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June 9, 2020
Dear SHA Community:
Over the past week, we have watched the news and listened and learned from the experiences of our Black students, parents and alumnae. Simply put, we cannot be faithful to our Catholic faith and our mission of inclusive love unless we address racism, its sinfulness, its exclusion and its disrespect for human life. Members of our community are in pain, and when one suffers we all suffer. SHA needs to take action and improve.
We began this morning by meeting with faculty to surface some of the issues we need to address. This was followed by a meeting with the SHA Black Students Union to listen, to learn, and to hear suggestions.
We are planning for diversity training and professional development for faculty and staff, but we also need deeper planning. To this end, we will establish a task force to talk honestly and openly about current realities and develop plans to address racial justice at SHA. We know that we will need professional expertise to help us. We will do this. The work will begin over the summer and will be directly under our leadership. This initiative will have the highest priority and support. At Sacred Heart Academy, we believe that Black lives matter.
We are seeking input from all members of the community to guide the work of this group as we move forward. Please share your experiences and ideas through this E-mail:[email protected]. All input will guide our work and is most welcomed.
We ask you to join us in praying:
God of Compassion, rain down your mercy upon us
open our eyes and hearts to every dear neighbor, without distinction
grant us courage, commitment and passion to bring about
your justice and peace, your unioning and inclusive love.
Forgive and deliver us from the evils of racism.
Sincerely,
Kristin Lynch Graham, President
S. Jean Amore, CSJ, Ed.D., Principal
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