KIPP DC Team & Family-
Like you, I am outraged and saddened by the senseless murders of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, and the hundreds of others whose names must be remembered and spoken, not only because their murders are appalling and unjust, but also because I’m worried about how our students and families are internalizing the traumatic events that are unfolding right now.
Like you, I want to keep our students safe. I want them to live in a world where this hatred and racism and oppression does not exist. But, I know that we must also prepare them for the world in which we live. The one that doesn’t care if they have a college degree or a life filled with choice. The one that doesn’t value their life.
The truth is that I don’t know how to protect the students we serve or their family members, or even our African American staff members. What I do know is that I have to actively speak out and work against these injustices.
The dehumanization of African Americans should never have happened in the first place and has gone on far too long. We must rail against the injustices that our students, families, and staff face on a daily basis. We must have the difficult conversations and name the racism and the systems of oppression. We must care for one another. We must demand justice.
In the challenging days ahead, we will come together as a community to find a path forward and navigate our place in this national crisis. I welcome your ideas and feedback and want you to know that this is a priority at every level of our organization.
Please keep the conversation going and please take care of one another.
Susan Schaeffler
Founder and CEO of KIPP DC
