On Wednesday, Jan. 6, rioters who supported former President Donald Trump’s attempts to challenge the results of the 2020 presidential election stormed the United States Capitol. After breaking through multiple Capitol police perimeters, they occupied, vandalized, and ransacked parts of the building for several hours.
The following day, Head of School Tom Dillow addressed the school about the riot. He shared many of his personal thoughts of what had happened as well as reflections on this tragic event.
“This is a difficult time in our country, and the events of yesterday are confusing and a little frightening,” Mr. Dillow said, “but I want to remind everyone that we have been through worse as a country, as hard as that can seem and that our government will not only survive this, but come out stronger.”
History teacher Katie McCarthy said she really enjoyed Mr. Dillow’s address to the school. “I am grateful that Mr. Dillow addressed the entire school community,” she said. “Just the simple act of bringing the school together, even virtually, is important for faculty and students to know that we’re tethered to something.”
Mr. Dillow shared some reflections that he came to after seeing the events that took place and the role students play both at KO and in this country.
History teacher David Baker was both touched and impressed by Mr. Dillows’ address. “I could tell that he spent a lot of time choosing the words that would best reflect our shared humanity and also our values as a school and an institution,” Mr. Baker said. “I thought he did a beautiful job honoring the value of democracy and care beyond self and respect for others.”
Mr. Dillow’s first reflection was that democracies can be fragile and they require an informed citizenry who pledge loyalty to their country above loyalty to a person or party. He added that this is so important as misinformation can be spread so rapidly. Mr. Dillow also reflected on all that citizens are trying to do to prove that the outcome of the election is incorrect and the influence that the president has had on those people.
Senior Sloan Duvall, leader of the KO Democrats club, really enjoyed Mr. Dillow’s address. “In his address, Mr. Dillow talked a lot about how democracies are fragile and I think that what we saw at the Capitol this past week was just the culmination of continuous attacks on our democracy for four years led by Donald Trump and his administration,” Sloan said. “To me, as much as it was frightening and kind of scary to watch, it was not surprising.” Sloan felt that the only thing left for President Trump to do was to incite physical violence and get his followers to pick up arms.
“Our country and our constitution have lived through a civil war, a great depression, two world wars, and many other threats, so we will get through this too,” Mr. Dillow said during the address. “We sometimes have to go through periods of great challenge to get to a better place and to strengthen what we have.”
Mr. Dillow reflected on cognitive dissonance and people’s attempts to resolve it by denying information and believing in conspiracy theories.
Mr. Baker said he thought it is great to make the commitment to being anti-racist educators and being able to recognize the fact that the storming at the Capitol wasn’t just an assault on democracy, but it also reflected the systems that this country was built on. “I thought he did a great job hitting the importance of a constitution and protecting those laws,” Mr. Baker said. “Altogether, I was and still am incredibly proud to be a part of this community, led by someone who so quickly got to the heart of what was the worst day of our democracy in the last 100 years.”
Mr. Dillow gave examples of COVID-19 and non-mask believers, and that it is not only those who support Trump who will do something because it is what they believe. “We are hardwired to look for evidence that supports our existing beliefs so that we don’t have to experience that discomfort of cognitive dissonance, Mr. Dillow said, “and this, unfortunately, has been amplified by social media. It is easy to find the voices in those platforms that confirm our biases.”
Mrs. McCarthy appreciated Mr. Dillow’s words. “Mentioning the role that racism and President Trump’s hateful rhetoric and lack of leadership leading up to the events was powerful to hear,” Mrs. McCarthy said. “Mr. Dillow’s recognition that democracy is fragile and takes work is one that my students should recall as a central theme in my classes, and it makes me grateful to be a history teacher more now than ever. We teachers have work to do in raising thoughtful, informed citizens.”
Mr. Dillow stated that one lesson that we can learn from this tragic event is how easily people can be manipulated and how susceptible people are to being so. “Thankfully, a school like ours, Kingswood Oxford, exists to help you all overcome that,” Mr. Dillow said. “You are expected to embrace the discomfort of competing ideas while you are here and well after, not to defend your position or your intuitive assumptions at all costs.” He told the KO community that despite something being the unpopular thing to do, you should stand up for what is right.
“Mr. Dillow’s speech gave a really great avenue and way for all the history teachers to have good conversation with their classes and even advisors,” Mr. Baker said. “From an educational standpoint, I also thought he did a really great job setting the tone for us to lead students through what had happened.”
Mr. Dillow ended his address by touching on the need for Americans to come together. “Let me make it clear that this is not about being a Republican or a Democrat, conservative or liberal. This is about being an American citizen,” he said. “Regardless of party or political affiliation, we all must stand together in support of our constitution and government and work together to find common ground and to repair and heal our country.”
He also stated that his hope for people after they graduate from KO is to go out into the world as deep thinkers and thoughtful citizens of the country – to always place one’s loyalty to one’s country above that of a party or a person, with a true sense of empathy, care, and love for others.
