@BlackAtUSM

To the University School of Milwaukee, 

In solidarity with local and national protests highlighting the urgency of racial justice and systemic disparities towards Black, Indigenous and People of Color that have become self-repeating and self-fulfilling; in light of recent and historic acts of police brutality against Black and Brown individuals; and in acknowledgment of the heart-breaking and disgraceful accounts of race-related trauma at USM, we are writing to demand action by USM to support its BIPOC students and Black and Brown lives everywhere. 

“University School of Milwaukee provides an exceptional independent school education in a supportive, inclusive community built on the foundation of our Common Trust,” reads the school’s mission statement. "We, the members of the University School of Milwaukee community, accept the Common Trust. We agree to relate to one another and the School with respect, trust, honesty, fairness, and kindness." 

These are noble goals. But to fulfill this mission, USM must satisfy the fundamentals: a safe, productive and inclusive learning environment for all of its students. The philosophy of in loco parentis signifies not only the supervision of youth, but also the promise of wellbeing and safety, as well as the latent transference of habits and values. 

In the past week, Black and Brown students, alumni, parents and faculty have come forward with accounts of traumatic experiences at USM (see account here). These accounts, spanning decades, include passive or overtly racist language or signage used by white students and faculty, and other expressions of race-related violence. Many accounts describe the absence of reporting mechanisms or support systems, and lack of redress following transgressions. More saddening and unsettling still are the accounts that report indifference or inaction from staff, faculty and other adult figures present - or their central involvement as instigators. In some cases, the impacted parties were merely children in the Lower School. 

The accounts make it clear these are not isolated incidents, but a damaging pattern of behavior at USM. These accounts also make it clear that the school has fallen short of its commitment to the youth it serves and their families: short of providing a safe learning environment; short of fulfilling the duties of in loco parentis; short of providing a global education infused with integrity, inclusion, and seeking the best in others; and short of instilling values becoming of a USM student or alumnus. 

For many Black and Brown alumni and current students, their USM experience is inseparable from race-related trauma. The USM alumni and student communities are actively engaging in deep discussions about our experiences and observations at USM. We are questioning the School’s commitment to building a diverse and inclusive culture, and reflecting on how best to initiate real progress on a path to healing. We ask the Board of Trustees, the Head of School, and the Administration at large: How is USM supporting our Black and Brown students today? How are we educating students about effective allyship, inherent bias, white privilege, and systematic racism in the United States and abroad? How are we going to do better?

We stand in solidarity with the many alumni, students and parents who condemn the tone and overall message in the former Head of School’s letter. We want school leadership that is actively anti-racist and commits to meaningful action. This will require hard work, discussion, and education. USM has the obligation and responsibility to undertake this work. Moreover, it is poised to lead in this space -- it has only to choose to do so. 

We propose the University School of Milwaukee commit to the following action items: 

1. Full implementation of USM’s SDLC's Anti-Racist Action Plan, in addition to:
   - The School commits to developing Leadership and Faculty Competency on anti racism, social justice and intersectionality and certifying Leadership and Faculty Competency, both as applied to on-campus interactions and in-classroom coursework.
   - The School commits to developing Student Competency on anti-racism, social justice and intersectionality and certifying Student Competency, both as applied to on campus interactions and in-classroom coursework. The school's mission obligates it to educate all students to be anti-racist and socially-engaged citizens, equipped to confront the complexity of the challenges faced by our communities.
   - The School commits to having the parents pledge in writing to anti-racism, social justice and intersectionality, both as applied to on-campus interactions and in-classroom coursework. 
   - The School commits to codifying and enacting consequences for verbal or physical violence towards BIPOC students as well as the failure to report such actions, from students as well as faculty, admins and heads. The absence of meaningful and practicable enforcement of these rules signals that Black and Brown wellbeing does not matter to USM. 

2. The school commits to hiring 15% BIPOC admins and heads across the Lower, Middle and Upper Schools within 1 year. The school commits to hiring 15% BIPOC board members within 1 year. The school commits to actively retaining newly hired BIPOC admins, heads and board members, and commits to increasing these BIPOC leadership roles 5-10% each year until USM's admins, heads and board member populations are 1/3 BIPOC. 

3. The school acknowledges and agrees that the current toxic environment is potentially traumatizing for new BIPOC teachers who would immediately be without the anti-racism support system in place. Therefore, the school commits to hiring 5-10% BIPOC teachers across the Lower, Middle and Upper Schools starting in 2022. The school further commits to increasing BIPOC teachers across the Lower, Middle and Upper Schools 5- 10% until USM's teacher population is 1/3 BIPOC. 

4. The school commits to actively increasing BIPOC students and families 5-10% each year across the Lower, Middle and Upper Schools until the BIPOC student body represents USM's current claim of 30%.

5. The school commits to an equity oversight committee as an important foundation for a strategic action plan to ensure that diversity is celebrated and inclusion guaranteed in the USM community. 

6. The school commits to carrying out these steps with the involvement of third-party auditors, making use of credible external standards and metrics, and annually or semi annually participating in an equity audit in order to provide a longitudinal picture of progress. 

7. The school commits to transparency within its community, by reporting regularly and in reasonable detail on actions adopted, outcomes observed, and adjustments to strategy as set out in items #1-#6. 

8. The school commits to transparency within its community regarding current teachers, admins, heads and board members, with all school leaders' pictures, bios and contact info on the school website. 

The University School of Milwaukee’s mission statement speaks of “Igniting a passion for learning, leadership, and service, the School prepares each student—as an individual—for success in higher education and a life of purpose. There is no higher purpose than the call for equity, equality and inclusion. No student, current or future, should have to experience race-related trauma at USM. 

I am committed to holding USM to a higher standard, and to holding the School accountable to fostering a safer and more equitable learning environment for every current and future student. I look forward to updates from USM on the school’s plans for concrete and meaningful actions towards addressing these concerns. I look forward to USM proving itself a leader in fostering a learning and living environment that empowers students of all backgrounds to thrive and develop values more becoming of a USM student and alumnus. 

Supported by: @BlackAtUSM, SEEK (Speak Engage Empower Know) Diversity Committee, Student Diversity Leadership Committee, Plurality & Inclusion Team, Latinx Affinity Group, Black Student Union, LGBT Affinity Group, Prefects 

My financial contributions to USM will be contingent upon the school's implementation of the recommendations outlined above (or similar recommendations based on third-party review).