As the country mourns the death of civil rights leader and Congressman John Lewis, who spoke at Tower Hill’s Forum during the 2000-2001 and
2008-2009 school years, we are called by his words to become “one country” and to “lay down the burdens of hate.” History has handed us all an opportunity to, once and for all, dismantle systems of injustice, racism and oppression that have plagued our country and communities.
Tower Hill is taking action, and we continue to listen and to engage in meaningful conversations with alumni, current students and parents. We apologize to those among our school community who have experienced pain, not felt heard or suffered discrimination and injustice. We are heartbroken by your stories, and we must do better.
We are fortunate to be engaged in productive conversation with several alumni who have offered an open letter to the school and extended community. We are reviewing the suggested action items with these alumni, sharing upcoming Social Justice Program plans and forming a Social Justice Task Force to ensure continued progress. We believe the ideas expressed in the open letter align with Tower Hill’s
Commitments toward Social Justice shared recently with the school community.
To summarize, these measures include:
- Expanding diversity and anti-racist training for employees and trustees
- Reinforcing accountability and ensuring support systems
- Ensuring equity in hiring and compensation
- Reviewing our curriculum
- Focusing on admission and community outreach
- Continually investing in our Social Justice Program
Diversity and inclusivity enrich the educational experience and strengthen our overall community. Every student must feel comfortable, respected and safe, regardless of their race, ethnicity, gender, religion, sexual orientation or social status. Culture change is hard work, but essential for healthy and vibrant schools. Tower Hill’s Strategic Plan includes building an engaged and diverse community as a core tenet, and our school culture has improved in a variety of ways. However, we will never rest on our laurels, especially in the area of racial equity and social justice. We cannot rest until our school community is a place where every student can leave at the end of the day with their full humanity intact.
In recent years, Tower Hill has selected a word for the year in order to focus our collective efforts as a school community. These words have included: Gratitude, Courage, Kindness, Integrity and Community, and this year’s word will be Unity. It seems fitting that we have alumni, parents, teachers and students who are united in this important work, as we together continue to improve Tower Hill. If you have experiences or feedback to share, please contact Director of Social Justice Dyann Connor (
dconnor@towerhill.org) or Head of School Bessie Speers (
bspeers@towerhill.org) directly or
use this form. We also invite you to a series of Forums listed below. As the country honors the late John Lewis, we would do well to recognize that we all must take responsibility and unite to build a more just and equitable community.