BUA NEWS AND NOTES
September 26, 2017
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A Note from Dr. Ari M. Betof, Head of School
Dear BUA Community,
Football is not frequently a topic of conversation at Boston University Academy.
Even after a Patriots victory, I hear only a small contingent of BUA students engage in Monday-morning banter about that weekend’s game. (For the record, I feel entitled to root for both the Patriots and my hometown Philadelphia Eagles, as they are in different conferences.)
But yesterday I was part of five separate conversations in the Academy building about President Trump’s weekend comments about protesting during the national anthem and the subsequent reactions of NFL players and teams across the country.
If you think this topic is straightforward, I urge you to think again. Issues like these are the reason we need to lean into messy and uncomfortable conversations about civil discourse and bias.
Consider the following two quotes:
- From John Kelly, White House Chief of Staff, "I believe every American, when the national anthem is played, should cover their hearts and think about all the men and women who have been maimed and killed. Every American should stand up and think for three lousy minutes." In addition to his own years of national service, John Kelly’s son was killed in combat in Afghanistan.
- From Jeffery Robinson, ACLU Deputy Legal Director, “Kaepernick silently knelt, making no attempt to disrupt the singing of the anthem. He did not try to prevent anyone from standing. This textbook nonviolent protest is totally American.”
You could endlessly argue each point and never settle on which is “right.” I think it’s possible that these two perspectives are not mutually exclusive. They coexist, perhaps uncomfortably, in our country’s most cherished and protected freedoms: the rights to free speech and to peaceful protest.
Not every member of the BUA community is a citizen of the United States, but there are many reasons to be grateful for living in this country. I saw that several weeks ago during our All-School Meeting given by Harvard Professor Alex Whiting on the creation of the International Criminal Court. When faced with images and stories about the millions of people across the globe who cannot, in 2017, find even basic protections in the face of genocide and crimes against humanity, our students’ reactions of shock and revulsion were palpable.
Yet, we also know that our own justice system has inbuilt biases that disproportionately punish African-Americans and other minority groups in this country. Not just in the Antebellum South or in the Jim Crow era, but here, now, today.
I feel pride for the country we are privileged to live in; gratitude to those who have fought and died to keep us safe; and responsibility to push back against the systemic racism that continues to propagate injustice for so many. Let me wholeheartedly acknowledge that I struggle to bridge the gap of these realities.
We take on this work as a school community because our students deserve for us to equip them as best we can to go into this complicated world ready to listen deeply, question their beliefs, challenge the beliefs of others, and do the right thing – even if it is also a hard thing.
And that is why I would like to end this week’s reflection with a different national anthem. During last Thursday’s ASM, Dr. Abigaña shared pictures and video from his trip to Trinidad and Tobago for the world debut of his commissioned piece, “An Equal Place.” At the start of another complicated week for our country, I hope you will take a few moments to watch the video of St. Margaret's Steel Orchestra’s nationally televised rendition of Dr. Abigaña’s composition inspired by the final lines of the Trinidad and Tobago national anthem:
Here every creed and race,
Find an equal place,
And may God bless our nation.
Best,
Dr. Ari M. Betof
Head of School
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Eve Wattenberg '18 and the BUA Jewish Students Association offer apples and honey in the lobby to celebrate Rosh Hashanah.
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Tuesday, September 27:
BUA Parents' Network Meeting
George Sherman Union, Room 310
8:00-9:00 a.m.
View the full calendar of upcoming events here.
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Students packaged meals for the chronically ill of Massachusetts at the first Community Service Club outing at Community Servings on September 22.
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BUA's online store for branded gear and spirit wear includes T-shirts, hooded sweatshirts, zip-up sweatshirts, vests, fleece jackets, tote bags, duffel bags, blankets, scarves, and a variety of hat styles. View items and make your purchases here.
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