Congratulations to "THE EPIC COVID-19 CLASS OF 2020" Despite losing their year, they persisted and led the school like avenging heroes. They will be remembered and missed and we wish them well as they spread their wings and soar next year and into the future. *Always together forever*
All year at the North Branch School we studied Black History as American History/American History as Black History. We used The New York Times' "1619 Project" as a guide. Back in February, the whole school went to hear journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones, the director of the "1619 Project." She writes, "Our founding ideas of liberty and equality were false when they were written. Black Americans fought to make them true. Without this struggle, America would have no democracy at all."
It is clear the fight and the struggle continue. The tragic deaths of George Floyd, countless other African Americans and people of color, as well as the justified anger and fury in ensuing protests, illuminated in real time and in plain sight what we had been learning all year: institutionalized racism is a real force that continues to plague our nation, and we still have a long way to go before discrimination, marginalization, and bigotry- in all its forms- is eradicated from society.
At NBS, a large part of the process concerns learning to see one's self honestly and clearly as a member of a community and world. Part of that is learning how to see and listen to the experiences, pain, or circumstances of others, and allowing those new perspectives to broaden, deepen, and touch us. In this way, we grow the capacity of open-hearted understanding. Just as we learn to listen to each other, we must individually and collectively reflect and address head-on the systemic problems and challenges we all face as a society. We must do so with unity and a sense of urgency and commitment.
At NBS, we will continue to challenge ourselves to listen better, speak more clearly, and understand the complex histories in which we find ourselves enmeshed. Will will continue to learn, think, and talk about these issues and other difficult indues with as much courage, openness, and compassion as we are able.
It is clear the fight and the struggle continue. The tragic deaths of George Floyd, countless other African Americans and people of color, as well as the justified anger and fury in ensuing protests, illuminated in real time and in plain sight what we had been learning all year: institutionalized racism is a real force that continues to plague our nation, and we still have a long way to go before discrimination, marginalization, and bigotry- in all its forms- is eradicated from society.
At NBS, a large part of the process concerns learning to see one's self honestly and clearly as a member of a community and world. Part of that is learning how to see and listen to the experiences, pain, or circumstances of others, and allowing those new perspectives to broaden, deepen, and touch us. In this way, we grow the capacity of open-hearted understanding. Just as we learn to listen to each other, we must individually and collectively reflect and address head-on the systemic problems and challenges we all face as a society. We must do so with unity and a sense of urgency and commitment.
At NBS, we will continue to challenge ourselves to listen better, speak more clearly, and understand the complex histories in which we find ourselves enmeshed. Will will continue to learn, think, and talk about these issues and other difficult indues with as much courage, openness, and compassion as we are able.
