Mark Silver’s Reflections on Recent Events

I received several texts Friday afternoon amidst the final set of Recognition Ceremony celebrations with families. Unbeknownst to those of us on campus, a series of protests had started in downtown San Jose. The horrific death of George Floyd at the hands of a police officer led to a renewed cry for racial justice, an end to police brutality and the call for all of us to recognize and declare that Black Lives Matter. Floyd’s murder was yet another tragic moment in an endless list of unjustified deaths, a list that dates back not weeks or years but decades and centuries. It also came amidst another nationally discussed racist incident, the videotaped scene of a white woman claiming that she was being “threatened by an African American man,” Christian Cooper, in Central Park after he asked her to put her dog on its leash. 

These two incidents come on the heels of two events earlier this spring that also recently (re)entered the national conversation. Breonna Taylor, a 26 year old woman was shot and killed when police forced their way into her home. This tragedy occurred in mid-March, and is just now regaining attention as people rightly demand for our communities to examine the intersectionality of race and gender in the prevalence of violence against black men AND women. Ahmaud Arbery was gunned down while jogging in February, an incident that was captured on video. Three months later, it finally resulted in arrests of two men for murder. These incidents remind us, yet again, of the ongoing prevalence of the racism and injustice that has been at the heart of the American experience since our earliest history.

The Senior Leadership team started the year reading White Fragility, a book that called on those of us who are white to develop the racial stamina to engage in hard conversations about white supremacy. Author Robin D’Angelo challenges white people to recognize the white privilege that we have, a privilege that allows white people to go through life often unaware of their race, a privilege that allows white people to choose when to engage or not engage in conversations about race and racism. Throughout the year, we have had a series of important diversity, equity, and inclusion conversations as part of our protocol and reading groups, pushing us to think about privilege and other critical DEI topics. I was part of the group that read Blindspot: Hidden Biases of Good People, for example, a book that echoed similar themes to White Fragility and, again, called on people, especially white people, to pay attention to the bias, the racism, and the injustice that is around us and speak up and name it.

I know that this is a particularly painful time for our families and employees of color. I recognize that some families and children in our community do not have the privilege I have. Some parents have to have conversations with their children about growing up in a world in which the color of their skin can lead to discrimination, to mistreatment, and even to violence and death. It is a conversation in which they have to explain, particularly parents of young boys, that the way their child looks may cause people, including police officers, to fear them, to assume they are a threat. I cannot imagine what that conversation looks like, and it pains my heart that some parents have to try to protect their children by explaining the depth of racism and injustice that exists in our society. 

I also recognize that protests, particularly when they turn violent and result in damage to property and people, are complicated. I am not supportive of violence, and, yet, I’m compelled by the words of Martin Luther King, Jr that have been repeated in various forms throughout these past few weeks – “a riot is the language of the unheard.” 

As a school, we are committed to creating an intentionally diverse community, and to engaging in the work of diversity, equity and inclusion that makes our school and, ultimately we hope, the world, a more just and equitable place. Employees this week and over the summer will be continuing to engage in conversations about how we teach diversity, equity and inclusion, including conversations about how we embrace anti-racist teaching. Associate Head of School Colleen Schilly and Head of Middle School Amy Hand also shared resources (lower school and middle school) with all families this past weekend in their final notes to families. We encourage families, including white families, to use these resources and to lean into difficult conversations about race and privilege. We know that all members of our community, not just people of color, need to be having these conversations if we are going to address the racism and injustice that remains so persistent in our society.

These past few months we have seen the devastating impact of two viruses – COVID-19 and the continuing scourge of racism. Together, as a community, we have the ability to lean into these challenges and find a way forward. I ask you to continue with me on this journey.