Dear Fellow Members of the MassBay Community,
Like many of you, yesterday I watched the abhorrent images of a mob clashing with law enforcement officers as it stormed the very cradle of our democracy, the United States Capitol building. The attack was an affront to our government, our sensibilities, and our ideals as a people. Yesterday was a dark day for all Americans of goodwill.
Today, I am thinking about the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who delivered his final speech on April 3, 1968, just one day before he was assassinated, his famous "Mountaintop" speech. In it he said, “The nation is sick. Trouble is in the land. Confusion all around…But I know, somehow, that only when it is dark enough, can you see the stars.”
I want you all to know, that when I seek out the stars, I look at all of you: the MassBay community. We are students and workers, bound together for a common purpose. We hail from different countries and varying neighborhoods. And at first glance, we may look as different from one another as any other group of people anywhere. But I believe we are one in our values. We value education, debate, and mutual respect; we uplift one another.
We are the teacher who takes time out over the weekend to check in on a struggling student. We are the student who shares her notes and hosts a study session with a classmate in need of help. We are the custodian who works extra hours to ensure our facilities are clean and safe. And like the brave women and men at the U.S. Capitol, we are the public safety officer sworn to serve and protect the people of MassBay.
Violence and disrespect are never solutions. Our community has chosen compassion over conflict, empathy over hate, and support over intolerance. Let us seek to achieve a better tomorrow, one in which our nation, like our community, can settle its differences and chart its future through words and peaceable actions, and with respect toward others.
In peace,
David