On this Martin Luther King Day

a message from Executive Director, Deb Green

To use an old adage, "history always repeats itself,” and each time it does we are collectively shocked and saddened. Last year was a testament to that.

How easily we forget. Think about the history of voter suppression, public education, and especially the inequity in healthcare, which has been so starkly illustrated during this global health crisis.

The events that unfolded last week at the United States Capitol showed the same hatred and anger we saw during the Civil Rights Movement that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. so inspired.

This same hatred and anger that Black and Brown families endure every day is deep-seated. It is passed down through generations. It is taught.

That is why the work that we do with young children is so important. Just as hatred is taught, so is kindness, love, fairness, and justice. That is our job—all of our jobs.

PIC is a beautifully diverse school. We are driven in our work each day by our vision to see a world where all children have access to the same high quality programs we have at PIC. 

We want to see all children learn alongside friends from all socio-economic and cultural backgrounds, where respect for difference is modeled and practiced, and where children are guided through peaceful resolution of issues that arise.

Today, as PIC is closed and many of you have been given the day off, we must all join the “Day On” movement. Although hands-on opportunities for service have been severely limited by the pandemic, there is still work you can do at home [see links below].

We encourage you to speak about social justice at home. We must show children how to recognize and respond to racism, and have age-appropriate conversations with them even when it is hard.

There are many, many children’s books to help you with this, as well as online resources for families. Please look at these links on our website to get started. Dr. King’s message is as important as ever.

I leave you with this short video about the MLK Day Legacy of Service and invite you to watch it with your children. With you as our partner, we find hope that we will realize the change we have been waiting a long time to see.

Thank you for believing in PIC.