Dear St Anne’s Community,

As we continue building a legacy of humility, love, and justice, we seek moments to honor the vibrancy we find in human beings. Through our heritage months and identity recognition events, we create collaborative engagement with communities, offer growth moments for self-work and reflection, and hold to the founding values that we all commit to. Acknowledging that cultural programming is a powerful tool that establishes creative placemaking for relationships is essential. However, the overarching goal is to inspire you to feed your curiosity about our world. 

Following my New Year Greater Me message from our January All School Chapel, I began to reflect on the joys these moments bring and the importance of ensuring awareness of our efforts. If you do not know, how can you participate? I want to welcome you to enjoy our community involvement with Black History Month. The offerings will center on historical context, better understanding the issues faced by our fellow community members, working towards creating a more inclusive and equitable environment, and, of course, joy.

To highlight just a few, our middle school students will have the opportunity to take a deep dive into the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. in an orator contest. “Beyond the Dream” will bring us together beyond the I Have a Dream speech. One St. Anne’s will host a virtual civil rights tour called Good Trouble. The framing for this event will trace the history of the Civil Rights Movement and its impact on who we are today, including an essential look at voting rights, with live-streaming views in neighborhoods important to the Movement. As you can see, we will continue to be intentional in our honoring and learnings. Be sure to check the community communications (FYI, classroom newsletters, etc) for events and resources that center our community in understanding and action, not just for ourselves but for those around us.

With all that said, let us unite as a community in solidarity to celebrate and honor Black History Month. Let us strive to embody these values in our daily lives and actions within our community and beyond.

“We are strong enough to stand tall tearlessly, we are brave enough to bend to cry, and we are sad enough to know that we must laugh again.”

~Nikki Giovanni

In Encouragement, Joy, and Comradery,

Miriah Royal 

Director of Community, Belonging, and Engagement