Dear Young People,

Thank you for showing us the way. Justice is a motivating force for you. The protests you are leading are proof that racial justice is long overdue in our city and our country.

We know many institutions oppress young people, and we know education systems are among them. We know that school is irrelevant to you because our generation has given you a factory model that is built on structural racism. The system produces what it intends—irrelevance for all except for the privileged students who are tracked into four year colleges.

We also know that schools could become the institutions that can help you liberate yourselves to achieve your dreams. However, in order to do this, schools must be dismantled to address their inherent racism. We see you, and we are committed to reimagining our schools to become tools for justice in our communities. In that spirit, we make this pledge:

• We will remember that our generations perpetuated the structural racism that you have inherited.
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• We will not abandon you when you are falsely accused and do not feel safe in your own community.
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• We will stand with you when you push against the power structure that you have rightly called out as unjust.
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• We will not forget that you have been the first to take the streets to call for systemic change. George Floyd’s murder is just the latest example.
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• We will remember that you were scapegoated for the destruction that followed your peaceful protests.
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• We will make mistakes and we will commit to doing better, and we make the same commitment to you when you make mistakes.

• We will not forget that you are resourceful problem solvers, especially when you are doing something that matters to you.
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• We will respect the wisdom that you bring from your lived experience to solving the seemingly intractable problems we face.
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• We will honor your calls for justice by making school a conduit for your passion.
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• We will reflect on how we, and the institutions we are part of, contribute to a racist society and will work to dismantle it.

When you take over the power structures (which we know you will), we will follow your lead.

With love,

Future Focused Education