Dear WSG Community,

We have watched the current events with sadness in our hearts.

As a Catholic school community focused on justice and equity for our students, we work each day to help our students work towards their dreams for their lives. We know that each student is a child of God. We also know that our students may be among the most underserved and overlooked in society. For over 20 years, WSG has remained true to the mission of our school – to serve those girls in SE Washington DC; young Black and Brown girls. Since our founding, our school has been one where their voices are heard, where they are affirmed every day for who they are, and where we know they have the potential to enact change in their communities and the world.

We believe these girls matter and our commitment has always been to amplify their voices, and to support them in becoming the strongest versions of themselves.

While we want each student to feel safe, and to confidently know her worth, we also know it is hard to feel safe when you constantly see people who look like you experiencing violence at the hands of those who are supposed to protect our communities. It is hard to know your worth when discourse focuses more on the financial cost of property damage than the human cost of a lost life that could have been your father, your sister, or your cousin.

It is hard to experience joy when you so rarely see justice.

At WSG our daily morning prayer reminds us of the need to pray for others to join us on this journey.

We pray:

To forgive: that we might answer violence and hatred with love and compassion;

To reverence others: that we might see and honor God’s presence in all people; and

To cherish education and the exercise of our civil liberties: that we might work to bring about a peaceful and just world.

We can prepare our girls to enter diverse high schools and we can help them build emotional resilience. We can, and do, challenge our own biases so we can be better educators for them. But a WSG education does not change how strangers judge our students. It does not erase our society’s stereotypes of Black women, it does not guarantee that those they encounter will recognize their excellence. Our work is important. But it is not enough. Our girls deserve a better world.

During this time of unrest, we feel it is important to state that we remain committed to our school mission and core values. In addition,

• We stand with those who are exercising their civil liberties to bring about a peaceful and just world.
• We denounce racism of any kind, at any time.
• We are appalled by the continued unjustified use of force by police within Black communities.
• We pray for and with families who have suffered unimaginable loss.

We pray for a future where everyone in our country feels safe, is valued equally, and can experience joy that is uninterrupted by injustice.

In the Spirit of Courageous Women,

Dr. Beth Reaves

President

Maureen B. McCarty

Chair, Board of Trustees