An Open Letter to Our Community in Response to Ongoing Systemic Racism

Dear CSET Community, 

 

In the midst of a pandemic that is disproportionately impacting the health, employment, and education of Black and Brown families, our country is confronted, once again, with violence against Black individuals at the hands of those who are charged to protect and serve. 

We know that what happens in our society also happens in our schools and when the lives of one group are predictably assigned less value in society, that ripples directly into our schools and classrooms. Every move we, as educators, make offers us the opportunity to decide where we stand: as people who perpetuate racism and oppression or people who disrupt it. 

Now more than ever we need to stand shoulder to shoulder as a community of disrupters. Words have power; action makes change. The faculty and staff of CSET commit to act as a catalyst for both.

We honor and value the lives of our Black students, families, and educators.

We are listening. We are learning. Now, more than ever, we confirm our vision that all children deserve a high-quality education that values them for who they are and who they will become. 

 

Sincerely,

Janet Carlson, Faculty Director

Suzanne Burrows, Executive Director

Nicole Lusiani Elliott, Assistant Director

Tammy Wu Moriarty, Assistant Director