Since the beginning of March, in two separate incidents, swastikas were found in the restrooms at Jefferson Middle School. We stand in solidarity with the Jewish community in condemning all expressions and symbols of hate, exclusion, terror, and oppression. No one group has the right to decide who is allowed to sit at the table of dignity, legitimacy, and humanity. These symbols of hate are also painful reminders of the beatings, lynchings, and attacks Black people experienced at the hands of those who throughout history have promoted hatred of the “other”; those that they do not view as equal to themselves. Every person has the right to partake of the fruits of liberty, equity, and justice.
We applaud the Mt. Lebanon School District’s decision to use these incidents as teaching moments and to issue an district wide condemnation of these acts. In that spirit we encourage the district to go further, to dig deeper by adopting comprehensive human rights education, including Holocaust education, cultural, racial and religious literacy, and taking the lead in the uncomfortable, painful work of dismantling the structures and systems that have white supremacy as their foundation.
It’s true that many of us had no part in erecting a house built on inequity, pain, and exclusion that is part of our country’s history. Yet as author Isabel Wilkerson eloquently states, “but here we are, the current occupants of a property with stress cracks and bowed walls and fissures built into the foundation. We are the heirs to whatever is right or wrong with it. We did not erect the uneven pillars or joists, but they are ours to deal with now.” Let us not turn away and leave the essential work of dismantling a failed structure to someone else. We can all take part in building something new, something stronger, where differences are not just recognized, but valued and celebrated.
Signed,
