Good morning,
I wanted to take a moment on this dreary Monday morning in April to send out a brief message to staff. I’m planning to do this more often—shorter videos on a variety of topics.
Today, I want to talk about an experience I had and the impact it had on me. Sometimes, when you’re in the middle of responding to challenging situations, you can be so focused on what’s directly in front of you that your vision of the bigger picture becomes cloudy.
Last Saturday, March 29th, I had the opportunity to attend the Transforming Education for Social Justice Conference, spearheaded by our very own Joy and Justice team. For me, the conference helped clear that cloudiness and reminded me of the excitement I felt four years ago when I joined CES.
I was excited to come to CES because this is an organization dedicated to making people’s lives better—transforming the system and, in the process, ensuring that we center the voices of populations that have been historically marginalized. In this time of chaos and disruption, CES must stand as a beacon for those marginalized communities currently under attack by our federal government. We need to work together to figure out how to operate in this environment. The mission of CES has never been more important.
The Transforming Education for Social Justice Conference felt different than any conference I’d ever attended before. At its core, it has been built through relationships—years in the making—between individuals who are deeply committed to and passionate about this work.
Intellectually, I knew that our work was critical, especially now. But the conference made me feel it again.
And for that, I’d like to thank the Joy and Justice team. I’d also like to thank all the amazing volunteers who made this event possible, and everyone who attended. You helped make it a wonderful and joyous day of sharing, learning, and connecting in a community dedicated to transformational change.
Thank you for the work you do every day to make things better. I hope you all have a good week—you’ll hear from me again soon.
Todd