Call to Action

I’m sharing the remarks I made at our whole-school gathering today, because I believe school leaders have a duty to speak up. As a white school leader, I am and will always be learning how to navigate my privilege and utilize my power to stand for justice and against racism, to stand up for black lives, elevate black voices, and center black needs. I’ve read too many statements from brands and coffeeshops and superintendents and politicians that did not include the word “black” or “lives”, much less “Black Lives Matter” — an obvious truth, and a necessary declaration. I hope that sharing these may be helpful to other schools or organizations. It’s not perfect, it’s not enough, but it is what I believe, and what we stand for as a school.

I will echo another white school leader and strongly suggest that non-black leaders have teammates, colleagues, and friends read and push your remarks. I’ll go one step further, and specifically suggest having black and brown teammates read what you write. The remarks below started as a first draft and incorporate feedback from half-a-dozen colleagues, mentors, and friends who push my thinking, every day.

I’m speaking to you as your principal. I’m speaking to you as the founder of this school. I am speaking to you as a white person. I am speaking to you as a man. Because of these things — principal, white, man — I have power, and because I have power, I am called to take action. Here is what I am called to do:

I will use my voice to call for dismantling — taking apart — unjust systems.

Personally, I choose to donate to community bail funds (to help protestors and others unjustly held) and mutual aid organizations that help people directly. This week I wrote to every member of the city council calling for them to defund the NYPD, because I think we should take the money the city spends on police and spend it on schools and healthcare.

Professionally, as a principal, I will ask every politician and business person who visits our school, for Career Days or other reasons, what they are doing to change racist laws and racist systems, and uplift black and brown people.

As your principal, I promise you will never see a cop called to Creo. You have seen some of your classmates in crisis. You have seen kids yell, or lose control. Some of you have even seen some of your classmates push me. All of those things happened and everyone was safe. I was fine, the students were cared for, and we never called the police. We will always have a social worker, we will always deescalate, we will always find the strength and love in our arms and our hearts to hold each other safe, and not bring in anyone who can put any of our students in danger.

You will never see “school safety” at Creo. Many of you and your families, many of us, have walked into school through metal detectors, and past people in uniforms. The only uniforms worn in Creo are the ones you proudly wear, and I will never ask you to walk through a metal detector or assume you bring something dangerous to school.

I told you when we first met, whether it was in your home or your first day at Creo, that there were no bullies here. We do not allow people who use their words and their bodies to scare and hurt others in our school building. If that person is a child, we educate them, we love them, we offer them counseling, we talk to their families, we are there for them. If that person is an adult…well we do not allow those who use their words and their bodies and their uniform and their badge to scare and hurt others in our building.

I will never allow someone to think they belong more in our space than you do. You will always matter more in this school.

Those are things I will not allow, as long as I am in charge. Here is what I will make sure:

Every year you are here, you will have a social worker. Someone you can go to when you are hurt. Someone you can go to when you have hurt someone else, and you don’t know what to do. Someone who will come to you, and listen, and be a counselor — someone who gives us guidance when we need it most.
Every year you are here, you will have teachers who look like you. You will have teachers who are black, and brown, and white and Asian.
Every year you are here, the white teachers will pronounce your name correctly, and if they don’t, you will be welcome to correct them. If I say your name wrong, I will practice until I get it right. People apologize when they mispronounce my name, because I am a white man and a boss and people think that means they should get my name right. You are the most important people in this school — everyone should get your name right.
I will always tell you why, and I will always tell you the truth. We have a lot of rules at this school. We think they are there to make sure you are always safe, and never bored. You can always ask why we have a rule, and you should always expect an answer.
Your voice matters. It is our mission for you to assume responsibility for identifying and solving problems in our world. That means that when you speak up, it is our responsibility — my responsibility — to listen and amplify your voice.

Your voice matters.

Your life matters.

Black lives matter.