To the CCS School District,

My children went to school in the district years ago, and I am writing you to let you know how disappointed I am in your recent responses to current events.
Please let me explain.
Three weeks ago, there was a deadly terrorist attack in Washington D.C., and Clarkston Community Schools offered no public statement of the event. The staff was given no direction in the following days on how to discuss this with students. By staying silent, we give silent approval of those terrible events. With racist incidents occurring in the district and the surrounding community, it is especially important that CCS very publicly condemns white supremacists.
I am reminded of the words of Dr. King in “Letters from Birmingham Jail,” which I recommend you read: “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly affects all indirectly. Never again can we afford to live with the narrow, provincial ‘outside agitator’ idea. Anyone who lives inside the United States can never be considered an outsider.”
Furthermore, the use of Dr. King’s quote at the end of the email on January 8 was problematic. It was stated that, “Faith is taking the first step even when you don’t see the whole staircase.” In this context, the words of an assassinated Civil Rights leader, a black husband, and father, were used to justify the actions of CCS in returning to in-person learning during a deadly pandemic. There was no context to this quote, when or where he said it. If Dr. King were alive, do you think he would want this quote used to support CCS actions? Especially since he and the rest of his family would be 2.8 times more likely to die from COVID, and 3.7 times more likely to be hospitalized. Also, there appears to be no hard evidence that Dr. King even said the quote in the first place, and I think this should be provided immediately. His son Martin Luther King III did note “COVID-19 is a racial justice issue…” in a tweet.
It is necessary for you to hear these things, as I am unsure if there are other people speaking up. CCS must serve the black and brown community, and that action is even more important since the district has not made a direct statement supporting the black and brown community in Clarkston since last June.
Speaking from his own experiences while imprisoned during non-violent demonstrations in Birmingham, Alabama, Dr. King also addressed the issue of taking action:
“Nonviolent direct action seeks to create such a crisis and establish such creative tension that a community that has consistently refused to negotiate is forced to confront the issue. It seeks so to dramatize the issue that it can no longer be ignored. I just referred to the creation of tension as a part of the work of the nonviolent resister. This may sound rather shocking. But I must confess that I am not afraid of the word ‘tension.’ I have earnestly worked and preached against violent tension, but there is a type of constructive nonviolent tension that is necessary for growth.”
On Martin Luther King Jr. Day this year, I honor Dr. King by calling attention and seeking further support for CCS to work towards allyship and anti-racism in the Clarkston community. I hope this writing leads to reflection and growth.

Sincerely,
Melissa Sanders
Clarkston