Deep Racism Problems at NCS and STA: Questions/Answers we can't get through admissions

[Anonymous]

Where are you from that you are surprised about racism O.P.? It is everywhere + people move to certain neighborhoods to avoid having black kids at their schools.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I would suggest reading through all of these: https://www.instagram.com/blackatsidwellfriends/?hl=en

When you're done, ask yourself if you really believe each of these submissions. If you do, I've got a bridge to sell you.

When you create Instagram accounts that let people submit anonymously (meaning, even the Instagram account doesn't know who is submitting it because it's just through a Google doc: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSddU6JM8MCUpWlT-vQ0D82WOgxoA7M-ut7tBMj6NwtuYYkmSw/viewform), you have a recipe for some fact mixed with some fiction. I have no idea what the motives were of the person who started all these accounts, but they've done nothing except marginalize people with real stories, who are lumped in with the fiction writers having some fun.

Having read this board for years, it's clear that there are people who take perverse enjoyment trolling on DCUM. What makes anyone think they don't do the same thing on these Google doc submissions?

The person running these accounts is irresponsible for making them look authentic when they're even less verified than what's posted on DCUM (which at least has Jeff able to see URLs to police trolling at some level).

NP. The person running these accounts? It’s not one person. It is alums or current students. Sorry to disappoint you but some of the STA stories are true and were known at the time they happened like the holocaust photos incident as well as the racist incidents in the class of 2024 as those came up in the spring. Some were surprising and shocking and sad but I do not have the right to say they are not true especially when other posters commented agreeing they happened with their names attached to comments. I can’t imagine they would lie.

This.

First, many of the accounts on the IG pages are not even anonymous. Second, many of them are easily corroborated or already known about.

For instance, it is a matter of public record that STA students created and shared a picture whereby the heads of african american and jewish members of the community were photoshopped on top of holocaust victims (including dead corpses). As another example, it is well known (and documented in the school disciplinary record) that a bullying set of boys relentlessly pressured another boy to kill himself. As another, numerous separate accounts (some i believe were not anonymous) recounted overtly racist comments by a particular coach, throughout their years at sta.

Would anyone from STA like to deny that these are fake? If I recall, some of these incidents were in the national news. Go on. Tell me which ones are fake. Same with those of you who attack the sidwell posts. Which ones are fake? Go on.

Maybe parents at these schools—not just sta/ncs, but all of them—ought to reconsider their defensive knee-jerk “fake news” reactions and consider actually LISTENING (and if purely listening is just too hard, they’re welcome to fact check. This isn’t that hard to do). There’s too much smoke for there not to be fire. The people who accuse students across the country of just making things up are either totally and willfully blind or terrified of having their world view and world order challenged that they resort to weakest forms of rebuttal: “Liar.”

This is not a zero-sum game. My (non-white) existence is only a threat to you because your conspiratorial insecurity allows it to be. There’s a better way: Listen. Learn. Work together. Build a community that allows for many types of students to be excellent in different ways. These are all elite schools—truly elite. There’s room enough for everyone, of various races, ethnicities, and creeds, to carve out or perpetuate a privileged life that most people could only dream of. And all students who learned a diversity of perspectives and experiences benefits, in millions of ways.

[Anonymous]

It’s no wonder 70 million people voted for Trump. Many of you people are part of that cabal, clearly.

OP, I’m a fellow POC with kids at two predominately white private schools in the area (not NCS). The essay by the former head of DEI at the school spoke volumes and was utterly familiar to me. I move in the same white spaces in my professional work, and deal with the same attitudes of some of the folks who have been ignorantly posting on this thread. Remember - they don’t care about our children of color.

I hope you find the answers you are looking for. I will say that sometimes, being at the top school may not be worth possibly sacrificing your child’s self-worth and pride in who he/she is as a POC. There are plenty of great schools in this area where such egregious treatment is not a prominent factor one must endure to attend.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:(The post about the old DEI person is baffling to me; my daughter and my family felt welcomed and seen each time we interacted with her. It didn't surprise anyone that she moved on to a leadership role in new york)

What post was that?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:First, many of the accounts on the IG pages are not even anonymous. Second, many of them are easily corroborated or already known about.

I'm not talking about the accounts; I'm talking about the submissions. Some of them are set up so that anybody can anonymously submit - there's no verification.

Again, I'm not talking about STA here. I'm talking about SFS. Do I really believe that 100% of the submissions on the SFS account are real? No way.

[Anonymous]

^ Here's an article about the Black at GDS account: https://theaugurbit.com/2020/10/12/through-instagram-account-current-and-former-black-students-offer-scathing-criticism-of-gds-record-on-race/

From that piece: "At the start, Black at GDS received submissions of stories through a Google form, but eventually changed to accepting them in Instagram direct messages to better ensure the anecdotes’ authenticity. The account’s managers censor profanity and occasionally reject outlandish, inauthentic posts."

By their own admission, the account managers in that case took anonymous submissions via a Google form at the outset, like a lot of the other accounts - it was a good move to change to DMs, which are not prone to the same issues. But even they admit that they receive troll submissions and have to use their judgment.

Do I think 75% of the submissions on these accounts are real? Definitely. Are there fake ones mixed in? Absolutely. It's no different than your typical DCUM thread with someone going on about Crimson Commons and the Roster of Aces.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If STA wants to be a kind and diverse place they need to stop preferentially admitting the children of VIPs and those who were born with a silver spoon in their mouth. It's ridiculous, really. They keep wringing their hands and speaking about diversity and kindness and inclusion and then year after year they admit the kids of CEOs and law partners and more recently---of Trump appointees--all from a select number of private schools.

They do so preferentially over equally qualified kids from public and equally qualified kids with parents who are pediatricians and journalists and government lawyers. And then they turn around and wonder, "gee whiz! Whey is our student body so elitist? Why are the boys so unkind?". "Maybe if we had one more diversity chapel we would solve this problem. Yes, let's have one more chapel. That will fix it!".
Giant eye roll.

Good lord, you know nothing about what is considered an average family at STA.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:^ Here's an article about the Black at GDS account: https://theaugurbit.com/2020/10/12/through-instagram-account-current-and-former-black-students-offer-scathing-criticism-of-gds-record-on-race/

From that piece: "At the start, Black at GDS received submissions of stories through a Google form, but eventually changed to accepting them in Instagram direct messages to better ensure the anecdotes’ authenticity. The account’s managers censor profanity and occasionally reject outlandish, inauthentic posts."

By their own admission, the account managers in that case took anonymous submissions via a Google form at the outset, like a lot of the other accounts - it was a good move to change to DMs, which are not prone to the same issues. But even they admit that they receive troll submissions and have to use their judgment.

Do I think 75% of the submissions on these accounts are real? Definitely. Are there fake ones mixed in? Absolutely. It's no different than your typical DCUM thread with someone going on about Crimson Commons and the Roster of Aces.

Why are posters posting about GDS and Sidwell on a thread about the Cathedral schools?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:^ Here's an article about the Black at GDS account: https://theaugurbit.com/2020/10/12/through-instagram-account-current-and-former-black-students-offer-scathing-criticism-of-gds-record-on-race/

From that piece: "At the start, Black at GDS received submissions of stories through a Google form, but eventually changed to accepting them in Instagram direct messages to better ensure the anecdotes’ authenticity. The account’s managers censor profanity and occasionally reject outlandish, inauthentic posts."

By their own admission, the account managers in that case took anonymous submissions via a Google form at the outset, like a lot of the other accounts - it was a good move to change to DMs, which are not prone to the same issues. But even they admit that they receive troll submissions and have to use their judgment.

Do I think 75% of the submissions on these accounts are real? Definitely. Are there fake ones mixed in? Absolutely. It's no different than your typical DCUM thread with someone going on about Crimson Commons and the Roster of Aces.

This is not about GDS. I don’t know about the NCS posts as I am not familiar with those instances but definitely many of the posts at STA are true and are not written anonymously. Please start a thread about GDS if you would like to discuss that.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^ Here's an article about the Black at GDS account: https://theaugurbit.com/2020/10/12/through-instagram-account-current-and-former-black-students-offer-scathing-criticism-of-gds-record-on-race/

From that piece: "At the start, Black at GDS received submissions of stories through a Google form, but eventually changed to accepting them in Instagram direct messages to better ensure the anecdotes’ authenticity. The account’s managers censor profanity and occasionally reject outlandish, inauthentic posts."

By their own admission, the account managers in that case took anonymous submissions via a Google form at the outset, like a lot of the other accounts - it was a good move to change to DMs, which are not prone to the same issues. But even they admit that they receive troll submissions and have to use their judgment.

Do I think 75% of the submissions on these accounts are real? Definitely. Are there fake ones mixed in? Absolutely. It's no different than your typical DCUM thread with someone going on about Crimson Commons and the Roster of Aces.

Why are posters posting about GDS and Sidwell on a thread about the Cathedral schools?

Because we're talking about how to interpret the submissions to these Instagram accounts, and a common issue with virtually all of them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^ Here's an article about the Black at GDS account: https://theaugurbit.com/2020/10/12/through-instagram-account-current-and-former-black-students-offer-scathing-criticism-of-gds-record-on-race/

From that piece: "At the start, Black at GDS received submissions of stories through a Google form, but eventually changed to accepting them in Instagram direct messages to better ensure the anecdotes’ authenticity. The account’s managers censor profanity and occasionally reject outlandish, inauthentic posts."

By their own admission, the account managers in that case took anonymous submissions via a Google form at the outset, like a lot of the other accounts - it was a good move to change to DMs, which are not prone to the same issues. But even they admit that they receive troll submissions and have to use their judgment.

Do I think 75% of the submissions on these accounts are real? Definitely. Are there fake ones mixed in? Absolutely. It's no different than your typical DCUM thread with someone going on about Crimson Commons and the Roster of Aces.

Why are posters posting about GDS and Sidwell on a thread about the Cathedral schools?

Because we're talking about how to interpret the submissions to these Instagram accounts, and a common issue with virtually all of them.

No not really. YOU are talking about that. Others are not because they can see that many if not most of the STA posts have names attached to them or they have current students or alums verifying it happened in the comment section. Different scenario.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:^ Here's an article about the Black at GDS account: https://theaugurbit.com/2020/10/12/through-instagram-account-current-and-former-black-students-offer-scathing-criticism-of-gds-record-on-race/

From that piece: "At the start, Black at GDS received submissions of stories through a Google form, but eventually changed to accepting them in Instagram direct messages to better ensure the anecdotes’ authenticity. The account’s managers censor profanity and occasionally reject outlandish, inauthentic posts."

By their own admission, the account managers in that case took anonymous submissions via a Google form at the outset, like a lot of the other accounts - it was a good move to change to DMs, which are not prone to the same issues. But even they admit that they receive troll submissions and have to use their judgment.

Do I think 75% of the submissions on these accounts are real? Definitely. Are there fake ones mixed in? Absolutely. It's no different than your typical DCUM thread with someone going on about Crimson Commons and the Roster of Aces.

This is not about GDS. I don’t know about the NCS posts as I am not familiar with those instances but definitely many of the posts at STA are true and are not written anonymously. Please start a thread about GDS if you would like to discuss that.

+1.

Those who bravely spoke out about sta often did so without the veil of anonymity. Those spouting their thinly-veiled racism throughout this anonymous thread don't have an ounce of the courage those kids did, yet behind their anonymous submissions, they have the temerity to accuse these students of lying. Lying about easily verifiable and verified stories and events.

Then other randos come here to accuse gds and sfs students of lying as well.

With gaslighting parents like these, no wonder the schools can't get things turned around. They're stuck with the kids you've "taught."

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:^ Here's an article about the Black at GDS account: https://theaugurbit.com/2020/10/12/through-instagram-account-current-and-former-black-students-offer-scathing-criticism-of-gds-record-on-race/

From that piece: "At the start, Black at GDS received submissions of stories through a Google form, but eventually changed to accepting them in Instagram direct messages to better ensure the anecdotes’ authenticity. The account’s managers censor profanity and occasionally reject outlandish, inauthentic posts."

By their own admission, the account managers in that case took anonymous submissions via a Google form at the outset, like a lot of the other accounts - it was a good move to change to DMs, which are not prone to the same issues. But even they admit that they receive troll submissions and have to use their judgment.

Do I think 75% of the submissions on these accounts are real? Definitely. Are there fake ones mixed in? Absolutely. It's no different than your typical DCUM thread with someone going on about Crimson Commons and the Roster of Aces.

I think the vast majority of the submissions at the school I’m familiar with are true. Some of them are explicitly racist (from years ago to current examples), some are cases in which the writer understandably believed a situation was likely racist (along the lines of my smart Black kid is overlooked and it seems like the less smart White kids aren’t) and at least a couple are simply not true (and yes, I’m in a position to know regarding a couple of identifiable reports.) I’m not sure if those few factually inaccurate posts are good faith misunderstandings (informed by other legitimately extremely troubling racist incidents) or trolling. What is clear to me is that it’s not helpful to focus on the outliers when the vast majority are sending a glaring signal that there is a lot of work to do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:To OP: we are an NCS family of color with multiple kids at the school. You should ask the school about this. You may be surprised at how forthcoming they are. They are doing the work to change things in the community. The prior DEI director did a lot to get things started. I've been in some tough conversations the last month that have convinced me the leadership are committed to this. (The post about the old DEI person is baffling to me; my daughter and my family felt welcomed and seen each time we interacted with her. It didn't surprise anyone that she moved on to a leadership role in new york)

The new DEI director was hired at the start of the pandemic and worked 3 months remotely. She worked directly with a small group of kids and faculty over the summer (all remote). She clearly found it to be a different job than she expected, based on her writing. The kids are upset that she left, but I think some of that anger is really at her, for leaving them before she really ever gave it a chance. And some of it is rightly at the school for not changing and recognizing entrenched racism.

Whoever posted about NCS not publicly stating students of color: https://ncs.cathedral.org/about/welcome/quick-facts. 44%.

The link doesn't work.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:To OP: we are an NCS family of color with multiple kids at the school. You should ask the school about this. You may be surprised at how forthcoming they are. They are doing the work to change things in the community. The prior DEI director did a lot to get things started. I've been in some tough conversations the last month that have convinced me the leadership are committed to this. (The post about the old DEI person is baffling to me; my daughter and my family felt welcomed and seen each time we interacted with her. It didn't surprise anyone that she moved on to a leadership role in new york)

The new DEI director was hired at the start of the pandemic and worked 3 months remotely. She worked directly with a small group of kids and faculty over the summer (all remote). She clearly found it to be a different job than she expected, based on her writing. The kids are upset that she left, but I think some of that anger is really at her, for leaving them before she really ever gave it a chance. And some of it is rightly at the school for not changing and recognizing entrenched racism.

Whoever posted about NCS not publicly stating students of color: https://ncs.cathedral.org/about/welcome/quick-facts. 44%.

The link doesn't work.

I think the period at the end needs to be deleted.