With Humility and an Open Heart
A follow-up statement from Head of School Laura Danforth regarding the @blackattms Instagram account
June 26, 2020
Dear Masters Community,
Over the past few days, my colleagues and I have been immersed in the painful and searing testimonies that are actively populating the @blackattms Instagram account. The posts, comments and tags on social media have brought us to a time of reckoning.
First and foremost, on behalf of the School, I deeply apologize for the pain and suffering that Black students and other students of color have endured at Masters, whether in the past or in the present.
To those raising their voices to call for change: We hear you and are determined to regain your trust. We will use your testimonies to further provide equity and belonging for all the members of our community.
In recent weeks, I have engaged in numerous conversations about racism with our board chair, alumnae/i, current students, parents, faculty and other educators, and it is clear to me that we are in need of intensive, restorative, reparative dialogue as well as action.
No later than Monday, July 13, I will announce an anti-racism action plan that will be put into effect swiftly and will cover every area of our School. It will include revisions to our policies and protocols; a reporting mechanism for racist incidents; a commitment to diversify our leadership, faculty and curriculum; opportunities for dialogue and more.
My goal is that this plan will make us all feel proud, hopeful and galvanized as a community. I pledge that this effort will serve to hold us all accountable and be worthy of our mission.
We are committed to walking the walk and to actively, thoughtfully, kindly and lovingly do whatever it takes to be and remain a community that does not tolerate racism of any sort. We are all part of this community, and I hope you will join me with a generous spirit and a courageous faith in the potential for the human family.
With hope and gratitude,
Laura Danforth
Head of School
The Masters School
