Confronting Racial Injustice
This is a statement from Margaret Peterson, Executive Director of the California World Language Project. CLTA and I are proud to stand with CWLP and Stanford in support of all people taking a stand against racism.
In solidarity,
Tanya
Tanya Zaccone, Executive Director
California Language Teachers’ Association
exec-director@clta.net
From Margaret:
Dear Colleagues in the World Language Community,
Let me start by honoring George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Sean Reed, and the many others who lost their precious lives because of senseless acts of racial violence. I echo Stanford Provost Persis Drell condemning the violent acts of murder in the Black community and in her call to action inviting us to demand racial justice. (read Her message Here.)
We are clearly at a critical moment in history. What we do matters, and how we bring our values to what we do matters. Many of us are experiencing a wide range of emotions, and that is okay. As a white woman with all the privilege that comes along with that, I know that I don’t have all the answers, none of us do. Having conversations, listening to one another with compassion and empathy is a beginning. I call all of us in the world language community to stand with Black communities, to join with them taking a stand against racism.
In the words of Audre Lorde, from her speech, “The Master’s Tools Will Never Dismantle the Master’s House,” on September 29, 1979,
Without community there is no liberation, only the most vulnerable and temporary armistice between an individual and her oppression. But community must not mean a shedding of our differences, nor the pathetic pretense that these differences do not exist… It is learning how to take our differences and make them strengths. For the master’s tools will never dismantle the master’s house. They may allow us temporarily to beat him at his own game, but they will never enable us to bring about genuine change.
For those who have questions or want to talk more about this, please reach out to me or another person who is on the journey of doing anti-racist work.
In Solidarity,
Margaret
Margaret Peterson, Executive Director
California World Language Project
Stanford University
520 Galvez Mall
Stanford, CA 94305-3001
650.736.9042 office/650.452.2142 cell
mpeterson3@stanford.edu
Summer Seminar 2020 Postponed
Inspired by Kitty O’Meara’s “And the people stayed home”
And the teachers stayed home. And the students stayed home. The schools closed. And the minds opened. Opened to think more critically, more strategically, more powerfully. And we connected, cooperated and collaborated like never before. We talked, listened, expressed empathy, compassion and care for one another. We slowed down, took deep breaths, long walks, awakened without alarms. And we healed. Through this healing we transformed ourselves. In the words of the great Grace Lee Boggs, we transform ourselves so we can transform the world.
There is little more that need be said about how the current health crisis has affected our lives. It is with careful consideration for the health and safety of everyone that we have decided to postpone the annual CLTA-CWLP Summer Seminar until next July. We will invest in our personal and professional growth and come back even stronger next year. We hope you will join us for Summer Seminar 2021, and we will continue to empower students and teachers to become resilient global citizens!
Margaret Peterson, Executive Director
California World Language Project
Stanford University
520 Galvez Mall
Stanford, CA 94305-3001
650.736.9042 office/650.452.2142 cell
mpeterson3@stanford.edu
