Speech & Language

Katie Lee, M.S. CCC-SLP

Desirae Frye, SLPA

A Statement on Black Lives Matter from the Speech-Language Pathologists of the  North Clackamas School District 

We won’t be silent.

As NCSD Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs), we affirm that Black lives matter, Black voices matter and our Black students and Black families matter. It is our passion and responsibility to help our students, each one of our students, discover their voices. We guide and empower our students to improve their abilities to communicate with others. For our black and brown students, their words can cost them their lives. Once again, on May 25th, the world witnessed the brutality of racism. George Floyd's breath was cut off by the weight of hundreds of years of white supremacy and by the knee of a police officer who was supposed to safeguard his life. We acknowledge the brutal history of the founding of this nation and the institutional racism that has plagued and continues to infect our society at the expense of the health, safety and wellbeing of Black people and all People of Color. 

Change begins with having honest, informed and open discussions with our children. We are committed to fostering the requisite language abilities in our students and intentionally incorporating content and literature that is representative of Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC). We have a responsibility as members of the NCSD community, clinicians and educators, and humans, for the welfare of everyone we serve. 

Echoing a recent statement released by an over 130 strong collective of SLPs for Justice, “...we condemn anti-Black racism, systemic and structural anti-Blackness, and the biases that are perpetuated against Black individuals that threaten their lives and silence their voices. We advocate for justice and equality in our daily work, committing to interrupting racism and speaking out against systemic oppression and police brutality, which historically have, and continue to threaten, the lives of the Black community.” 

We are here to listen, to learn, to support, and to advocate. 

We won’t be silent.