Background
This website is run by a small group of concerned Groton alumni who wrote a letter to Groton on June 7, 2020 about the school’s role in perpetuating systemic racism, both on its campus and as a member of society. The letter, now signed by over 700 Groton alumni, laid out six concrete solutions designed to aid antiracist efforts, both on-campus and beyond the Circle. It also included a document containing alumni recollections of racism and white privilege at Groton.
We were contacted by a few Board members to discuss the letter and the solutions it proposed. After several conversations through June and July, we did not come to a consensus on the majority of proposed solutions. However, we did agree that we could move forward with Solution #1: organizing an alumni-led fundraiser for antiracist organizations.
This website is maintained by Bruce Ramphal ‘15, Kasumi Quinlan ‘15, Monifa Foluke ‘13, Starling Irving ‘13, and Karla Sanford ‘19.
what we believe
To be antiracist is to understand that racism is deeply ingrained within society and ourselves, and that combating it is not a single action, but a lifelong commitment to constant self-examination. The global unrest in response to violence against Black people is not a fad or anomaly - it's a call for sustained involvement from each and every one of us to create a better world.
“Diversity without structural transformation simply brings those who were previously excluded into a system as racist, as misogynist, as it was before.”
The traumatic experiences compiled on the Google Doc linked above and on the @BlackatGroton Instagram account below show us that, while diversity and Black leadership are crucial parts of the puzzle, they are not the whole solution. Antiracism is an active process of learning and unlearning, and we must propel each other forward in this journey.
From the @BlackAtGroton Instagram:
