Commitment to Equality and Justice by the Board of Directors
Upper Darby Arts & Education Foundation
Over the past few months, this country has come face to face with the intense pain caused by decades of institutionalized racial bias. As a nation, we have been forced to face the uncomfortable truth that too many of our institutions have propagated privilege and normalized various forms of discrimination. For many, these recent events have provoked passionate protests and intense debate. As the largest and most diverse township in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Upper Darby is uniquely positioned to take the lead in addressing these issues. For the Upper Darby Arts & Education Foundation, these events have clarified our focus.
Because education is the enemy of bias, we are actively committed to improving educational attainment and access to unique cultural experiences for every student and resident of the Upper Darby School District. We now pledge to redouble those efforts, and work tirelessly to ensure that the funding we provide Upper Darby students promotes access and equity. We take the necessary actions to hold ourselves accountable to those we serve by ensuring that our leadership, goals, and efforts are reflective of the rich diversity that is inherent in our township’s social fabric. We are a learning organization. As such, even when we fall short of our own loftiest ideals, we recalibrate and recommit to advancing the highest standards of equity in our community.
Over the past quarter century, the Upper Darby Arts and Education Foundation has funded nearly two million dollars of Upper Darby student and teacher generated projects that have touched every Upper Darby resident. The foundation stands with all our communities, and recognizes the fortitude and bravery of those who have never been silent, who have fought for freedom and civil rights, who, from slave to abolitionist to contemporary activist, have forged a path forward and set an example for us all. We vow to continue to engage on behalf of every organization advocating for equality and justice in Upper Darby. In that spirit, this month we began the process of reaching out to every civic association, neighborhood organization, and faith community in Upper Darby to ask for an opportunity to meet with their leadership and members, inform them of our intentions and work, and ask for help in accelerating and amplifying our long standing track record of success for the benefit of us all.
For more information on this effort or to get involved, please contact us at [email protected]