To the Editor:

We were interested to read the July 9 story in The Altamont Enterprise (“GCSD reckoning with race pushed in the wake of George Floyd’s death”) about a group phone call that board members and Superintendent Marie Wiles had with 10 Black women, who were all Guilderland graduates, about the racism they had experienced in the district’s schools.

We would like to respectfully ask that a transcript of that conversation be made public, with the women’s consent. Their voices are important for all Guilderland residents to hear, particularly at this moment, in the wake of George Floyd’s death, when many people sense the need for change but are unsure what to do next.

In addition, we would like to join or form a diversity task force in the district. We believe that this issue should not be left to building cabinets, which have so many other responsibilities. A volunteer task force focused solely on helping Guilderland increase its diversity in terms of hiring, curriculum, and students’ academic and social well-being is needed right now.

We also want to ask parents and students of color to consider becoming involved, since this task force needs their participation and, hopefully, leadership, to help rewrite the story for future Guilderland graduates. 

Elizabeth Floyd Mair

Guilderland 

Micah Ilowit

Altamont

Katie Fahrenkopf

Altamont

Karen D. Lewis

Guilderland
 

Editor’s note: Elizabeth Floyd Mair formerly worked as a reporter for The Altamont Enterprise.