A MESSAGE FROM THE ETHS SUPERINTENDENT

[QUOTE]

Dear ETHS Family,

Mr. George Floyd. A Black man. Murdered. Never forget this.

Frustration. Hurt. Deep pain. Fear. Anger. Rage. Our emotions are boiling over.

Systemic racism. Racial inequity. Racial injustice. Never ignore or accept this.

Bigotry. Racial discrimination. Devaluing human lives. Never fail to act when you witness this.

We are traumatized by Mr. Floyd’s death in Minneapolis. We are traumatized by the deaths of Mr. Ahmaud Arbery and Ms. Breonna Taylor. We are traumatized because these deaths are inhumane and incomprehensible. We are traumatized because we know that these are not isolated tragedies. We are traumatized because this illustrates the cruelty and damage perpetuated by racism. This is the racial history of this country, repeated again and again, generation after generation. Racism and endless racial discrimination are woven into the very fabric of this nation.

The message to our students and our community today is this: take action. Do something. Don’t just see racism as abhorrent, do something to stop it.

What’s the problem with being “not racist”? It is a claim that signifies neutrality: “I am not a racist, but neither am I aggressively against racism.” But there is no neutrality in the racism struggle. The opposite of “racist” isn’t “not racist.” It is “antiracist.”

                                 ― Ibram X. Kendi, How to Be an Antiracist

Public protests are important. Marches for justice and peace matter. We need to publically take a stand. Yet, showing our public support for racial justice can only be part of our individual journeys. These past days and weeks remind us individually and collectively why ETHS must continue to acknowledge our past and remain undaunted in our work to fight racism and its effects on our educational system.

Understand that racism damages all human beings. Racism produces inequities and disparities in every sector of private and public life. Identify the inequities. White people: Confront your own deep down beliefs and behaviors. Take action to eliminate inequities by championing antiracist ideas and policies. Support groups, organizations and institutions that are advocating for and changing practices and policies to eliminate inequities. Vote only for candidates who fight against beliefs, policies and practices that perpetuate inequity. Don’t espouse your opposition to racism but then stand on the sidelines letting others do the hard work. Stand shoulder to shoulder with those who are taking action. Stand with antiracists. Dedicate your life, dedicate your actions to combating racism. Take antiracist action in your own personal life. Today, tomorrow and every day for the rest of your life.

We could tell you two stories in just the last three days about racism on social media involving teenagers in Evanston. We could tell you stories about people who tell us they live here because of our diversity at ETHS and then say things about our school “catering” to “those” people, or “lowering expectations,” stories that would make you cringe. Those comments cannot be allowed to stand. Being offended is not sufficient. Doing something about it is required. We must all do that. White people, are you listening? This isn’t a part-time job. This must be a full-time responsibility. We’re either all in or we’re not antiracist.

Not being a racist in Evanston is insufficient. We cannot live in a bubble. We must eradicate racism in our schools, institutions and community. We must eradicate it in this region which is replete with evidence of racism, and we must eradicate racism in this nation and vote out racist elected officials. Combating racism is our personal responsibility. When you witness a microaggression, a racial injustice or overt racism, speak up and confront it. When you see inequity and discrimination, do something about that.

Mr. George Floyd. A Black man. Murdered. Devote your life to action. Be strong. Be a brave antiracist.

#BlackLivesMatter

Eric Witherspoon, Ph.D.

ETHS Superintendent

Marcus A. Campbell, Ed.D.

ETHS Assistant Superintendent & Principal

[END QUOTE]

I'm trying to imagine Lloyd S. Michael writing something like that.

Let Freedom Ring

Abraham Lincoln to Martin Luther King

“O, yes, I say it plain,

America never was America to me,

And yet I swear this oath—

America will be!”

Let America Be America Again

by Langston Hughes

“A new nation conceived in Liberty,”

Abe Lincoln said at Gettysburg, as he

Stood on the battlefield of slavery.

Battles fought so those slaves would become free.

But that freedom was not equality.

Though “all men are created equal,” we

Can read, in words written before we’d be

That new nation that expanded “from sea

To shining sea.” Those words are history.

But those words mean America to me.

With the protests from sea to shining sea,

Today, more than one hundred and fifty

Years since abolition of slavery,

I look back and see the last century,

And hear the words of Martin Luther King. He

Recalled words of “My country ‘tis of thee

And repeated “Let freedom ring.” And we

Heard, and what was bad got better, slowly.

Then many years passed into history.

And we are now in this new century,

Where we found a man of color could be

Our president and there was hope that he

Meant the promise of the land of the free

Would finally be met. But disunity

Followed him and now we call for dignity

For people of color, for empathy

For their tribulation from slavery

To discrimination. For unity

Again, as protestors decry deadly

Force that was used unnecessarily

On a man whose words, “I can’t breathe.” Would be

The cry of those for whom equality

Is the breath of life here in “my country,

‘Tis of thee,” our “sweet land of liberty,”

Where we can all sing, “O, say can you see,”

“America, God shed his grace on thee,

And crown thy good with brotherhood from sea

To shining sea,” sing with the poetry

Of Langston Hughes’, “Let America be

America Again.” In harmony,

We’ll sing. “Let freedom ring!” And we’ll be

One America, from sea to shining sea,

United States “conceived in Liberty”

And dedicated to equality.

“America the Beautiful” shall be

America again and we’ll sing, “Free

At last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty,

We are free at last!” And sing, “My country.

‘Tis of thee” as doctor King did, when he

Told us about his dream of unity.

With songs of American history.

And words that mean America to me.

Posted by Susan Spiegel (Pastin)

I'd like to say AMEN! to the posting quoting Black Lives Matter - that whites like me need to be upstanders in fighting racism our whole lives. 

I really thought we had made much more progress than we apparently have.  HOW could we elect someone who spent so much money and energy claiming Barack Obama was not born in the US, and HOW could any sane American believe such garbage?

HOW can we let the Chicago Police Dept. be as corrupt and racist as it was when I was a kid in the 50s, and probably when my parents were kids in the 1920s, now 100 years ago?

I was not aware of the white privilege I have enjoyed (even though I was "Reagened" with unemployment in the 1980s) until talking to black friends or reading about blacks being followed around stores while shopping, being arrested for smoking pot, even having tougher access to credit while still having a good federal job like I finally got.

So we whites have to be anti-racist upstanders. 

I haven't demonstrated yet due to social distancing, just given money to causes on-line and, when I couldn't find any in my neighborhood, had my son buy chalk so I and my neighbors can decorate the sidewalks outside our condo with art and slogans.  But I plan to join the demonstrations soon.

Posted by Robert Lindner

Hi Susan:

RE: "I can't breathe"

I have, of course, written several poems on this subject..

I posted one on the political site after the superintendent's message.

I was reminded that in 1963 Martin Luther King gave his "I have a dream" speech.

That was also the year JFK was assasinated. We were in high school during "interesting times."

Posted by Susan Spiegel (Pastin)

YES indeed.  It totally frustrates me that in more ways than I realized, we made NO progress from 50 years ago.  The last recession attacked the black middle class, and policing methods don't seem to have changed.

Today I and a few condo neighbors chalked up some slogans and art on the sidewalk outside our building on Touhy near Sherican Road in Chicago.  Can't figure out how to post a picture, however

Susan,

We made a lot of progress ince 1963, but it was two steps forward and one step back. We even had an African American President. But more recently the forward progress stopped leading to the current situation.

This was posted by Patrick Furlong:

To those of my classmates who share my White Privilege, our words now, however sincere, strike me as either naive, ill-informed, or self-serving. So, I recommend spending an hour listening to this: https://www.npr.org/2020/06/03/869046127/american-police. Also, there are many Black voices speaking out, so here's one, almost randomly selected: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/06/12/my-white-friends-time-talk-has-passed-now-is-time-work/?utm_campaign=wp_week_in_ideas&utm_medium=email&utm_source=newsletter&wpisrc=nl_ideas. A history lesson and something to take to heart.