A Response

Dear Administrators, Diocese Leaders, Faculty, and Staff,

In response to your recent public statement, we have issued the following statement of our own:

We are far past the point of symbolic change, and we are saddened by the symbolic “social justice statement” offered to us by the administration of SLCHS. We have asked the administration for a formal meeting, and they have met us with silence. More than one thousand community members have spoken by signing our petition, and it is time for St. Louis Catholic to truly hear their call. The twelve hundred signatures on our petition and the dozens of impassioned comments it has inspired speak to a widespread problem within the school that cannot be addressed without major changes. We love our school, and it is from a place of love that we are holding St. Louis accountable and pushing for change. 

However, change will not occur until St. Louis is willing to admit that changes are needed. If the administration truly cared about fixing systemic racism, then they would offer a statement addressing our specific concerns, or would agree to a meeting. We cannot simply allow this school to write a short statement and call that a resolution. The culture of the school must change.

That’s why we’re calling for a third-party, holistic review of the SLC curriculum, admissions, hiring process, and student body administration—along with a list of long-overdue changes that over one thousand community members favor.

The statement offered to us via KPLC is not enough. And we remind the administration that the Bible does not call for "professionalism," but for justice. We ask yet again--why is St. Louis afraid to say that Black Lives Matter? We will keep speaking up until we are truly heard. We believe in SLC--and we are asking her to do the right thing.  

Sincerely,

St. Louis Alumni For Change