Content Warning: Description of Racist Incident

Dear Whitman Community,

We have written these letters before. This is our third since last May. The members of the Whitman student government, both former and current, are disgusted by the racist graffiti depicting the n-word, the word “lynch” and a noose that was painted at our school.

But that is not enough. For too long, we have sat passively by as the Black students in our school have felt isolated. We have condemned the racist incidents that continually plague our campus but do not do enough to begin to address the root of the problem.

In the past, Whitman administration increased dialogue through town halls and started other initiatives to combat racism. As an SGA this year, we have focused on in-class diversity, created a Race and Equity committee, assisted the Minority Scholars Program in their valuable series of presentations, and worked to make One Whitman an effective space to discuss matters of race. While these are a step in the right direction, they are not enough and cannot help anyone who, like the perpetrators in the most recent incident, simply does not care about learning about or understanding racism in any way. Enough talk. We are calling on school administration to punish perpetrators of this crime and expel the two students who still attend Walt Whitman High School. We must send a message that anti-Blackness will never be tolerated.

This is not the only action that Whitman can take. We call on administration to create a system of accountability and education for teachers and students who commit racist acts and microaggressions in the future. Administration must prioritize the hiring of more Black teachers, staff, and administrators and continue to push Montgomery County to redistrict Whitman.

Administration should also begin to increase Anti-Racist education and add more Black authors, stories, and history to the required curriculum in accordance with this petition written by former students at Springbrook which is signed by over 3000 people associated with the county. We urge Whitman students, staff, and parents to continue to educate themselves on systemic and systematic racism in America, Maryland, Montgomery County, Bethesda, and within the halls of the school. Racism is ingrained in every institution, and until we actively call it out in all of its forms, it will continue to flourish.

Whitman is a predominantly white space. Every student can attest that racism behind closed doors or played off “as a joke” is especially prevalent at our school. This is not acceptable. It is critical we demonstrate that we truly have a zero-tolerance policy for racism and address the elements of our existing community culture and curriculum that cultivate and perpetuate racist attitudes and acts.

We ask every Whitman community member to follow or look at @Blackatwhitman on Instagram to hear the real stories of Black Whitman students. There are Black students telling us their painful experiences with racism in the environment that we have enabled, whether knowingly or unknowingly. It is beyond time that we listen and take action. This is not the end of action on racial justice, but the start.

Black Lives Matter.

Signed,

Walt Whitman SGA, Past and Present:

Carly Rothschild, Walt Whitman SGA Class of 2022

Jaiden Vikram, Walt Whitman SGA Class of 2022

Sophie Hoffman, Walt Whitman SGA Class of 2022

Brandon Hotchkiss, Walt Whitman SGA Class of 2021

Claire Sorkin, Walt Whitman SGA Class of 2021

Faith Parker, Walt Whitman SGA Class of 2021

Grace McGuire, Walt Whitman SGA Class of 2021

Jordan Maggin, Walt Whitman SGA Class of 2021

Kushan Weerakoon, Walt Whitman SGA Class of 2021

Mia Friedman, Walt Whitman SGA Class of 2021

Riley Sullivan, Walt Whitman SGA Class of 2021

Taylor Haber, Walt Whitman SGA Class of 2021

Ellie Block, Walt Whitman SGA Class of 2020, San Diego State

Iliad Izadi, Walt Whitman SGA Class of 2020, University of California, Berkeley

Julia Choppin, Walt Whitman SGA Class of 2020, University of Michigan

Julia Clayton, Walt Whitman SGA Class of 2020, Bucknell University

Khanya Dalton, Walt Whitman SGA Class of 2020, King’s College London

Lucas Arulpragasam, Walt Whitman SGA Class of 2020, Cornell University

Molly Rothschild, Walt Whitman SGA Class of 2020, University of Michigan

Rowan Mohan, Walt Whitman SGA Class of 2020, University of Maryland

William Dickstein, Walt Whitman SGA Class of 2020, University of Maryland College Park

Alexandra Herrera, Walt Whitman SGA Class of 2019, Boston College

Azraf Khan, Walt Whitman SGA Class of 2019, William and Mary

Celia Shapiro, Walt Whitman SGA Class of 2019, Cornell University

Danielle Hazan, Walt Whitman SGA Class of 2019, Washington University in St. Louis

Isaac DeMarchi, Walt Whitman SGA Class of 2019, Skidmore

Jereme Corbin, Walt Whitman SGA Class of 2019, Davidson College

Rohit Gude, Walt Whitman SGA Class of 2019, University of Illinois

Clara Lyra, Walt Whitman SGA Class of 2018, Duke University

Dana Gurland, Walt Whitman SGA Class of 2018, Virginia Tech

Dylan (Pablo) Rothschild, Walt Whitman SGA Class of 2018, Georgetown University

Elliot Kelly, Walt Whitman SGA Class of 2018, Duke University

Gaby Svec, Walt Whitman SGA Class of 2018, University of Wisconsin

Lauren Eisel, Walt Whitman SGA Class of 2018, University of Vermont

Lauren Meyer, Walt Whitman SGA Class of 2018, University of Richmond

Ray Crist, Walt Whitman SGA Class of 2018, Dartmouth

Carly Choppin, Walt Whitman SGA Class of 2017, New York University

Emma Kushner, Walt Whitman SGA Class of 2017, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Jaiwen Hsu, Walt Whitman SGA Class of 2017, University of Maryland

Keara Sullivan, Walt Whitman SGA Class of 2017, New York University

Rachel Hazan, Walt Whitman SGA Class of 2017, Princeton University

Elizabeth Knox, Walt Whitman SGA Class of 2016, Middlebury College

Hannah Ginsky, Walt Whitman SGA Class of 2016, University of Michigan

Jacob Schwartz, Walt Whitman SGA Class of 2016, Colgate University

Joe Wiedemann, Walt Whitman SGA Class of 2016, United States Naval Academy

Katherine Meyer, Walt Whitman SGA Class of 2016,

University of Richmond

Trevor Lystad, Walt Whitman SGA Class of 2016, Northwestern University

Alex Hosker, Walt Whitman SGA Class of 2015, Dickinson College

Annabelle Leahy, Walt Whitman SGA Class of 2015, Carleton College

Jonny Rasch, Walt Whitman SGA Class of 2015, Northeastern University

Mia Carmel, Walt Whitman SGA Class of 2015, University of Maryland

Nick Anderson, Walt Whitman SGA Class of 2015, Cornell University

Rachel Ordan, Walt Whitman SGA Class of 2015, University of Michigan

Abraar Ahmad, Walt Whitman SGA Class of 2014, Tufts University

Elizabeth Meyer, Walt Whitman SGA Class of 2014, University of Richmond

Emily Harburg, Walt Whitman SGA Class of 2014, Yale University

Jenna Kantor, Walt Whitman SGA Class of 2014, University of California, Los Angeles

Jorge Richardson, Walt Whitman SGA Class of 2014, University of Maryland

Maisy Deans, Walt Whitman SGA Class of 2014, College of Charleston

Marcela Falck-Bados, Walt Whitman SGA Class of 2014, Texas A&M University

Jacob Rosenblum, Walt Whitman SGA Class of 2013, Northwestern University

Maria Szczesny, Walt Whitman SGA Class of 2013, University of Maryland

Pablo Ramírez Uribe, Walt Whitman SGA Class of 2013, George Mason University

Valerie Acker, Walt Whitman SGA Class of 2013, U. Wisconsin-Madison

Jennifer Finley, Walt Whitman SGA Class of 2012, Lehigh University

Melissa Kantor, Walt Whitman SGA Class of 2012, University of Michigan