~~The MIAA “A” 2021~~

[MDlaxfan76]

Letter sent to McDonogh:

From: McD Black-Alumni <[email protected]>
Date: June 16, 2020 at 11:09:54 PM EDT
To:
Subject: Dear McDonogh


June 16, 2020

Dave Farace ‘87, Head of School

Rob Young ’86, President, Board of Trustees

An excerpt from McDonogh School: An Interpretive Chronology, “A school like everything else exists in time: it endures, it triumphs, it suffers. It is always imperfect and always a paradox. It honors democracy and reaches for nobility. It is a cause it is an effect It exists pragmatically in the deeds of the people who have come within its influence; it exists ideally in the values of those who have come to love it.”

The McDonogh Black Alumni Committee has come to love McDonogh School through its imperfections and its paradoxes. We have been quietly processing this entire situation for the past few weeks, but are now ready to share some of our reflections on the current circumstances.

We, as the McDonogh Black Alumni Committee, are exhausted, hurt, discouraged, saddened and disappointed by McDonogh’s lack of a stronger, clearer statement against the racism at the root of so much brutality, disparity and unrest. In the eloquent and prescient words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in his Letter from Birmingham Jail, “We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the hateful words and actions of the bad people but for the appalling silence of the good people.”

Aren’t we a community that seeks to do the “greatest possible amount of good”?

We did not as a nation, a city, or a school arrive at a place of such extreme inequality by accident. It didn’t “just happen” on the way to 2020. It was intentional. We have been scratching our heads trying to figure out how an institution, founded and funded by a slave trader and owner and initially led by a former leader of the Confederacy, which now prides itself on its moral compass, could be conspicuously silent during this time of extreme racial inequality, when the through line is understood: McDonogh is not ready for its reckoning.

That does not make it any less complicit and silence will not save it.

Our nation was ushered into this moment by 400+ years of intentionally racist, colonial, federal, state and local policies with vicious and violent attacks on Black progress and Black resistance, and harmful discriminatory practices toward people of color. McDonogh has been complicit in the creation of the current conditions in the United States today, starting from John McDonogh’s endowment to create the school, which was built on the bounty of slavery. And yet, he bequeathed a fortune to build our school for the “poor of all castes and color.” At various points in its history, McDonogh’s leadership has made decisions that moved further away from the Founder’s intention, further entrenching the racial disparities we experience today.

There is nothing neutral about this silence; this silence makes McDonogh complicit in perpetuating injustice. This silence is no different from the decision to open McDonogh without black students, despite the clear intentions of John McDonogh, that the school be made available to the “poor of all castes and color.” This silence is no different from the decision in 1945 to accept the application of a black student, the son of Dr. J.H. Thomas, only to decide that he would be better served by a “northern school,” and direct him there. This silence is no different from the decision in 1952-53 to address the “negro problem” through racist logic that academic deficiencies would likely preclude any admissible candidates. This silence is no different from the decision in 1955-56 to deny opportunity to black students to sit for the scholarship exam, when asked by the Afro-American newspaper if they would be allowed to do so. This silence is no different from the decision in 1959 to undertake a process of “gradual integration” and place the burden on one six-year old boy to be the sole black student to lead the process of integrating McDonogh fully (grades 1-12) in 1970.

This silence is no different than, for more than 12 years ago, a group was formed and tasked to create a memorial to the enslaved women, children, and men from John McDonogh’s plantation, which has yet to come to fruition.

Racism is not a difference of opinion. It is a system that dehumanizes and kills Black people.

The Edward St. John Center, Naylor Building, Rosenberg Green, and the brand new Greenebaum Middle School, all allow our campus to be the best of the best, yet there is still ZERO recognition of the black families and laborers that made McDonogh possible for 10,826 alumni, of which approximately 600 are black, over the past 147 years: only silence.

Imagine what could have been, and how different this institution or the world could be now if every single intentional decision ensured that power, access, opportunity, and resources would be granted to students of color as requested by John McDonogh. At the time of John McDonogh’s death in 1850, black people were still bound by the practice of chattel slavery and were forbidden, by punishment of death, in Louisiana, to be taught to read, write, or conduct business affairs on a plantation. Despite this, John McDonogh directed, in his Will, the creation of an integrated school. He saw and attempted to codify in perpetuity the establishment of what would have been otherwise completely inconceivable — equal education for children of color and white children in a shared space. He did not attempt to create a separate school for children of color in an attempt to diminish the learning opportunities for them behind an exalted experience for white children. This school, McDonogh School, is the legacy of a bold and powerful vision for a society that was completely unimaginable at the time. It is time for McDonogh to make an institutional commitment to repair the damage and dismantle the racist systems it has helped to build and sustain: to do the “greatest possible amount of good” and to embrace the true magic of its promise. McDonogh must reckon with the difficult and ugly truth of its own past and untangle the threads of racism that so tightly bind us all to this day.

What might that look like or where to start?

Leadership, Governance & Accountability

• Board-level commitment to advancing equity in all aspects of McDonogh’s operations and LifeReady plan (2021-2022) as evidenced by:

· Establishing a board-level DEI committee, effective 2020-2021

· Undertaking a school-wide racial equity audit including all divisions, business office, office of philanthropy, admissions, athletics, and operations.

· Creating and maintaining a firm no-tolerance accountability for racist acts and speech by students, faculty and staff whether on or off campus. (2020-2021)

· Launching annual school-wide data collection across range of metrics involving students, parents, alumni, faculty/staff to be disaggregated by race and ethnicity, gender and other social identifiers as appropriate to determine how members of this community are faring (2021-2022)

· Establishing metrics and accountability for advancing a racial equity agenda (2020-2021)

· Head of School and Division Heads should have an annual report card that the community has access to quarterly or annually

Curriculum

• Undergoing a curriculum review and alignment with cultural competence and racial equity principles across disciplines including acknowledge and incorporation of recommendations to enhance McDonogh’s history curriculums supported by 162 alumni initiated by 2021

•Committing to sustained scholarship and education of truthful, accurate World, US, Baltimore and McDonogh history integrating the cultural history of people of color in all classes (from English, History, STEM, and the World languages) starting in Lower School.

• Establishing History House as a center for study of racial justice in PreK-12 education

People

• Ensuring ethnic diversity among faculty/staff and administrative leadership that closely mirrors the racial and ethnic diversity of McDonogh’s student body which is 35% students of color (2022-2023)

• Establishing quality and quantifiable methods for retention of faculty and staff of color for the prevention of aggression and retaliation (by 2021-2022)

•Incorporating racial justice and equity, with no dual standards, regardless of race or socioeconomic level. (2020-2021)

•Instituting cultural competency and cultural humility standard requirements and evaluations for all faculty/staff, whether on or off campus, to limit the overt and microaggressions that afflict McDonogh students of color on a daily basis. (2020-2021)

•Immediate exposure to the hiring pipeline and attempts to ensure a diverse teaching workforce (Board of Trustees and Alumni Board should have the full exposure)

We call on McDonogh’s leadership to be better than its predecessors and to have the courage to stand on the side of justice in this crucial moment. We are disappointed that we have not heard directly from you and we are concerned about next steps and follow through based on the message the McDonogh community received. We would like to hear more about McDonogh’s plans and forthcoming actions given the national reckoning for centuries of racial injustice. We look forward to meeting with you soon.

Respectfully Submitted,

McDonogh Black Alumni Committee

I never realized how racist McDonogh was. Especially after my children had PC correctness and Black issues crammed down their throats constantly from an early age. Wonder how much more money and pandering McDonogh will need to satisfy the Black Alumni Committee and its white guilt ridden followers. If McD, one of the more liberal leaning and inclusive schools is attacked as being racist, cant wait to see how BL, Loyola, Gilman and the rest are portrayed.

Their energy and time may be better spent in nearby areas dealing with the real issues of today that might actually help the Black neighborhoods, Education, culture, crime and personal responsibility than attacking the supposedly racist silent McDonogh School.

Yup, lots of "Chuckman" 's out there. Gross. Clueless. Painful.

Hope his children learned better, hope his grandchildren learn much better.

McDonogh has a fraught legacy, much of it described by this group of alumni who clearly love their school.

I'd love to be able to discuss this with my dad, class of '50, but alas those discussions are past. Pop was a major player as a Board member in the encouragement of the positive aspects of John McDonogh's legacy, Rules to Live By, etc and was in quite a bit of turmoil when the negative aspects were brought into high relief more recently. That said, he was in favor of the memorial that has yet to be built...

He had great pride in a school that was explicitly for poor kids and orphans, making possible his own journey. He was proud that McD had socioeconomic diversity in his era that put peer institutions to shame...yet he had a bit of blind spot to the discontinuity around race.

Later in life, he took a trip to New Orleans to dig into the McDonogh grant that enabled what became the New Orleans public school system, with a grant that explicitly was for the benefit the children of freed blacks and poor whites (same grant to Baltimore, but our city fathers changed the interpretation to poor kids and orphans, leaving off the racial component). And on that trip he learned more about McDonogh actually made his money, largely in the slave trade, brothels, real estate (slave plantations).

So, we had some interesting discussions in the latter part of his life!

OH My, Nice thoughts, Frankly I find you a holier than tho intellectual who thinks he is a legend in his own mind as he drones on and on about himself ad nauseum. It is painful to see your posts about yourself as you go on and on and on and on. Even as I saw this, I thought to myself, do I actually have to read this self absorption post.

For over 50 years Baltimore City and the surrounding area has been run by lots of “MDLax “people that think and act just like you. Look what that has got the local Black neighborhoods. Neglected, crime ridden and full of Drugs and gangs with despair by many who want a better life. Talk about Clueless. How about you have another round table discussion and blame the latest in vogue problem (systemic racism) that will solve problems of blacks and pat yourselves on the back about how enlightened you are and of course how caring and understanding you are to your fellow man.

Since you chose to bring my children into this as a classless weasel would. After growing up and attending racially mixed schools ending in a High School that was 65% Black , one thing that is an major underlying current in black neighborhoods is respect, My children are taught to
respect anyone they meet regardless of income, color, intelligence, clothes, job , etc. And they expect the same respect back regardless of same. They see the respect, jobs and positions I have given many Blacks at my company as example of how they should be. Along with my investment in the successful company run by a fellow Black that I worked with for a few years, He came to me for an investment and I didn’t hesitate, as he was one of hardest working people I have know. So, Spare me your sanctimonious you hope my children should learn better. I have nothing to say about your children as I am nor some classless person.

Once again, these same successful alumni would better serve forming their own Woodson Center( https://woodsoncenter.org/ )and actually going into and helping out Black neighborhoods. I have supported WC for years. I have hired some of the people that came out of one of their supported programs. Instead these successful alumni attack McDonogh which has 35% people of color enrolled by their statement along with McD having a full Black History month, Multicultural events, and many courses, programs,etc that are geared towards minorities and other cultures already in place.

Read the bold, Chuckman, you were very, very clear.

[kramerica.inc]

MD, what school did you go to?
Gilman if my memory serves me?

[Chuckman]

Read the bold, Chuckman, you were very, very clear.

Yes, You responded in detail to that earlier along with insulting me and your gross classless talking about my children in a derogatory way. I guess my response to your response cant be answered as it doesnt fit your narrative . LOL. Have a great day !

[MDlaxfan76]

Read the bold, Chuckman, you were very, very clear.

Yes, You responded in detail to that earlier along with insulting me and your gross classless talking about my children in a derogatory way. I guess my response to your response cant be answered as it doesnt fit your narrative . LOL. Have a great day !

Yes, there are indeed a lot of folks who think as you do, exactly as you posted. Yes, I consider those opinions, as you expressed them, "clueless" and "gross". But you are far from alone. Same at my alma mater.

However, in no way was I derogatory about your children, quite the opposite. I would hope (and expect) that they have benefited greatly from their experience at McDonogh, and I would hope that their children, your grandchildren, (assuming this possibility), will have an even better experience. I would expect that McDonogh will play a leadership role in achieving excellence in this arena, just as I would expect the same from my alma mater.

That's a very positive wish and expectation for the children and grandchildren of all who are fortunate to be educated at these schools. Yours, mine, all.

Is that "classless"??

[MDlaxfan76]

MD, what school did you go to?
Gilman if my memory serves me?

Yes, that's described in my post.

Big challenge for my dad, who bled orange and black, served on the Board, etc. He would definitely not have sent me to the Gilman of his era, though his two very closest friends, my godfathers, both went there along with UVA with my dad.

But he believed in Reddy Finney and trusted that it was the best decision for me, as well as my strong desire to stay with 20 classmates from elementary school moving there.

But not easy!

Here's the part of the post referring to that aspect:

So, we had some interesting discussions in the latter part of his life!

He had supported my choice to go to Gilman, given his admiration for Reddy Finney, who at the time was leading Gilman's emergence as the most diverse of its peer group. I was very fortunate to be at Gilman in that era.

While Giman's founding was not by a slave owner, nor our first head a former member of the Confederacy, Gilman was founded by a group of well-off white women, for the benefit of their sons, removing them from needing to go to school with the hoi polloi and quite definitely with the goal of perpetuating those sons' role in a white male dominated social structure...yikes, when looked at that way, how do we grapple with this reality, today?

Here's an interesting discussion yesterday, with two of Gilman's alums: https://www.gilman.edu/giving-2/navigatinguncertainty

Last block at bottom right.

Panelists Dr. Rodney Glasgow '97, Head of School at Sandy Spring Friends School, and Rev. Chaz Howard '96, Vice President for Social Equity and Community at the University of Pennsylvania, join us for Navigating Uncomfortable Conversations About Race: Understanding White Privilege and its Impact on Society. They help define the terminology around white privilege, discuss its impact on society, and propose possible solutions to address it.

[Lax_04]

The Underarmour Underclass teams have been posted. Made up of rising 9th -12th graders. Not surprisingly, the two Baltimore teams are loaded with A conference players (15 of the 23 on each Balty teams are from the conference).

In total, 30 MIAA A players on the Baltimore teams, two MIAA A players on DC teams, and one MIAA A player on a South team. 

Here is the breakdown. While not a perfect process or indicator of future results, this list might serve as a reality check as to where the area's top young players are at the moment. It is interesting to me that the two 2019 finalists continue to gather and develop young talent and that the bottom tier continues to bottom tier.

CHC 7
St. Mary's 7
Loyola 6
McDonogh 5
Gilman 3
Severn 2
Boys Latin 2
St. Paul's 1
Spalding 0
JC 0
MSJ 0

* Of note: Catonsville has two players on the list and Glenelg Country has one

Link: https://events.r2it.com/lacrosse/UnderA ... Underclass

[Slim]

Check out the NHSLS Thursday and Friday, if you want to see some of the MIAAs finest. BL, CHC, McD, Gilman, Loy...will be well represented, along with the likes of Culver, Deerfield, Conestoga, Taft. Games will also be televised on ESPNU Thursday night. The best tournament of the summer for high schools!

[kramerica.inc]

Some MIAA teams in the Red Division:

Brooklanville LC (St Pauls 1-4)

Brooklandville LC 8
Foundations (MA) 9

212 Elite (VA) 8
Brooklandville LC 9

Brooklandville LC 6
Westminster (CT) 8

Deerfield (MA) 1
Brooklandville LC 0

Brooklandville LC 4
The Forrest (VA) 6

Dons Squad (Loyola 1-4)

Dons Squad 7
Dragons (MD) 9

Hedgehogs (MD) 12
Dons Squad 7

New Trier (IL) 6
Dons Squad 5

Zone (MD) 4
Dons Squad 7

Loyola LA (CA) 10
Dons Squad 5

Hedgehogs (John Carroll 4-1)

Hedgehogs 9
Eagles (MD) 4

Hedgehogs 12
Dons Squad 7

Hedgehogs 10
Dragons (MD) 5

New Trier (IL) 8
Hedgehogs 2

Hedgehogs 8
Trojan Lax (PA) 6

[kramerica.inc]

Culver manhandling BL right now.
Culver looks big, fast and strong. 6-1 with a 7 minutes left in the 1st half.

[kramerica.inc]

7-1 Culver at half.

[kramerica.inc]

BL shows a little life, but Culver coasts in second half and wins 9-4.
BL relied heavily on Dom Petro on attack and Hernandez on defense.

[kramerica.inc]

Lots of MIAA kids on this list:

https://twitter.com/cduclacrosse/status ... 81186?s=21

[kramerica.inc]

Well that was disappointing.

Deerfield runs away with a 9-7 win. Deerfield controlled most of the game and led by much more. CH scored some goals late to tighten the final score.

[Turnandrake]

SJC knocks off Deerfield

[MDlaxfan76]

Can we find any of these games yet, recorded?

[Andersen]

Can we identify which MIAA Schools are still planning to start the school year with face-to-face, in-person learning? Perhaps we could keep a running list as it seems to be changing every day.

[kramerica.inc]

Changing by the hour, not sure what happened, but the rumor mills are turning....it looks like a ton Of schools just decided to go from in person to virtual.

Can’t confirm all, but I’ll post any that I can:

Gilman - virtual.
Loyola - virtual.
BL- virtual, but rotating individual grades (6-12) onto campus on a weekly basis.

[Andersen]

My understanding is that McDonogh, Saint Paul's and Friends are also starting virtually. My speculation is that the Catholic Schools will be the last hold outs for In Person, Face-to-Face Learning. I believe NDP is opening in person.

[kramerica.inc]

As of the most recent announcements most of the catholic schools, were in-person. But that’s been a few weeks ago.

Loyola and John Carroll just announced virtual Until Oct 1 yesterday. Harford County has really good numbers and trends compared to Baltimore, so I’d expect the Baltimore county catholic schools to announce virtual any day now.

Additionally, it appears all the catholic schools are advertising the same exact reopening plan. With alternating alphabetical. So it looks like they are getting guidance from the same place (the archdiocese) on this.

[Slim]

I believe all of the AACO private/parochial are in-person; St. Mary's, Spalding, Severn. But, then again, the situation is fluid.