Dear Principal Kathleen Moran and Members the Holy Trinity Administration,

We, the members of the Holy Trinity community undersigned, urge you to do more than make a statement and, through action, support the Black community, who are currently putting their lives and health at stake to protest in the name of justice. George Floyd’s death is one among many-- Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, and Ahmaud Arbery were killed just in the past few weeks, as well as countless others whose names have circulated the internet, and Christian Cooper’s life was put at stake barely a week ago as he went birding in Central Park. There are more lives lost; friends, family, and communities suffering as the police violently strike back at protestors seeking amends. This is by no means new-- the police have been murdering Black Americans for decades. In 2019, only twenty-seven of the three hundred and sixty-five day year saw no civilian death at police hands-- it is three times more likely those murdered were Black than white.

As a community, it is time for us to take action in supporting our Black students, faculty, staff, and alumni. They are hurting and it is our job, as a school community, to support them. Education is not and cannot be apolitical, especially not here at Holy Trinity, where we publicly pride ourselves on our values of unity and respect. A 2019 study in the Lancet found that when police kill an unarmed Black person, other Black people in that state suffer tangible harm to their collective mental health-- Holy Trinity must step up and support Black lives both in our community and out of it. We cannot stand by and be silent right now. The Holy Trinity community is passing around information and support via social media-- we are sharing resources and supporting friends-- but we, especially as students and alumni, do not have the most power here. As leaders of this community, you have a responsibility to our Black students, faculty, staff, and alumni to openly and loudly affirm that they are safe at school from racism and discrimination. 

We urge you to use your power as an administrator and the face of this community to take a stand. Public acts of allyship must be made in order to make Holy Trinity and our larger state and national communities safer, more critical, and more inclusive. How are we helping our Black students, faculty, staff, and alumni? What resources have been offered to them? How are we working with our non-Black community to remind them that inherent bias runs deep and that we are each responsible for unlearning racism? We do a deep disservice to ourselves by turning a blind eye and pretending that these events aren’t impacting all of us. It is time for Holy Trinity itself to take that stand.

We also would like to acknowledge Holy Trinity’s failure in responding to past events involving the dignity of Black lives in which the administration’s voice needed to be heard but was met with silence. This issue, as stated above, is not new, is systemic, and has directly affected the Black community of Holy Trinity within and outside of the school itself. This is the administration’s opportunity to move forward and act in a way that aligns with the school’s mission. This will not excuse or make up for past failures, but will be a step towards addressing the issue.  

We respectfully recommend that you take the following actions:

1. Release a statement of support for Black protesters across the country, showing Holy Trinity students, faculty, staff, and alumni that the school truly believes in its mission statement.
2. Provide support to the Holy Trinity community, especially our Black community members. This includes spreading and sharing information, resources, and support with the community’s power.
3. Use our resources to spread information (this might include offering resources to white individuals so they might learn how to respond without demanding anything of the Black people in their circles, as well as offering coping mechanisms for grief and trauma to Black individuals who are going through an incredibly difficult time right now).
4. Acknowledge the past failures of the Holy Trinity administration to properly support the Black members of this community from racism and discrimination.

Moving forward, let us:

1. Support those who are risking their health and safety through actions, including but not limited to, donating funds, resources, and time.
2. Seek out and hire Black teachers and faculty so that Black students can see themselves reflected in those providing education. 
3. Hold honest and open conversations about racism and the unlearning that must be done in the pursuit of truth.
4. Respect and honor the diversity of our community by respecting and honoring Black community members.
5. Foster and grow our local and national community through doing what we can with the power we have.
6. Prepare our graduates and community for citizenship of our community, nation, and world by showing them how Holy Trinity responds in a crisis.

We invite you to join your community in supporting and aiding one another as we seek to bring justice to our nation, as well as to honor those who have lost their lives to this injustice. We welcome your response and continued discussion.

A number of organizations and community leaders have stepped up to help organize action. A few are found below, which might act as both educational resources and possible places for Holy Trinity to connect with and support. These include (but are not limited to):

Black Lives Matter, New York Chapter - blacklivesmatternyc.com
Court Watch NY - courtwatchnyc.org
NY Emergency Release Fund - emergencyreleasefund.com
National Lawyers Guild NY - nlgnyc.org

We, the undersigned, support the protestors fighting for equity, justice, and Black lives.