A year after a spring and summer of social justice protests following the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery, here is what the ERCBNA Province and Advocacy Office has done to respond:

The ERCBNA Advocacy Office partnered with staff and administrators from ERCBNA schools to create a video and website with a variety of resources related to antiracism that has been used by ERCBNA schools throughout the 2020-2021 school year.

The ERCBNA Advocacy Office presented on the topic of antiracism to the school leaders of the Consortium of Edmund Rice Schools.

The ERCBNA Advocacy Office created a “I’m for Three and Five” campaign encouraging ERCBNA schools to join in an antiracism campaign related to the Essential Elements of an Edmund Rice Christian Brother Education. This campaign focused on promoting Essential Elements 3 (“Stand in Solidarity with those Marginalized by Poverty and Injustice”) and Essential Element 5 (“Celebrate the Value and Dignity of each Person and Nurture the Development of the Whole Person”).

The ERCBNA Advocacy Office Held a training session for ERCBNA School staff members on how to be more conscious of the power of language and race in school settings.

Here is what ERCBNA Schools have done in their own communities:

Students from Brother Rice in Chicago and St. Laurence in Burbank participated in an online racial justice summit to identify challenges and brainstorm solutions to challenges in their schools surrounding racial justice.

Students at Damien Memorial created a video with tips to promote antiracism, while art instructor Dr. John Souza created watercolor paintings in celebration of Black History Month.

Students and families at Iona Prep participated in workshops related to the power of race and language in schools. Staff members from Iona Prep participated in two training sessions with a certified DEI trainer about facilitating conversations surrounding race in the classroom.

The theme of Iona College’s Week of the Peacemaker was “Racism and the Pandemic: who is safe? Who is well?” This week featured a number of events that shed light on racial injustice and featured a guest lecture form Olga Segura, author of the recent book, Birth of a Movement: Black Lives Matter and the Catholic Church.

On behalf of Br. Kevin Griffith, ERCBNA Province Leader and I (along with the ERCBNA Mission Frere-Advocacy Office), we wanted to extend our sincere thanks to all schools and communities for answering the call of the Essential Elements Three and Five of an Edmund Rice Christian Brother education.

It is our hope that during the 2021-2022 school year, ERCBNA Schools and Communities will continue to heed the calls of Essential Elements Three and Five, by promoting antiracism and fostering, through service and advocacy, more just and inclusive communities.
Sincerely,

Sean D’Alfonso
ERCBNA Advocacy Coordinator