A MESSAGE FROM 

Principal Santos

Every February, Black History Month brings opportunities for sharing stories of empowerment, but also meaningful stories about our own community that otherwise might be tragically forgotten. These buried stories provide context for understanding many of our enduring, racial divisions. We retell these stories so that when we relive their circumstances, we will recognize opportunities for betterment and break the lasting cycles of injustice. As we enter this week of Black History AND Kindness Week, here are some ways to incorporate a celebration of both taken from our own staff members, community members and online resources!

1. Learn About the Past of Our Local Community– Learn the racial history of our own Dallas community. You might consider visiting the Old Red Museum, The African American History Museum at Fair Park, Founders Square or take a Hidden History DFW Tour. Learn about Historical Pioneers, and read local racial history books like White Metropolis, Time Change, or The Accommodation. These are available for free at the Dallas Public Library.  

2. Reflect on Past Mistakes – A great first step toward reconciliation would be a reflection of the actions taken by our ancestors that contributed to the diminishing of others. Forgiveness and compassion are always linked. How do we hold others and ourselves for wrongdoing and tap into compassion and belief in their capacity to change?

3. Know Your Community Now – Keep up with the local news. There are stories about racial tensions, debates about gentrification, displacing the poor and systemically disadvantaged, homelessness, refugees and disparities in opportunities. Being informed is important to being an advocate for others. Knowing the history as well as the present helps you make sense of your context. 

4. Take Steps Forward and Get Involved – It is not as simple as having a friend who is not the same ethnicity as you, however, that is a great place to start. Consider your closest friends and the places you spend time in. How could you truly show your love on those who are different than you? Another good way to start is by reading books, listening to music and watching films made by those who are different from you. Identify the marginalized people around you and those working with them. Think about who is being forgotten in Dallas today and make your voice heard for them.

6. Live With Purpose– Consider where you live, where you work and how you spend your leisure time. Could you break with the stereotypes of segregation and choose to seek out places where you can make a difference by being different? 

"Black History Month promises new hope. It is not merely for the sake of reflection. It lives on so that through retrospection, we might better develop institutions and individuals rooted in equity and unity. So that divides might be broken down. So that differences of all varieties might be appreciated. And so that we might all love our neighbors as ourselves."

LET'S MAKE THIS AN AWESOME WEEK!