Church group hopes to see hurting community healed

Many people in our beloved community are hurting right now; and as members of Redeemer Lutheran Church’s Church and Community Group, we do not feel comfortable sitting idly by. We are people of faith who believe that all are created in God’s image, that diversity is built into God’s creation and that we are called to love our neighbors.

As parents and members of the community, we care about how our children are educated. We want academic excellence. We also want our children to succeed in their lives and future careers. This takes many skills and personal qualities, including personal integrity, sensitivity to a variety of other people and compassion.

From reading The Hinsdalean’s meticulous reporting of the D86 school board meetings, we believe one of the biggest causes of the pain we are sharing is confusion about the school board’s intent regarding Diversity, Equity and Inclusion training and Critical Race Theory. DEI training is a reality that is being taught, with great success, in hospitals, businesses, and schools across the country. We believe that it is necessary to embrace DEI training for our teachers and staff in Hinsdale’s D86. It is our understanding that the teaching of CRT is currently not under consideration.

Please join with us, dear neighbors, to give our teachers, administration, and elected board members the respect and grace they need to teach our children wisely. — Lanny Wilson, Mary Landis, Tim Coleman and other members of the Church and Community Group, Redeemer Lutheran Church, Hinsdale