A Message from Principal Erica Davis
Dear Beloved 261 Community
Happy New Year! Are you ready to accept the call?
January is hands down one of my favorite months at 261. This is when our children call us to action. Friday, January 13th, marks the 14th Annual PS 261 March on Borough Hall, an event birthed under the leadership of our school's namesake - Zipporiah Mills. At 8:45 am, our 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders will lead us in drumming, songs, and chants as we march to Borough Hall. Please join us.
Inspired by the March on Washington, we will walk in love to the steps of Borough Hall, where the children will use their voices to tell everyone who will listen what social concerns are in their hearts. Be ready to hear about the changes they want to see around racism, gun violence, LGBTQ rights, refugee advocacy, and climate change.
Following the March on Borough Hall, conversations about diversity, equity, and inclusion will happen in classrooms. Children in all grades will engage in workshops organized by our Social Action Committee for a week of service and learning in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Then, in February, we will acknowledge Black Lives Matter in Schools week.
As Dr. King explained :
What is needed is realizing that power without love is reckless and abusive and that love without power is sentimental and anemic. Power at its best is love implementing the demands of justice, and justice at its best is love correcting everything that stands against love…. (Martin Luther King Jr. at the SCLC in 1967)
We are reminded that power and love go hand in hand. Love is also truth-telling, love is justice, love is listening, love is joy, love is action, and so much more. As our children engage in this work, let us not forget that we, too, have work to do. How can we use our power in service of love to demand truth and justice in the world?
I hope to see you at the Community Dinner on Friday, Jan 20th, at 6:00 pm and on Saturday, Feb 4th, at 10:00 am, for the Anti-bias, Anti-racist parent workshop by the Perception Institute.
La Lucha Continua,
Erica