During this year's Packer in Action day, faculty, staff, and students from all grades dedicated an entire day to meeting virtually and discussing visibility, inclusion & racial justice.

The day began with a moving keynote from activist and University of Georgia Athletic Association Professor Dr. Bettina Love. Discussing resistance, creativity, and black joy, Dr. Love said, "Sometimes we think our entry point to black lives mattering is through trauma, but the entry point is actually through brilliance, joy, love, and creativity. Black folks are more than pain, more than trauma."

Love followed up her keynote by leading a master class for Grades 9 through 12, during which she worked with students to examine their own racial justice perspectives. Upper School students participated in activities and workshops that focused on a variety of topics, including:

• Environmental and Climate Justice
• A Sela Movie Screening & Talk Back
• Working towards Visibility and Inclusion in the Music Industry with Trustee Richard Story, P’17, P’19

"I might not be here to experience the change that I want, but guess what? I will live to see the unraveling of it. I am here for the unraveling. What makes abolitionists so beautiful is that we're fighting for something. We can't see. It is a blind faith." – Dr. Bettina Love

Preschool and Lower School students considered the significance of their families' cultures, wrote "I Am From" poems, and discussed their hopes for the Packer community and the challenges of finding their places in it.

Select Middle School students meanwhile shared candid reflections with their peers on how their identities have influenced their experiences at Packer.

One Upper School student remarked that she was glad the day focused on the joy and love in black culture, because, "a lot of times when we talk about black lives matter as a grade, we talk about the people, rather than the culture and its beauty."

“Packer in Action 2021 was an invitation for our entire school to view the fight for racial justice through the lens of love and joy," said Head of Upper School Maria Nunes. "I’m so glad students and teachers were able to dedicate a full day to focus on this inclusive message.”