Hello, Uncommon Friends and Family —
Our hearts are heavy after the senseless acts of violence and domestic terrorism this past weekend. Our thoughts are with the victims, their families and loved ones, and the entire Dayton and bi-national El Paso communities. We send our love and support to those in the Uncommon community who have been affected by these tragedies, either directly or indirectly, and we stand in solidarity and outrage.
As an organization, we believe in making our voice heard and taking a stand for what is right. We are sickened by the hate and racism against Latinos and immigrants spewed by the gunman in El Paso. This is yet more irrefutable evidence that white supremacy and white nationalism is a pressing domestic threat in our country and it must be faced urgently and head-on. It is imperative that our leaders and legislators work together to take action and that we step up as a nation to put a stop to this, as described in this article by The New York Times editorial board. We must hold our leaders responsible for their words and for what they fail to say, as well as for their actions and their failure to change their inaction.
As educators, we play a vitally important role. It is our responsibility to educate ourselves, to reinforce values and the importance of civic responsibility for our students, and to equip them with the knowledge and tools to become active, engaged, caring citizens of this country. When the school year starts in a couple of weeks, we must ensure each one of our students is seen, taught, loved, and heard. We will continue to engage our students in discussions about these important issues and how they can make their voices heard, and we will do the same as an organization.
Reaching students matters. Leading with love matters. Building strong communities and creating dialogue matters. Supporting each other matters. All of us at Uncommon are dedicated to teaching the next generation to choose love over hate, inspiring and educating our scholars as we work to change history.
Brett Peiser
Chief Executive Officer