Atrium Works Towards Racial Justice
Dear Atrium Parents,
America’s streets are now calmer in many places. But the racial injustice and impact of white supremacy that spurred millions into action this spring remain just as stark and fundamentally uncorrected. The work is far from done, and this fall’s elections may further heighten longstanding tensions that define our nation’s history.
We must do our part. Founded upon principles of equity and justice, Atrium redoubles its commitment now. I am proud that the Atrium faculty, leadership team, and Board of Trustees have taken several recent steps:
At the Board of Trustees Annual Meeting earlier in June, the Board specially allocated substantial financial resources to supporting Atrium’s work towards racial justice in the coming year. With these financial resources comes a heartfelt and unanimous personal commitment from each Board member.
Among several new Trustees, Jaleesa Anselm was elected a Board member at the June meeting. We will all benefit from her wise guidance and action-oriented leadership. Jaleesa will have a key role in steering Atrium’s racial justice work at the Board level.
We accelerate our work on existing Diversity, Equity and Inclusion strands of our Strategic Plan, notably in the areas of hiring, admissions outreach, curriculum, and teacher professional development. As one example, numerous faculty, staff, Board members and I will attend the widely-heralded virtual National Anti-Racism Teach-In this summer.
As a school, we stand equally committed to gender equity, and comply with Title IX. Our Title IX Coordinator is Renee Curtin. Renee is available at 69 Grove Street, Watertown MA 02472 and may be reached rcurtin@atrium.org or 617-923-4156 ext 116.
This summer, I strongly encourage all Atrium families to learn, and to act for justice. This helpful Padlet of resources has been compiled by Lara Buchanan and Allie Haley, and is open-source: you may add your own resources to share with the Atrium community. When we return to school in the fall, we will join together to learn and to act, to help dismantle systemic racism and injustice.
Warmly,
Marshall