Confronting the Gaze of Centuries-Old Racism, in Curricula and in Ourselves
The words from 1903 could have been written today.
“The problem of the twentieth century is the problem of the color line—the problem of the darker to the lighter races of men and women in Asia and Africa, in America and the islands of the sea.”
At Groton’s first faculty meeting of the 2020–21 school year, Headmaster Temba Maqubela shared this prophetic language of W.E.B. Dubois, the first African American to earn a doctorate from Harvard, while stressing the continuing imperative for racial justice today and the need to examine Groton’s curriculum for racism.
"We cannot and will not be exhausted in seeking truth. We cannot and will not look away from injustice," he told the faculty. "We cannot and will not avoid the gaze of the ugliness of centuries-old racism. We must act to transform our curricula and liberate ourselves while empowering the children we teach."
In his opening address to faculty—a few socially distanced and masked in St. John’s Chapel and the rest participating remotely—Mr. Maqubela first encouraged humanity and open-mindedness during a most unusual school year, dominated by preparations for the COVID-19 pandemic. Then the headmaster, who has dedicated his life to the fight for racial equality, delivered an impassioned anti-racist appeal. “Not only were we all created equally or evolved from the same ancestors,” he said, “we are all on borrowed time and merely passing through this great institution. Therefore, we should waste no time in affirming that Black Lives Do Indeed Matter and anti-Black racism is real, not imagined. And we will play our part in eradicating it in our curriculum.” He stressed the need for curricular change across all academic disciplines and called upon all educators “to heed this call to action.”
How to accomplish this? Mr. Maqubela posed the question and then answered it: “In how and what we teach. Let us bring the voices of Maya Angelou, James Baldwin, Sojourner Truth, Ntozake Shange—let us bring their work out of the dark and obscure corners and periphery of academia into the center of our curricula. Their works should no longer be for intellectual curiosity and inquisitive minds. They should be centered in what we teach.”
Mr. Maqubela also honored those who have recently suffered because of their skin color, purposefully reciting their names—"Tamir Rice, Elijah McClain, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, Jacob Blake . . ." He also paid tribute to the four activists who will join Groton’s iconic collection of Schoolroom busts this year, underscoring the importance of visible inclusion.
“The problem of the twentieth century is the problem of the color line—the problem of the darker to the lighter races of men and women in Asia and Africa, in America and the islands of the sea.”
At Groton’s first faculty meeting of the 2020–21 school year, Headmaster Temba Maqubela shared this prophetic language of W.E.B. Dubois, the first African American to earn a doctorate from Harvard, while stressing the continuing imperative for racial justice today and the need to examine Groton’s curriculum for racism.
"We cannot and will not be exhausted in seeking truth. We cannot and will not look away from injustice," he told the faculty. "We cannot and will not avoid the gaze of the ugliness of centuries-old racism. We must act to transform our curricula and liberate ourselves while empowering the children we teach."
In his opening address to faculty—a few socially distanced and masked in St. John’s Chapel and the rest participating remotely—Mr. Maqubela first encouraged humanity and open-mindedness during a most unusual school year, dominated by preparations for the COVID-19 pandemic. Then the headmaster, who has dedicated his life to the fight for racial equality, delivered an impassioned anti-racist appeal. “Not only were we all created equally or evolved from the same ancestors,” he said, “we are all on borrowed time and merely passing through this great institution. Therefore, we should waste no time in affirming that Black Lives Do Indeed Matter and anti-Black racism is real, not imagined. And we will play our part in eradicating it in our curriculum.” He stressed the need for curricular change across all academic disciplines and called upon all educators “to heed this call to action.”
How to accomplish this? Mr. Maqubela posed the question and then answered it: “In how and what we teach. Let us bring the voices of Maya Angelou, James Baldwin, Sojourner Truth, Ntozake Shange—let us bring their work out of the dark and obscure corners and periphery of academia into the center of our curricula. Their works should no longer be for intellectual curiosity and inquisitive minds. They should be centered in what we teach.”
Mr. Maqubela also honored those who have recently suffered because of their skin color, purposefully reciting their names—"Tamir Rice, Elijah McClain, Breonna Taylor, George Floyd, Jacob Blake . . ." He also paid tribute to the four activists who will join Groton’s iconic collection of Schoolroom busts this year, underscoring the importance of visible inclusion.
"As a prisoner in South Africa, Mahatma Gandhi refused to accept salt in his food since Black South Africans were denied salt in theirs. Eleanor Roosevelt answered the call from Dr. King to commemorate the Montgomery bus boycott. Rosa Parks sat so that we could stand unbowed. Nelson Mandela looked defiantly at a possible death sentence and said, 'But if needs be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die.' It is for their actions and their truths that the trustees are adding their busts to the Schoolroom. It is to acknowledge that these heroes and 'sheroes' are seen and that their fight for justice was not in vain."
Before concluding his talk with passages from Maya Angelous’s poem, “And Still I Rise,” the headmaster also announced the first building named for an African American at Groton—the Wanda C. Hill House, inside the new Gardner Village faculty residence. "Two Black sons, alumni of Groton School, honored their mother and ensured that—for posterity—at Groton School, Black Lives Will Always Matter," he said. Throughout her career, Wanda Hill, a former Groton trustee, paved the way for hundreds of students of color to attend boarding schools; her sons Gary and Stephen are current and former trustees, respectively.
Mr. Maqubela’s inspirational address followed an introduction and prayer by the Reverend Allison Read, who kicked off the faculty meeting alongside Groton's spiritual leaders of other faiths. The Reverend Read joins Groton as chaplain after thirteen years as chaplain and dean of spiritual and religious life at Trinity College in Connecticut.
Following the headmaster’s address, the meeting moved on to informational sessions about pandemic protocols and workshops on diversity and inclusion. The meetings, which span three days, featured sessions on hybrid learning, including two Global Online Academy workshops, one on designing classes for hybrid blocks and the other on humanizing online spaces. Several hours were dedicated to work with Dr. Liza Talusan, who facilitated conversations about diversity, anti-racism, bias, and privilege, urging faculty to delve into the influences that inform their personal outlooks. She emphasized the differences between diversity, inclusion, equity, and justice, which often are erroneously used interchangeably, and through various exercises encouraged deep and honest reflection. The Zoom meeting broke frequently into small break-out groups to discuss the provocative questions that Dr. Talusan provided and to probe what they might mean at Groton.
Before concluding his talk with passages from Maya Angelous’s poem, “And Still I Rise,” the headmaster also announced the first building named for an African American at Groton—the Wanda C. Hill House, inside the new Gardner Village faculty residence. "Two Black sons, alumni of Groton School, honored their mother and ensured that—for posterity—at Groton School, Black Lives Will Always Matter," he said. Throughout her career, Wanda Hill, a former Groton trustee, paved the way for hundreds of students of color to attend boarding schools; her sons Gary and Stephen are current and former trustees, respectively.
Mr. Maqubela’s inspirational address followed an introduction and prayer by the Reverend Allison Read, who kicked off the faculty meeting alongside Groton's spiritual leaders of other faiths. The Reverend Read joins Groton as chaplain after thirteen years as chaplain and dean of spiritual and religious life at Trinity College in Connecticut.
Following the headmaster’s address, the meeting moved on to informational sessions about pandemic protocols and workshops on diversity and inclusion. The meetings, which span three days, featured sessions on hybrid learning, including two Global Online Academy workshops, one on designing classes for hybrid blocks and the other on humanizing online spaces. Several hours were dedicated to work with Dr. Liza Talusan, who facilitated conversations about diversity, anti-racism, bias, and privilege, urging faculty to delve into the influences that inform their personal outlooks. She emphasized the differences between diversity, inclusion, equity, and justice, which often are erroneously used interchangeably, and through various exercises encouraged deep and honest reflection. The Zoom meeting broke frequently into small break-out groups to discuss the provocative questions that Dr. Talusan provided and to probe what they might mean at Groton.
Early in Dr. Talusan's presentation, she acknowledged: “Talking about race can be overwhelming.” For many, that proved to be true. And Groton will keep on talking.
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