To the George Walton Academy Administration:

Our country is currently facing a period of great social unrest and injustice that has resurfaced the trauma that current and former students have encountered at GWA. The violence that African/Black Americans face in this country is reflective of some of the tribulations your very own students have experienced at this institution. Although the school has allowed minorities to attend since its foundation in 1969, we believe it has not created an environment that fully embraces, supports and cares for marginalized groups. 

Black students carry an extra load that other students and faculty will never understand, and we are still expected to perform and do our best in school. We have faced micro-aggressions every time we stepped onto campus. We have been severely punished for things our counterparts got away with. We have been overlooked unless we brought in revenue with our talent on the football field or basketball court. The list goes on and on. We leave GWA with pieces of us broken or missing that we must repair later on in life. As an institution, George Walton Academy has an obligation to right the wrongs that have been committed against students of color. 

As Black alumni and supporting allies, we are thankful for the education that we had the opportunity to receive; however, we did not deserve mistreatment. We did not leave GWA unscathed, but rather with several scars and wounds. This is not how the school’s legacy has to end. Right now, GWA has an opportunity to enact change and create an environment where all students can equally thrive. 

To move towards a better future, we would like to move forward with a call to action. Now more than ever, we are demanding to see tangible change at George Walton Academy:

Beginning with the (1) acknowledgement of the school’s history and our experiences of discrimination. We argue that the founding of GWA shortly after the integration of schools has placed the institution on a wayward course. The school has not made public acknowledgement of our experiences. Until the school is able to acknowledge and apologize for this history, we cannot move forward with change. Furthermore, the school must ban all confederate memorabilia on campus even during extra curricular activities. This form of pride and propaganda exemplifies the idea that Black students are not welcome and our feelings do not matter. We would like a public statement to be made immediately, preferably by July 8th, 2020, at the latest. 

2) GWA must enforce cultural competency training for all faculty and staff. This training will provide the education and necessary tools to tackle the implicit bias that is so prevalent amongst our teachers and other staff members. On the GSSA website (Strategies for building Cultural Competency), there have been strategies listed to help build these tangible skills. We would like to see the use of these strategies and training amongst staff. The school also needs to hire a professional knowledgeable in this area to execute these plans and make sure they are being enforced amongst the faculty. 

More to this point, there must be a (3) formal audit of the entire curriculum to rule out any racism and bias, especially within the history curriculum. GWA has an obligation to teach American History in its entirety without glorifying the confederacy. The history program has used biased history books that leave out critical parts of our history. African/Black American history, Native American history, Latin American history, Chinese American history, etc. is American history. Furthermore, in order to combat anti-racism amongst students, cultural competency must be integrated into the curriculum. Students must become aware of their own biases and actively work towards fixing them.

Additionally, GWA has an obligation to (4) remove all field trips that glorify the confederacy. These educational opportunities praise the wrong side of history and continue to promote racist ideals to students while making Black students incredibly uncomfortable. The Virginia trip must be banned effective immediately and replaced with field trips that can educate students in an appropriate manner. 

To protect Black students from prejudice, GWA must (5) implement a zero tolerance policy for racism. This includes a code of conduct for parents regarding racism. Many Black students have been racially profiled and harassed by racist parents, and this behavior is completely unacceptable. Lastly, the school must provide an outlet for students to report racism and an authority figure to whom they will feel comfortable reporting their issues.

To better serve the needs of students of color, (6) GWA must create a diversity and inclusion board that consists of a majority of people of color equipped with the skills to increase diversity amongst the faculty and student body. The school can hire an external equity consultant to evaluate the current practices of the school and suggest concrete steps for change. Furthermore, this board needs to be in constant communication with the GWA Board of Trustees and have a say on the governance of school proceedings. It will serve as a governing body that holds power in voting on school policies. We expect this demand to be met within a month’s time. 

Due to the mental toll Black students face, GWA must (7) provide a trained mental health counselor for students of color. Being Black in America takes a toll on students. African Americans automatically have higher cortisol levels which leads to further health problems because of years of systemic oppression. Therefore, the school has an obligation to support the mental well-being of its students. 

More to this point, GWA must (8) create safe spaces for students of color and other marginalized groups. Safe spaces allow minorities to express themselves comfortably and freely in order to cope with their experiences in a healthy manner. 

In order to diversify the school and bring in minority students for opportunities other than just athletics, GWA must (9) provide a certain amount of merit based scholarships for students of color each year. Although minorities are now free to attend GWA, the school continues to deter Black students with its high cost of attendance and what we believe is an unsafe culture. In order to improve diversity numbers and give Black students the educational opportunities they deserve, GWA has an obligation to provide merit based scholarships to students in need. 

To fully support the student athletes that continue to bring success to the school, GWA must (10) create an Athletic Director for Student Athlete Success and Support. This position will provide support for Black athletes off of the field. GWA has placed so much emphasis on what the bodies of Black students can provide for the school with little to no care about the person. There is great value in our athletic success; however, Black students are more than just athletes. We must be held to a high standard and supported in the pursuit of higher education in addition to collegiate athletics. 

Lastly, we are aware that these demands may be strenuous to enforce, but over the next year, all of these changes should begin to be implemented. We need to see changes by the end of the next school year and all of these tasks fulfilled by January 2022.

Respectfully, 

Students for Reform at George Walton Academy