Happy New Year everyone, I’m sure you joined me in eagerly turning the calendar page from 2020 to 2021 two weeks ago. We all collectively sighed with relief as we heard more about the Covid-19 vaccine and the hopeful days ahead as our country and our communities began the long road to recovery and healing.
Then the events of January 6th unfolded and we all watched with stunned silence as our nation’s Capitol was attached by protesting individuals, with lives lost and damage to the building that I have visited many times in my life. The Capitol has been an enduring bricks and mortar depiction of democracy, and I still remember my first time walking up the marble steps with my parents and sister when I was eight years old. I was in awe of the grandeur of the building, with marble statues and columns everywhere I looked.
Many years later in 2013, I stood by the U.S. Capitol Building to witness the inauguration of Barack Obama for his second term. I was one of thousands listening to President Obama talk of “Faith in America’s Future” during his inauguration address, of how the country needed to come together and continue to work to promote democracy and equality in our country and around the world. He called upon the crowd to be comforted with the understanding that all of us are created equal, and that America continues to be a place of limitless possibility.
I have been thinking about these two memories this week as I try to understand the events of the past week, and in preparation for a new (and historic) administration to be inaugurated next week. Because I am and always will be an educator at heart, I understand that these times are teachable moments for us at Gavilan and throughout the communities we serve. We need to provide a safe space to discuss the Capitol riots and provide skill building in compassion and empathy. Our behavior needs to model our Principles of Community and demonstrate support and care for one another. And, we need to continue to engage in our own learning about what we observed and the democracy we share.
In the new year, I look forward to experiencing these teachable moments with you. Continue to stay safe, stay healthy and take care….2021 is just beginning.
