TCSS Executive Committee Statement
June 2, 2020
TCSS is an organization founded on advancing education in social studies through professional learning and growth of Texas educators. We join many in condemning racist acts of violence and police brutality, including the recent senseless deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, Tony McDade, and countless others who needlessly preceded them as victims of unjustified violence.
As Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch of the Smithsonian noted “Not only have we been forced to grapple with the impact of a global pandemic, we have been forced to confront the reality that, despite gains made in the past fifty years, we are still a nation riven by inequality and racial division. The state of our democracy feels fragile and precarious.”
Racism threatens the equity of our systems and fairness of our institutions. To create an equitable society, we must commit to making unbiased choices and being anti-racist in all aspects of our lives.
Serving and educating our students, especially those of color, requires us, as educators, to do the work to understand the impacts of racism. With this understanding, TCSS is committed to providing support and resources to help our members develop pedagogy which challenges and subverts racism and bias while developing culturally responsive communities.
For, in the words of Dr. Anthea M. Hartig, “we must face these atrocities together, armed with facts, blessed with empathy, and fueled by compassion, asking ourselves daily what we each must do to heal the nation’s gaping wounds and find ways to move forward.”