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Standing Together: Our Position on Racial Injustice

June 19th, 2020


Juneteenth freedom day

As a mother, I am heartbroken.
As a citizen, I am outraged and ashamed.
As an educator, I am inspired….

Inspired to do better. To give our children a voice and the tools they need to communicate their beliefs, to have the hard discussions, and to fight for the betterment of our world.

voices graphicTo that end, we would like to dedicate our summer issue of VOICES, our new literary/art journal, to the topics of race, racial justice, equality and acceptance for all. We are encouraging our students of all ages, as well as our team of educators, to express their thoughts and feelings about these topics through poetry, short stories, essays, photography, drawings, paintings and sculptures. We will be accepting submissions through July 31st for a publish date of August 14th. See here for details.

In addition to the regular scholarships we provide in conjunction with our school partners, we are adding a new scholarship for the 2020-21 school year called “The Hayutin Equity Scholarship.” With this scholarship, we will provide a student of color with a full school year of free, one-on-one, weekly tutoring sessions. Details about how to apply will be forthcoming and we will be accepting applications starting mid-July.

family photoAt Hayutin, our hearts are heavy with anger, sadness and anxiety with the events of recent weeks on top of what feels like our endless stay-at-home orders and all the strain that has caused for so many. We stand in solidarity with our African-American brothers and sisters, with all of our brothers and sisters of color, and with all of our fellow Americans and friends around the globe in outrage. We want to see justice for George Floyd, for those who came before him and will come after him, for our black community here in Los Angeles, and for our communities of color and disadvantage across our country.

family photoAs many of you know, our staff of administrators and educators is extremely diverse. While approximately a third of our employees identify as people of color, we continue to strive for diversity and inclusion. On an even more personal note, Matthew and I are both married to people of color and are raising biracial children. Our priority, as employers, is for our educators to be respected, recognized, and compensated for their talents, expertise, and professionalism regardless of the color of their skin, their religious affiliation, their gender, sexual orientation, or socio-economic status. This is our personal and professional goal not only for our workplace, but for all workplaces and for the streets and communities of this country.

Thank you for your continued support and we are looking forward to working with you this summer and in the 2020-21 school year, whatever it may bring.

~Amy Hayutin Contreras, Partner
Hayutin & Associates

Posted in the category Diversity, Equity & Inclusion.