Dear SSD Family,
On Monday, Jan. 18, we celebrate the life and legacy of Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. He devoted his life to realizing the dream of equality, peace, and dignity for all people. In SSD, we honor Dr. King’s legacy by valuing diversity and inclusion in our schools, with our students, teachers, staff, and partners. Our students are best served in schools where they not only receive quality instruction and supports but where they feel safe and respected.
Dr. King reminded us of our society’s imperfections, as well as our potential for compassion and kindness. He shared his vision of the type of world we could live in if everyone made decisions driven by compassion, instead of negativity and hate. We are aware that despite the passage of more than 50 years since Dr. King’s death, though progress has been made, his intention is far from being achieved.
I encourage you to spend time this holiday talking to your children about Dr. King’s life and his commitment to a free and just society. Use the resources below to help guide conversations with your children about equality, race, and social justice:
- Race Talk: Engaging Young People in Conversations about Race and Racism – Anti-Defamation League, ADL.org
- Talking with Students about Racism and Protests – Crisis Management Institute, cmionline.com
- Talking About Race – National Museum of African American History and Culture & Smithsonian, nmaahc.si.edu
- Resources for Talking about Race, Racism and Racialized Violence with Kids – compiled by the Center for Racial Justice in Education
- Talking to Kids about Race – National Geographic.com
- They’re Not Too Young to Talk about Race – childrenscommunityschool.org
- Talking Race with Young Children – npr.org
- Resources for Race, Equity, Anti-Racism, and Inclusion – WNDB, weneeddiversebooks.org
- Looking for Excellent Diverse Books for Children? Start Here – Embracerace.org, Raising a Brave Generation
Dr. King was clear about what he wanted for our children and our world. It is now up to us to teach our children and nurture the very best of who we are as people to realize his intention. As Dr. King said, “We must remember that intelligence is not enough. Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education.”
Please take care of yourselves and one another.
Sincerely,
Elizabeth Keenan, Ph.D.
Superintendent
