this country was significantly polarized, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke at the National Cathedral about the “appalling silence and indifference of the good people who sit around and say, ‘Wait on time.’”  It is once again time to say something.

I encourage all of us to show our support for students, colleagues, and our neighbors of color who are surely feeling the weight of these tragedies.  Injustice is dependent on indifference.  Leadership is about showing up, standing up, and speaking up for what is right.  Join me in reaching out to the people who are hurting and let them know they are not alone.

Today, I ask you to stand united with us again for our students, staff, and community here in Piedmont and for everyone across the U.S. who has experienced racial bias, hatred, and violence.

Sincerely,