Pushkin. This is talk easy. I'm Sam Fregoso. Thank you for being here. Today's story begins in June of 2020.

At the time, Dr. James Whitfield was barely a month into a promotion as principal of

Colleville Heritage High School.

He was the first black principal of the school which had nearly 2,000 students.

For reference, the city of Colliville, it sits just outside of Dallas, Texas.

It has a population of 26,000 people, 87% of which are white. Those numbers will

mean something to you in a little bit. But let's go back to June 2020. You probably remember that summer, the unjust killings of

Ahmad Arbury, Pryana Taylor, and George Floyd, and the protests that followed. With class out of session,

Dr. James Whitfield remained at home with his wife and three kids.

As the urgent calls for racial justice and police reform continued,

he watched his peers, both educators and administrators, send in passionate

emails about this historic moment, the possibility of change that could come from this

great racial reckoning, a term the media continued to use.

Then came the morning of June 3rd.

Woodfield couldn't sleep. He tossed and turned before eventually getting on a bed.

He sat down at his desk and began drafting an email to Colliville High School parents.

At 4.30 in the morning he sent it. The content of the email

which you'll hear in our conversation would irrevocably alter the course of his

life both inside the classroom and out. The focus of his

letter was around our ongoing battle with race in America. Our schools set the foundation for our future, he writes. Education is the key to

stomping out ignorance, hate, and systemic racism. It's a necessary conduit to get to liberty and justice for all. It's a necessary conduit to get to liberty and justice for all.

It's a great responsibility, but one that I'm so happy to embrace with you.

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