Dear Families,
You may remember that our Baldwin Community was invited to participate in a series of “Courageous Conversations.” School staff and teachers, families and community members from Rindge Avenue Upper School, Baldwin School and Peabody school participated in courageous conversations to discuss race and racial equity, teaching, learning, and family experiences at school. We learned from the experiences and ideas of each other, we listened to each others stories.
At our last meeting, each participant wrote down an action that they would take to help create a more inclusive experience for all of our students and families. You’ll soon see a poster in the lobby with some of those ideas, and I’ll share a few ideas from participants here:
“Center the community--think twice about ‘Me. Me. Me’ to think of my own kids and the group needs.”
“Use my more privileged voice to speak up to City Council and other policy and budget-makers to advocate for policies that benefit all.”
“Make a conscious and consistent effort to have conversations about equity with my kids.”
“Work with the school to hire more teachers of color that reflect our student population.”
"Be deliberate about making diverse friends, and having diverse books and toys at home.”
“Schedule play-dates with families that don’t look like mine.”
This last one reflects a topic that we spent quite a bit of time talking about both at the courageous conversations and also at School Council.
We grow stronger as a community as we build connections with each other, and especially as we build connections with each other across racial, ethnic and socio-economic difference. As a member of our community, I challenge you to make this effort. Go outside of your normal routine and friend groups and build new connections. As I’ve heard one mom say, “Open up the circle of parents and let others in.” We can do this literally and figuratively and when we do, we’ll have happier kids, families and be the best Baldwin we can be.
Thanks for reading!
-Heidi