All criticism aside, I believe St. Andrew’s is a school with a lot of potential. It has money, reputation, and resources. It just needs to be brave enough to instill a revolutionary change. The Brokeback Mountain controversy is an example where St. Andrew’s was courageous. We ask that St. Andrew takes a courageous stand on the issue of diversity. We ask that St. Andrew’s will be a revolutionary example of a white-flight school that has addressed and worked to remedy its history, its issues, its traumas. We ask that the students of color for once get truly recognized. With the ongoing Black Lives Matter movement, it is important that the St. Andrew’s ‘community’ takes many moments to reflect. Is St. Andrew’s an ally or an enemy? What does it say about St. Andrew’s when ‘all lives matter’ is the common mentality and silence is the commodity? What is the St. Andrew’s ‘community’ doing during this time? Black Lives Matter highlights the consequences of racism so strong that it has permeated every institution. As a predominantly white institution, St. Andrew’s needs to make a decision. Is it going to do better and undergo radical change, or stay the same and continue its abuses? "The ultimate tragedy is not the oppression & cruelty by the bad people but the silence over that by the good people" (Martin Luther King Jr).
All in all, St. Andrew’s has a lot of work to do, but everyone knows that. What everyone doesn’t know is the real consequences and trauma that are inflicted upon the marginalized students of color when work is being put off. A true community that promotes true belonging doesn’t require you to change who you are; it requires you to be who you are (Brené Brown). When will students of color finally belong at St. Andrew’s, instead of being just another statistic? Another face on the web page? There mustn't be more delays, excuses, and empty promises and assurances. The time to act is now.