This past Tuesday, a jury in Minnesota found former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin guilty of murder and manslaughter in George Floyd’s death. This poignant and pivotal moment represents another chapter in our country's dialog on policing and race relations. As educators, we should use it to elevate our conversations on race, on justice and accountability, and on the future of our communities.
To Our School Leaders Across the State:
This past Tuesday, a jury in Minnesota found former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin guilty of murder and manslaughter in George Floyd’s death. This poignant and pivotal moment represents another chapter in our country's dialog on policing
and race relations. As educators, we should use it to elevate our conversations on race, on justice and accountability, and on the future of our communities.
For far too long, those in the Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities have been victims of police brutality. In George Floyd’s case, it took a video, recorded by 17-year old Darnella Frazier, to pull back the curtain on this
brutality for the entire world to see. And for far too long, there's been little to no accountability for police brutality and violence, even for repeat offenders or those officers with a long history of complaints and allegations.
Tuesday’s verdict was one small step forward and an overdue acknowledgment from the justice system that yes, Black lives do matter. The verdict is only a beginning. Not every victim, family, and community has justice and accountability yet, and
tragically, many never will.
The verdict is incredibly emotional for many people. For some people, it helps the healing process begin. For others, they've finally allowed themselves to feel a sense of hope – hope for change and for a future where historically racist and inequitable
systems are dismantled, and in their places, systems that provide equitable opportunities for people to not just survive, but to thrive.
AWSP's mission statement is simple: supporting principals and the principalship in the education of all students. It's beautiful in its simplicity and breadth. However, if we don't define what it means to support the education of all students and act
on that, the statement is just empty words.
AWSP, and the other organizations in our family (the Association of Washington Student Leaders [AWSL] and Cispus Learning Center), have increased the time, energy, and resources spent in creating more equitable systems and opportunities in recent years.
From AWSL and AWSP’s efforts to recruit and retain more teachers of color to putting equity as the number one goal of our strategic plan in 2016, we've prioritized diversity, equity, racial literacy, and inclusion as an organization and in our
efforts to help you lead those same efforts in your own school.
Let's be honest; the work is essential, but it’s not easy. A change of this order will take time – and this verdict is one very crucial step forward. We want to give our school leaders the knowledge, confidence, and resources they’ll
need to become anti-racist leaders in order to start dialogues where none existed and take action where inertia was the status quo.
If we're still being honest, there are parts of our state where that means equipping a lot of white principals to lead equity work for a lot of white teachers teaching a lot of white students. In other parts, it’s a whole lot of white educators
teaching growing populations of students of color. It’s critical our BIPOC students see themselves in their teachers and their school’s leaders. Schools need to be a place where they feel safe, welcomed, and accepted. We take on this work
for them, not only because it's the right thing to do, but also because of the fundamental American value – the American Dream if you will – that our outcome in life isn't determined by birthright.
Our world is becoming increasingly diverse and our economy increasingly global. So even in the least diverse parts of our state, that means it’s imperative we prepare our students for a world where not everyone looks like them, speaks their language,
and shares their values or customs. BIPOC students still carry a burden and experience discrimination. We need our educators and our students to understand diversity is an opportunity, not a threat.
As your professional association, our job is to prepare school leaders to eliminate systems that constrict, refrain, and oppress students and transform them into systems where everyone is given the opportunities and provided the resources they need to
thrive. Our job is also to support you as a school leader. No matter how you feel after the verdict, remember to practice self-care and show care and compassion for your students, staff, faculty, and community. Please reach out to us if you need support.
The Chauvin verdict was a defining moment in our ongoing discussion of race and equity in America. It cannot be the last. We aren't there yet, and we'll keep working because it's the right thing to do. Our students, and our communities, deserve it.
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