Dear Friends,
On Friday, our Boston Prep community observed Juneteenth. Now, with President Biden’s newest legislation, Juneteenth is officially a federal holiday, commemorating the end of slavery in the United States, when, on June 19, 1865, news of the Emancipation Proclamation reached Galveston, Texas (at that time, the most remote Confederate state).
Recognizing Juneteenth as a federal holiday is an important and necessary step, though we are reminded, as Renee Graham wrote in The Boston Globe, that “symbolism alone can’t deliver the legislative changes that transform lives.” As Representative Chynah Tyler said earlier this week at the raising of the flag in honor of Juneteenth at the State House, “After 156 years, we have made significant progress. But in the year 2021, Black folks are still only free-ish.”
As we look to the challenging and immensely critical work that lies ahead, I continue to find my greatest inspiration in Boston Prep’s amazing students. Thursday, as we completed the last day of this most complex school year, Kalis, an 11th grade student, completed her final project for her Art Studio course - a portrait of Trayvon Martin composed entirely out of Skittles candies.
As I looked upon Kalis’s tremendous creation, I was completely awe-struck. The more I lingered over the intricacies of her creation, the more it seemed to me an apt metaphor for this moment in our shared journey toward liberation and equity. In her work, I see many reminders that I will carry with me as we continue our shared efforts at Boston Prep to put anti-racism at the center of our work.
We must understand and own our past. Just as Kalis used her artwork to honor Trayvon Martin, whose life was tragically taken in 2012, we must learn about and from our past as a school. By listening and understanding the lived experiences of students, alumni, families, and teachers, we must continue to name and own where and how we have caused harm in our community. This understanding forces us to reckon with our own history and be accountable for it. Accountability is not justice, but it is a necessary step as we work together to pursue liberation.
Tremendous outcomes take commitment over time. True progress is not achieved overnight; nor was Kalis’s creation. Rarely do broad, bold strokes make the most impact. Instead, small efforts, bit by bit, day by day, have the capacity to create transformational change. In the midst of the process, it can be hard, at times, to see where the outcomes are headed, but we cannot deviate from the work.
True change comes through community members designing together. Each of those small Skittles is entirely common on its own, not unlike any other Skittle. But together, they are a truly unique masterpiece of tremendous power. In his final essay, John Lewis stated, “Ordinary people with extraordinary vision can redeem the soul of America.” Indeed, like those ordinary Skittles, what we can achieve when we come together, when we listen deeply to one another, when we design for the future in community, is extraordinary.
We must embrace innovation and new ideas. If we continue to do the same things we have done in the past, in the same ways we have always done them, we will not achieve liberation, justice, and equity. When Kalis looked at a bag of Skittles, she saw not a sugary treat as most do, but instead a tool to create beauty. If we, too, embrace new ideas and new ways of working together, then surely we, too, can create something worthy of our students’ brilliance, our families’ faith in our schools, and our team members’ innovative spirits and mission-driven hearts.
I look forward to sharing more with you about Boston Prep’s journey toward liberation and equity for all in the months to come. This journey is one we walk together, as a Phoenix Family. Thank you for joining us in this important work. I am certain that together, we will rise.
Be well,
Sharon Liszanckie
Executive Director
Learn more about Juneteenth