Statement from the Chatham Hall Board of Trustees

Racism, discrimination, and injustice are contradictory to Chatham Hall’s sense of community and commitment to creating a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion. We are committed to taking these issues out of the shadows and out of our school as they have no place at Chatham Hall.

Chatham Hall students and all who are connected to our school must feel safe and valued. We acknowledge that we have not done enough to protect all members of our community, beginning with those who are Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) though certainly not ending there, from experiencing forms of harassment and discrimination. We regret the pain they feel. It is a stark reminder that the work we still have to do is more critical and urgent than ever.

 

Going forward, we pledge to take specific action to make anti-discrimination and justice an explicit plank of Chatham Hall’s mission and strategic thinking. We commit to ensuring that diversity, inclusion, equity, and justice are specifically highlighted as part of our school’s mission. We also pledge an on-going commitment to learning and questioning our own biases as part of embracing both cross-cultural competency and cultural humility.

 

Chatham Hall's strongest asset is its strength of community. We’re a small school built on trust through the Honor Code and Purple and Golden Rule, so when members of our community are harmed, it is the responsibility of everyone to acknowledge their pain and commit, as a community, to honor our rich diversity and build a more inclusive future.  Our heritage in the Episcopal tradition and values of honesty, humility, grace, and compassion help guide us.

 

We ask that our community - students, faculty, staff, alumnae and parents - hold us, the Board of Trustees, accountable to these commitments.

 

We must address racism and all discrimination with a purposeful and strategic response at the Board level, in addition to the crucial work that is being undertaken by the school, under Rector Rachel Connell’s leadership, as indicated most recently in her letter to the community dated July 20, 2020. We know there is much to do. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) work has been ongoing for the Board and we continue to listen, learn, and implement further expeditious action. The Board will immediately execute the following:

We realize that an acknowledgement of the hurt felt by some members of our Chatham Hall community is only a first step, and we, the Board of Trustees, pledge to show our commitment to change through our actions. This is important work to support everyone in the Chatham Hall community and to ensure a bright future for our school. In this letter, we have set out our immediate actions; there will be more to come as we add more specificity to our plan and timeline.

 

It is time to move forward with mindful, sensitive, and decisive discussions to help us toward the inclusive and equitable Chatham Hall community that we all want and deserve.

 

Esto Perpetua,

 

Sarah Monarchi Longpré ‘84