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Cover Story: Black Lives Matter
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.
From top: Alana Cotwright ‘20 and rising senior Nora Cazenave helped organize a June 9 protest through the streets of Culver City.
Anyone who expects Crossroads students to sit around patiently waiting for adults to effect change has clearly never met a Crossroads student. Through class projects, student-led clubs and rallies staged on campus and in the streets, our students are active participants in the struggle for racial justice.
So it was no surprise, then, when Alana Cotwright ’20 and rising senior Nora Cazenave co-organized a Black Lives Matter protest along with peers from Culver City High School. As Nora explained, “We were excited about having a student-led protest with student speakers, because a lot of people our age are really angry right now, and have a lot to say.”
The June 9 march began at Veterans Memorial Park with powerful testimonies from students including Nora, rising senior Beza Lulseged and Kai McAliley ’20. As Alana led them in chants, approximately 1,000 protestors peacefully marched through downtown Culver City, ending at the Culver City Police Department.
COVER STORY
As an institution, Crossroads is taking significant steps toward ensuring racial equity on our campuses. Some are in response to this current moment: All K-12 teachers are reexamining their curricula with an eye toward elevating the voices, histories and struggles of people of color. Our senior leadership team will review the School’s policies and practices to ensure that they do not lead to racist or otherwise discriminatory outcomes.
Many other initiatives are both well-established and ongoing. The Equity & Justice Institute team has researched and outlined what will become our fully embedded, intentional K-12 social justice curriculum, and will work with team of K-12
teachers this fall to further develop the curriculum. In the upcoming school year, the Institute’s Younes and Soraya Nazarian Equity & Justice Distinguished Lecture Series will host another impressive slate of authors, historians and activists. Details will be announced soon.
One of the goals of the School’s current strategic plan is to “enhance a sense of belonging and inclusion.” Shared committee chair Amy Walia-Fazio, Director of Secondary Admission, “Our committee is focused on assessing the experiences of all members of our diverse community, including the experiences and realities of our BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) students, employees, parents/guardians and alumni. While we have strong systems of inclusion in place, we know we have room to grow and enhance our programs.”
Our alumni are among the most outspoken members of the Crossroads family on topics related to racial and social justice. We are proud of their commitment to these issues and look forward to hosting the fourth annual Alumni of Color gathering on Sept. 20. (See story on page 38.) These events offer alumni from all generations the chance to connect with one another, faculty and staff and to speak openly and honestly about the joys and challenges of being a student of color at Crossroads. The insights of our alumni are an invaluable resource as the School continues to work toward substantive change.
Dismantling centuries of systemic racism and oppression will not happen overnight. It will require painful introspection and meaningful action from individuals, communities, institutions and governments. As a School with a founding commitment to “the greater good,” we must remain this fight and believe that it is winnable.
In this, we have role models to follow: our students. Crossroads Athletics Director and parent Ira Smith accompanied his adolescent sons to the student-led march in Culver City. “As a Black man with Black children, I recognize that educating them through this has been painful at times but necessary all of the time,” he wrote in a reflection about the experience.
Ira found himself awed by the passion and conviction of the Crossroads students who stood up, spoke their truth and demanded reform, accountability and equality under the rule of law.
Ninth grader Charley Ordeshook created this piece for her Studio 1 Visual Arts class project “The Personal Is Political: Creating Political Graphics in a Time of Chaos and Change.”
Melanin
By Zoie Noelle Brogdon
Is it scary?
To me the dark is beauty and acceptance.
To the world
Simply put, it’s terrifying.
Why am I a threat?
Is it because my skin, my grace, my culture,
Holds more power than the whip you crack over our backs
As you tell us to build your world.
Why are you kneeling on our necks?
Is it because you are afraid that if we breathe,
Our toxic words will infect your soul
And show you the truth.
I can’t breathe.
My throat is closing, my body is limp, and I cry out for help.
But you don’t care.
All because my skin is the same color
As the thing you were afraid of as a child,
The dark.
Zoie, a rising 10th grader, was invited to perform her poem as part of the Grand Park + The Music Center’s Fourth of July Block Party: Home Edition.
