From the President and Staff of PEF
The events of the past weeks serve to shine a light on the oppression, violence, and fear experienced by black and brown people in our society. In particular, for George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor, they paid the ultimate price. They were murdered at the hands of those duly-sworn to protect them. And, the system failed to act quickly to bring to account those who took their lives.
We at the Philadelphia Education Fund recognize and denounce these injustices. We ache for our students, our teachers, our staff, and our community who carry the burden every day. And, we stand with those who lift their voices to challenge us to do better and be better, because black lives matter.
We were founded to rectify injustice in our education system. This is a work in progress. We can’t dismantle centuries of systemic racism and inequality in 30+ years, but we are determined to keep listening to, working with, and uplifting communities of color in everything we do.
Our hope for the future resides in our students. We are proud of them and recognize the leaders they’re becoming. We stand with them and will continue to advocate for them in our work as counselors, educators, and administrators. We are committed to do more than make a statement, but also to put action behind it. We will continue to grow, learn, and do whatever we can to fight for equity and opportunity.
Our students inspire us. Their lives matter.
