To the Lincoln community:
I write to you from a place of humility, acknowledging that, at this point in time, there are so many areas of uncertainty that I do not have clear responses to or concrete action plans to address. However, what is weighing most heavily on me right now is how to respond, in my role as a superintendent, to the civil unrest taking place across our country and the inequities and injustices experienced by members of our communities.
I know that this message will not resonate with everyone. I also know that I may make points that may be misconstrued. My intent is to acknowledge what many of us are experiencing and feeling and to share some possible ways to come together as a community for reflection, sharing, and consideration of our collective responsibility to make things better.
I do not presume to understand what it is like to be a person of color in our country. But, the only way I know to make sense of what is happening is by making connections to my own personal experiences.
In 1992, I was a middle school teacher in an unincorporated (not a town or city) area of Los Angeles County — Lennox, Calif. This was the community that I grew up in and began my career in education. It is a poor community where most parents work in service industries in and around the Los Angeles airport. The schools were a safe haven for students within the community. I am providing this context because what is taking place now, and has taken place for decades, mirrors what occurred in Los Angeles in 1992 in response to the acquittal of four police officers related to the beating of Rodney King.
As the riots ensued, most school districts closed, but we remained open knowing that our parents were not in positions of privilege and could not stay home from work to care for their children. We kept our students in self-contained classrooms and provided opportunities for discussion about what was taking place and how they were feeling. As you can imagine, my students expressed a wide range of emotions including anger, frustration, fear, inability to reconcile the outcomes with the evidence, and a sense of hopelessness. I perceived their expressions as an overall knowing that they were not valued and protected in our society.
As their teacher, I had a feeling of deep despair. My messages to my students had always been expressions of hope: if you have a goal and you work hard, you can succeed. I held myself up as a model for my students as someone who grew up in their neighborhood and attended the same schools. But in this moment I knew that much of what my students were feeling was the truth and that my message that all you need to do is work hard was not a truth. While much of our lived experience was the same, the color of my skin provided me with privilege and opportunities that they did not have. And the color of my skin provided me with the very basic necessity of a level of safety that they did not experience.
I am certain that students in our schools are feeling these same emotions and always have. The recent acts of violence against persons of color and the ensuing injustices have not created these feelings; they have always been there. When our institutional systems clearly tell you that you have no voice, then you are forced to find other means of communication. I do not say this to universally condone the actions that have been taken, only as an understanding of how we have ended up where we are. It is difficult to think about my experience in L.A. 28 years ago and to see that the experience for black and brown people in our country has not changed. Combined with a pandemic that is disproportionately affecting communities of color, racial inequities have been magnified, and my heart goes out to our families who are shouldering the impact of it all right now.
Please remember that our principals, social workers, school psychologists, and other school personnel are available if you need assistance.
An opportunity for members of our community to come together is scheduled for Thursday evening. Lincoln School grade 5-8 students will have the opportunity to join a discussion group on Thursday during the day. I am providing information below and hope that you will join us.
Please be well.
All the best,
Becky McFall
Superintendent, Lincoln Public Schools
1. Anti-racism resources for parents and educators
2. Event for adults — Thursday, June 4 from 6–7:30 p.m.
A 90-minute webinar from with Kathy Lopes, LICSW for parents, staff, and community members to acknowledge the educational, health, and social-emotional impact of Covid-19 (inclusive of local and national racism) on their communities and the current racial violent acts occurring in the country. Lopes will provide data, age-appropriate strategies, and resources to support adults in navigating the topic of systemic racism and how to approach these tough conversations with children of varying ages.
Join Zoom Meeting:
https://simmons.zoom.us/j/92663677391?pwd=Y3Y0OFBXZ2I3S3Y4TEh4ZXBmakxpQT09
- Meeting ID: 926 6367 7391
- Password: 459805
- For call-Ins: (646) 558-8656
3. Student sessions for Lincoln School grade 5-8
There will be two group discussions, one for students in grades 5-6 and one for students in grades 7-8. Discussions will be guided by the students’ needs and the groups will be facilitated by mental health staff, METCO staff, and teachers.
- Grades 5-6: Thursday, June 4 from 10–11 a.m.
- Grades 7-8: Thursday, June 4 11 a.m.–noon
The link to join will be sent in a letter of invitation to the student sessions on Monday.
Information for Hanscom Middle School student sessions will be provided early this week.