Nov 21, 2022

HSA General Meeting Recap

HSA General Meeting #2: Lafayette-Pointer Park History: Where We’ve Been and Taking Action Today

Thank you to everyone who joined our second HSA General Meeting of the year. We learned about the history of Lafayette-Pointer Park from Cate Atkinson of Historic Chevy Chase, D.C. and James Fisher, who is a 7th generation direct descendant of George Pointer.

Lafayette Peace Teacher and Racial Equity Committee Co-Leader Ms. Ryden created this video to learn more about the history of the park and our school. It is a great resource to share with your kids.

Principal Dr. B also shared how teaching about race and equity is a priority for the school. Ms Ryden and Ms McArthur spoke about their work leading Lafayette’s Racial Equity Committee and how Lafayette engages students through the Black Lives Matter Year of Purpose and extracurricular activities, including She REIGNS, SPARK Club, Kaleidoscope Kids, and Kings. They encourage parents to be in touch if they have any questions. They also recommend having discussions with kids at home, including them in our learning, and exposing them to different viewpoints, authors of color, books that celebrate different cultures or have protagonists of color. See the list at the bottom of this recap for helpful resources.

Former Lafayette student Marleigh McKay also shared her experience advocating for Lafayette-Pointer Park’s name change and what it meant to her. You can catch her activism at the end of the video linked above.

HSA’s DEI Committee Co-Chair Brittany Bolston shared what the HSA is doing to promote a community of belonging, including exciting upcoming DEI media club events like book club, a talk by speaker Mark Charles on Thursday, December 1 on tackling the roots of white supremacy, and a parent and student event in February where we will watch Ruby Bridges on our own and come together to discuss the film. There are hikes, Georgetown basketball games, and additional speaker and media club events that are in the works for the new year. Be sure to read the Tuesday Bulletin and check out the Lafayette calendar for more info.

It was an informative meeting and we hope you all will reach out to learn more and share this important history with your children.

Helpful Resources:

James Fisher Tells His Family’s Amazing Story. Historic Chevy Chase DC Website.
George Floyd. Ahmaud Arbery. Breonna Taylor. What Do We Tell Our Children?
Kojo for Kids: Jason Reynolds Talks about Racism and the Protests – NPR, 6/1/2020
‘Raising White Kids’ Author on How White Parents Can Talk about Race – NPR, 5/31/20
Your Kids Aren’t Too Young to Talk About Race – Resource Roundup
Race by Age Graphic
National Museum of African American History and Culture Releases “Talking About Race” Web Portal
Jacqueline Woodson is the artist in residence at the Kennedy Center – go see “The Day you Begin” from Nov 18-Dec 19

Black Lives Matter Year of Purpose 2022-23 & Resources from Ms. Ryden and Ms. McArthur:

The following are some of the resources that Ms Ryden and Ms McArthur have shared with their students between SY21-22 and now as part of our Black Lives Matter Year of Purpose project. Questions? Contact Linda Ryden () or Syreetta McArthur ()