Dear Bishop Montgomery Family,
Bishop Montgomery is more than just a school; it is a community of vision, of excellence and of leaders. It is a community of diverse students, parents, faculty, staff, alumni and friends who care deeply about each other and our mission.
Our hearts are breaking over the tragic and senseless deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Armaud Arbery and many others. Our hearts are heavy hearing the pain that members of our community are voicing about issues of injustice and racism.
In his letter last week, Los Angeles Archbishop Jose H. Gomez wrote:
“Racism is a blasphemy against God, who creates all men and women with equal dignity. It has no place in a civilized society and no place in a Christian heart.”
Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. said that riots are the language of the unheard. My prayer is that we are all doing a lot of listening right now. This time, we should not fail to hear what people are saying in their pain.
It is an unhappy truth that we have tolerated racism for too long in America. These protests tell us that it is long past time for us to root out the racial injustice that still infects too many areas of American society.
But with Rev. King, we need to reject violence in protesting for the civil rights of our black neighbors. Nothing is gained by violence and so much is lost. The way forward for us is love, not hate and not violence.”
Today, and every day, we stand united with those who are in pain, who are calling for justice and peace. Bishop Montgomery condemns, in no uncertain terms, the sin of racism and the acts of hate it engenders against members of our human family and, particularly, our Black community.
Over the last week, we have heard, in many forms, from members of the community - our students, parents, alumni, faculty and staff - and, we have been listening. We have moved forward with meaningful conversations about what we can do to improve curriculum, professional development, clubs and programs, communications, and student services to better support our diversity and promote equality at Bishop Montgomery.
Among the action steps for next year:
- Create an Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) comprised of a diverse group of Bishop Montgomery community members that, in addition to other duties, will offer a safe hub on campus where students can ask questions, voice concerns, and share their thoughts in a non-judgmental environment;
- Provide Implicit Bias Professional Development for faculty and staff;
- Create more affinity and culturally-diverse clubs for students;
- Increase the number of cultural awareness events on campus;
- Continue to host a diverse group of alumni and community guest speakers on campus;
- Provide more service opportunities that encourage students to make an impact in underserved communities.
As a school community, we will continue our work to end racial injustice in our society and promote peaceful dialogue, discourse and understanding on race and social justice. We are committed to an inclusive, socially-aware, and culturally-sensitive environment that supports the eradication of racism in all forms. We want you to know that we value your thoughtful insight and constructive feedback as we pledge to make our Bishop Montgomery community a better place for all.
Sincerely,
The Bishop Montgomery High School Administration, Faculty and Staff