Sandy Spring Friends School Blog Post Recommends "Summer Homework for White People"

On June 21, 2020, Sandy Spring Friends School posted a blog post titled, “Summer Homework for White People Wondering If They Should Be Doing Something.” The very first sentence of the post separates the audience into two groups: White and Black. It states, “The most recent incidents of police brutality against Blacks has stirred the conscience of many Whites. If you are one of us, here is a summer school lesson plan, in the form of five “Don’ts,” as starting points for a bunch of Do’s:” The ‘us’ in this sentence refers to white people.

The blog goes on to recommend looking into outside sources. “Start with reading White Fragility, written by a White person, and be willing to look for yourself among the pages. If you are “woke,” people will see it in your actions.” The post also recommends watching “videos by Trevor Noah or Rodney Glasgow, or Kareem Abdul Jabbar’s LA Times op ed”. Finally, it ends with a reference to White Privilege:

We White people are not accustomed to seeing racism, especially systems of racism and power that benefit us. Educate yourself about white privilege and how we really, actually are continuing to enjoy unearned privileges of being White in America.

Another blog post on the school’s website, written to the Sandy Spring Friends School Community, is titled, “The One About the Pandemic of Racism”. This post recommends reading materials for students and parents: “The resources below are mostly geared toward teenagers and adults, and mainly aimed at inspiring white people to engage in work to recognize privilege and actively dismantle white supremacy and systemic oppression.”

Some of the recommendations include:

Article: “Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack” by Peggy McIntosh

Article: “When White Women Cry” by Mamta Accpadi

Book: How to be an Antiracist by Ibram Kendi

Book: Blindspot by Mahzarin Banaji

Article/call to action program: “Unpacking White Feminism” by Rachel Cargle

Book/call to action program: Me and White Supremacy by Layla Saad

Below is an email sent by the Assistant Head of School to families in June, 2020.