To our community,
In recent months the attention of our organization has been on the impact of COVID-19 on teachers and students. Our world has simultaneously been shifting as a result of the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery, and the uprisings that have grown in response. We are grieving.
The pandemic’s disproportionate impact on communities of color and the injustice of more deaths of black men and women again compel us to acknowledge and confront the racism that is deeply entrenched in our society, that the systems we work within continue to reproduce.
To be clear, these deaths, whether at the hands of a disease or a police officer, are further evidence of systemic and institutional racism. Racism in our criminal justice system, our our health care system, and yes – racism in our schools and systems of education. Racism is all around us and in us. It is deadly. It is oppressive. We will not be silent about this.
As an organization, the Danielson Group is committed to equity and racial justice. We believe that just and equitable education requires teacher learning and development, and we will use our voice and our resources to elevate the work of educators seeking to dismantle racism and fight injustice. We will continue to examine and explore our role in equipping educators to individually and collectively support healing and flourishing for our students, our society, and each other.
We stand in solidarity with those who seek justice. We acknowledge that this statement is only a statement and is not enough. It is not what we say here today that matters, but what we do tomorrow. Like many of you we are engaging in dialogue and reflection in this time where there is no one correct approach. We will continue to sponsor opportunities for dialogue and reflection with you, and we are reaching out to our partners so that we can move forward with collective action. We hope that you will join us, and that you will ask us to join you, as we all commit to do more.
Your friends at the Danielson Group