Letter from STRIDE: Racism in Scituate
October4, 2020
To Whom It May Concern,
We, the members of the Steering Committee of Scituate Together for Representation, Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity (STRIDE), write on behalf of the members of STRIDE to express our deep concern about recent incidents of racial misconduct at the high school. This week’s events prove once again that Scituate is not immune to racism. These incidents underscore that Scituate, as a community, needs to build capacity for understanding race in order to dismantle racism here.
In its 2019 report, Hate at School, the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) found that incidents of racial bias and violence are on the rise in the nation’s secondary schools. It is critical to note that these incidents of racism create a toxicity that endangers not just the wellbeing of the targeted students, but also the health of the school system and the community at large. The report cited a 2018 study published in JAMA Pediatrics that linked student concerns about “increasing hostility and discrimination of people because of their race, ethnicity, sexual orientation/identity, immigrant status, religion or disability status in society,” with increased likelihood of “symptoms of depression and ADHD, along with drug, tobacco or alcohol use.”
The Hate at School report further states: “To ensure students are safe from harm, educators must take vigorous, proactive measures to counter prejudice and to promote equity and inclusiveness. And they must act swiftly and decisively to address all incidents of hate and bias when they happen, with a model that emphasizes communication, empathy, reconciliation and support to those who are harmed.”
The climate around race in our community will improve with open, cross-community dialogue. As a grassroots, community-based organization, STRIDE continues the work begun by Scituate’s Unity Council which was an initiative within Scituate Public Schools. STRIDE continues the community conversations book discussions that originated as an activity of the Unity Council. We have read books offering minority perspectives and have discussed topics of diversity, equity, and inclusion. STRIDE has received a grant to fund a workshop on using children’s literature to open dialogue around race for families; we will host this workshop as soon as it is safe to do so. STRIDE works within the community of Scituate to affirm the value of representation, inclusion, diversity, and equity for the well-being and success of the community, and we stand ready to collaborate with the school district and the town to achieve this goal.
Several other grassroots organizations have been formed this year that are also taking on the critical work of combating intolerance. Scituate Pride and Scituate United for Action on Equality have begun the important work of fostering community dialogue by hosting panel discussions on LGBTQIA+ issues and race in the last two months. Scituate Stands sponsored a Chalk the Walk event this summer and opened a Little Free Diverse Library… Our local churches are involved in sponsoring learning opportunities on race and issues of diversity; most recently St. Luke’s Episcopal Church offered a screening of Traces of the Trade followed by a conversation led by members of the family portrayed in
the documentary. Members of our community, including our young people, have stood out all summer long with signs calling for reform and justice. There is momentum toward change in Scituate, and there is a great deal of work to be done. It will take collaboration and coalition.
Because we are deeply concerned about patterns of prejudice that threaten the well-being of our community, we write to ask for the following two measurable actions from the Scituate Public Schools:
We ask that SPS develops a comprehensive, long-term plan to address racism and prejudice on SPS campuses, both in the classroom and during extracurricular activities. STRIDE heartily endorses the district’s decision to hire a consultant to facilitate this critical work. In the meantime, the school administration needs to apply the current non-discrimination policy consistently. There must be consequences for racial misconduct, and the community needs to know that violations of the policy are being addressed.
We ask that SPS provides opportunities for students to engage in facilitated, meaningful conversations about race. Students have shared with STRIDE that there is a dire need for expert assistance in creating space for these important conversations to take place in ways that do not cause additional harm to BIPOC students. STRIDE endorses the decision to provide opportunities for community conversation this past week, and encourages the administration to provide safe spaces with qualified staff for these conversations to take place whenever needed, not just in response to incidents of egregious racial misconduct. Furthermore, STRIDE believes that allies standing up against intolerance should be supported and guided in the critical work that they are doing.
We, the members of the Steering Committee of STRIDE, are each on our own personal learning journey and we do not claim expertise. We recognize that this work is ongoing, and that each person’s lived experience is different from the next. As an organization, we attempt to meet people where they are on their own learning journey with respect and grace. It is our hope that by writing about our concerns and offering our suggestions we can collectively move our community in the direction of inclusivity, equity, safety, and wellbeing.
Sincerely,
Marie Fenwick Murthy, Co-Leader
Carey Borkoski, Co-Leader
Meredith Laban
Ann Lattinville
Jen McGonagle Dziedzic
Jean Shildneck
Megan Sommer
Ruth Yasin
Gregory Zuckerman
Distribution list:
William Burkhead, SPS Superintendent
Jennifer Arnold, SPS Assistant Superintendent
Lisa Maguire, SHS Principal
Ryan Beattie, Gates Principal
Donna Moffat, Cushing Principal
Julie McKillop, Hatherly Principal
Rebecca Long, Jenkins Principal
Tracy Riordan, Wampatuck Principal
Michele Boebert, Director of Special Education
Michelle Crawford, Scituate METCO Director
Samantha Lesniak, SPS/STRIDE Liaison
Peter Gates, Scituate School Committee
Michael Long, Scituate School Committee
Janice Lindblom, Scituate School Committee
Michael Hayes, Scituate School Committee
Nicole Brandolini, Scituate School Committee
Karen Canfield, Scituate Select Board
Anthony Vegnani, Scituate Select Board
Karen Connolly, Scituate Select Board
Maura Curran, Scituate Select Board
Andrew Goodrich, Scituate Select Board
Ruth Thompson, Scituate Mariner
Mark Burridge, Scituate Mariner