In June 2020, as anti-racist protests multiplied around the world after the murder of George Floyd, I received an email from the Lycée Français of New York (LFNY), which my son had attended from September 2014 to June 2019, from fifth to ninth grade. It was a group email sent to the alumni, to the students and their parents and to the parents of former students. The email was meant for the school’s community, past and present.
In this email, the exclusive private school, which has welcomed children of famous celebrities — Madonna, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt among others — and of wealthy New York families, condemned, like most schools, institutions and companies, racial injustice and discrimination of all kinds.