I am writing to praise Bromfield students and notably the Class of 2020. Thank you for standing up for all lives by including Black lives in your most recent message on the rock. It is welcome and needed. BLM is inherently a message about valuing humanity rather than anything political. However, it will take civic engagement to realize. I am proud of the Bromfield and Harvard communities for taking the first steps toward education and responsibility.
Our country and the systems that keep it going have historically benefited, and continue to benefit, mostly white people. The best time to address this would have been in 1619, the second-best time would have been anytime within the last 400 years, and the third-best time is today.
It is greatly appreciated that the message on the rock is more than a performative measure. I am thankful for the hundreds of past, current, and future Bromfield families who are standing together to insist on an updated and inclusive curriculum. While there is no doubt our remarkable Harvard public school teachers and administrators care deeply about inclusivity, we must expand the stories we tell ourselves about the history of America in order to do better now and in the future.
There have been several important and valuable forums held on racism. The school-sponsored forums were a place to have meaningful conversations that we should continue to engage in, no matter how uncomfortable. Change within the curriculum will have a wider and more meaningful impact.
While I, too, ask that curriculum updates are prioritized, I understand budget constraints (especially during a global health emergency). We can always ask three questions which will expand and examine any current curriculum. Best of all, asking the following questions is free: Who wrote this? Who benefits from it? Who was left out?
We have so much work to do. Thank you to the Bromfield Class of 2020 for the visual reminder and prompt to action.
Jen Manell
Stow Road
