The Annual Lighting of Baltimore's Washington Monument at Mount Vernon Place was interrupted last week as more than 100 protesters marched from the Inner Harbor in a peaceful, but noisy, demonstration ("Demonstrators interrupt Baltimore monument lighting event," Dec. 5). The protest, motivated by two recent grand jury decisions in which white police officers were not indicted in the deaths of unarmed black men, arrived at Mt. Vernon just as the Roland Park Country School auditioned a cappella group of juniors and seniors — the Semiquavers — had taken the stage for this much anticipated performance on their local holiday concert tour.
While their performance was disrupted by protesters, I am proud that in true RPCS fashion, with tenacity and resilient spirit, the Semiquavers continued to sing under difficult circumstances. Ultimately, they cut their program short as their voices were being drowned out, yet they remained professional and poised — truly exemplifying grace under pressure.
Despite feeling unsettled by the experience last night, one of the group's members sent a note the next morning to MIX 106.5 saying that regardless of the outcome, the Semiquavers were honored to have had the opportunity to perform. Another student reflected to her mother "that the evening belonged to the protesters and their voice deserved to be heard." At Roland Park Country School we teach girls how to think, not what to think — and Thursday night they witnessed first-hand that people have very different viewpoints on many difficult issues that face our communities. I hope that thoughtful conversation and valuable learning will continue to come from this experience.
I know I can speak for the Semiquavers and indeed all of our students that we, as a school community, believe all voices need to be heard. Last week our students gained valuable insight about our democracy, freedom of speech and freedom of thought. It is a credit to the protesters, the Baltimore City police, the audience and the participants that the confrontation remained peaceful. I am pleased that the Semiquavers were also able to transform their experience in such a remarkable way.
Jean Waller Brune, Baltimore
The writer is head of Roland Park Country School.