22 CROSSROADS SCHOOL FOR OR ARTS & SCIEN SCIENCES ENC NCES
COVER STORY
CROSSROADS REAFFIRMS ITS COMMITMENT TO CREATE CHANGE WITHIN OUR NATION, WITHIN OUR COMMUNITY AND WITHIN OUR SCHOOL.
It was a hard letter to write. Now in his second year as the founding director of Crossroads’ Equity & Justice Institute, Derric J. Johnson’s background is in politics, where he has fought to increase policing accountability and to decrease officer-involved shootings. He is a lifelong social justice activist. He is also a Black man. So when widespread protests followed the brutal murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police, Derric knew the School community would turn to him for words of wisdom, comfort and hope. Despite the enormity of the task, Derric sat down at his computer and composed a powerful missive on systemic racism in America, reminding readers that the roots of the Black Lives Matter movement are hundreds of years in the making. And he challenged white allies to dismantle white supremacy, noting, “Working for change is a daily commitment; it is difficult and (most times) there are only incremental wins. Civic engagement is not seasonal; it does not only occur when there is unrest. It is 24/7/365.”
Working for change has long been a guiding principle of Crossroads. The School was founded in 1971, taking inspiration from the civil rights, anti-war and feminist movements. One of our five founding commitments is the development of a racially diverse student body. Today, 47% of our students identify as students of color. Yet as Derric astutely notes, this work is a daily commitment. As an independent school rooted in social justice, Crossroads must continually assess and improve the inclusivity of our campuses, examine our curricula for white/Western bias and educate students and employees alike on racism, microaggressions and inequities. In his own letter to the Crossroads community, Head of School Bob Riddle stated, “While it should not have taken the senseless and brutal murders of more Black Americans to cause much of white America to wake up, I think we all share a collective hope that this may be that moment, one that leads to significant and lasting change.”
From top: Derric J. Johnson introduced “White Fragility” author Robin DiAngelo on March 4. First grader Jax Gross and his family attended the June 1 Black Lives Matter rally in Santa Monica.
