In the summer of 2020, after the racial justice protests around the country, a group of Houghton alumni came together to write and deliver an open letter to the Houghton-Portage Township School Board asking them to take actionable steps as a school district to address racism and discrimination.  The letter was written because we believe the classroom is an important place to educate and inform on issues of racism, social justice, and history, and to set the standard for how race is presented and discussed in society.  The “asks” of the School Board included revising the student handbook; highlighting more Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) as leaders, scientists, artists and thinkers in curriculum; encouraging discussions of racism and bias; and teaching an in-depth, unfiltered version of history.  Since then, over 500 students, parents, alumni, HPTS staff members, and community members have signed the open letter.

Our group is looking to inform on the work we have done and encourage more current community members — students, parents, alumni, faculty — to continue to drive the initiative forward.  We look forward to speaking about what we’ve done, gathering input from community members, and discussing next steps.

Join Zoom Meeting:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/9789104627

Meeting ID: 978 910 4627
Dial by your location: +1 312 626 6799

Topics: Forums