Much more than a crisis

A message from the Washington Student Achievement Council.

Crisis is defined as a time of intense difficulty, trouble or danger. Many of us have used that word to refer to the murder of George Floyd. Covid-19 is a crisis. Racism, oppression and repeated murders are far beyond any notion of a crisis – these acts are a never-ending stain on this nation.
 
Black Americans do not face this evil for a time. It has been a horrible fact of life for over four centuries. And it’s not a matter of intense difficulty, trouble OR danger. It is all these combined and more.

I cannot begin to understand the pain experienced by people of color subjected to everything from violence to petty insults or clueless assumptions about who they are or what they do for a living or anything else. This is not about my feelings or experiences. It is about what each of us will do for the rest of our lives – together as colleagues and individually as Americans.
 
We understand our work within the WSAC community cannot continue as usual. We must support our colleagues and friends in whatever way they choose. Right now, any staff member who needs support in any way can reach out to their most comfortable point of contact: Karen Moton-Tate (Director of Human Resources), their team leader, any member of our executive leadership team or me. We will devote our All Staff meeting on Thursday, June 4, to a community conversation.
 
I often struggle to speak to these issues, in part because my privileged position might mean it is better for me to listen than to talk. I waited too long, and I regret that. Hopefully, I have expressed myself with the empathy and humility that I hope to achieve.

Michael P. Meotti
Executive Director
Washington Student Achievement Council