Category: Stories

As a lifelong educator and parent of two Concord students I wanted to take a moment to comment on the current discussion surrounding the new middle school. A large portion of the commentary appears to follow the logic that, since the School Committee had a tie vote on whether to name the middle school after Concordian civil rights activist Ellen Garrison and then almost immediately voted 3-2 to name it something different, the community should not voice our disagreement.

I am writing as a Concord resident, mother of three school-aged children (one in middle school), and a career teacher.

As a white adult who has the privilege of working with young people, I feel it is imperative upon me to do my own work around issues involving diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging.

The past we honor often shapes the future we desire, and so it is with the proposal to name the new middle school in honor of Concord native and civil rights activist Ellen Garrison.

The Concord Public School System prides itself on the DEIB work it does to ensure all of our students feel welcome. The emphasis on “windows and mirrors” within the curriculum is a good case in point. Students are exposed to a wide range of age-appropriate learning experiences that enable them to see a window into the lives and experiences of cultures that may be less familiar to them, while also providing mirrors where they can see themselves and their experiences in the content.

As a 45-year resident of Concord, and as the grandmother of three children of color, two of whom will be entering the Concord public schools, I would like to voice my strong opinion that we should name our new middle school after Ellen Garrison.

I write to urge Concord residents to vote at the April 29 Town Meeting in favor of naming the new middle school for Ellen Garrison.

I attended the School Committee meeting where they decided on Concord Middle School, and was shocked by the shallowness of the justifications put forth by several committee members.

Concord’s list of prominent notables is long and distinguished — with many reputations stretching far beyond the bounds of Massachusetts. We take pride and inspiration in their legacies. This is no less true of Ellen Garrison, born a Concordian, whose significant intellectual achievements and influence extended nationwide. Should a school be named in her name?

Today at church, the sermon invited me to consciously consider the unmet needs at the root of my decisions and actions. I think as a community we can do the same with regard to naming the new middle school. What needs are being met by the name Concord Middle School? The comments I have heard to date suggest mostly convenience and simplicity.

For me and my family, it’s been interesting, heartening, and a little bit painful to see the outpouring of letters and meetings about naming the middle school for Ellen Garrison. It’s disappointing to see this topic reduced to a debate about the School Committee’s authority.

During the February 6 School Committee discussion of the middle school’s name, I was struck by certain unspoken assumptions. The main contender for the name — proposed 10 months ago by community members — was the Ellen Garrison Middle School, which would honor an educator, abolitionist, and civil rights activist born and raised in Concord in the 1800s. Ms. Garrison was also a Black woman.