Dear Secretary Mnuchin,
As fellow graduates of Riverdale Country School, we have watched with dismay as polarization has continued to grow among our fellow citizens. The ugly, tragic rally in Charlottesville offered a frightening window into the hate that is dividing our country.
As Americans, we are deeply troubled by President Trump’s response to the rally, and the racist policies he and his government are continuing to enact. By drawing a false equivalency between white supremacist neo-Nazis and the protesters who opposed them, by striving to demonize immigrants and people of color across America, the President—in words and in actions—is helping to tear down the values that have made our country strong. We are horrified by his lack of moral leadership. And by yours.
We have waited for you to speak out.
Thus far, you have stood silently by the President, complicit in everything he says and does.
Your classmates from Yale addressed that silence in an eloquent and heartfelt letter directly to you. They argued that it was your “moral obligation” to resign and that they “know you are better than this, and we are counting on you to do the right thing.”
Your response then was deeply troubling. After defending President Trump’s indefensible stance, you instead blamed the media—and “culture wars”— and called this urgent, moral conversation a “distraction” for the administration.
Steven, like you, we are Riverdale alumni. We all grew up in one of the most culturally and racially diverse cities in the world. We were fortunate enough to attend a school that taught us about equity, social justice, and the importance of doing the right thing. How is it that you have moved so far away from the values that we shared as students together?
Your fellow Cabinet member, Gary Cohn, who is also of the Jewish faith, has at least spoken out clearly and forcefully on the issue. “Citizens standing up for equality and freedom can never be equated with white supremacists, neo-Nazis and the KKK,” Mr. Cohn said, adding that Trump “can and must do better” on condemning hate groups.
Where are you, Secretary Mnuchin? We have come together to let you know that WE cannot stay silent as you did. Like your classmates from Yale, we believe your resignation would be the most honorable choice. However, in light of your statement, we urge you to speak out more clearly so that the nation you were chosen to serve can hear your voice and be assured that you believe in an America where equality and inclusion are fundamental values, and where bigotry has no place.
The people who have signed this letter are all members of the greater RCS community. We are asking you to be brave, honorable, and genuinely committed to all of the American people whom you serve.
Sincerely,
RCS Classmates
Media Spokesperson
Stephanie Young
917-826-7298
Mark Aaron, RCS '84
Ellyn Alper ‘80
Emlie Anderson ‘81
Josh Appelbaum ‘91
David Arcara ‘80
Eric Leventhal Arthen ‘79
Cassie Avirom '88
Doug Bachelis ‘85
Neil Bader ‘82
James Fargo Balliett '90
James Bandler ‘85
David Barnes ‘76
Bruce Beachman ‘84
Samantha Beinstein ‘91
Thomas Beller ‘74-82
Michele Grobman Berg '85
Elisabeth Berkman, '87
Tony Berkman
Donna L. Bernstein '83
Stephanie Bloch ‘85
Wendy Prives Boe ‘85
Roosevelt Bowman ‘95
Melinda Fellner Bramwit ‘85
R. Scot Bross ‘82
Jaime Bruck '87
Camilla Catlin ‘84
Gillian Caldwell ‘84
Kate Carswell ‘86
Theodore Casparian ‘78
Thomas Casparian ‘83
Rosie Ceballo '83
Annie Chanler '81
Heidi Cotton ‘91
Noah Cohen ‘86
Jackie Kleefield Cohn ‘85
Gregory Colodner '86
Miguel Correa ‘96
Topher Cox ‘89
Cathy Cramer ‘77
Dierdre Davis ‘84
Harry Delf ‘82
Julie Delf ‘85
Claudine Kleefield Desiree ’81
Taylor Drotman ‘95
John Easum ‘84
Jennifer Teiman Edmonds ‘84
Jill Epstein ‘91
Jarrod Ernst '97
Sascha Feinstein ‘81
Audrey Fine ‘83
Ken Fischer ‘80
Earle Fisher ‘80
Alexandra Elman Foley ‘86
Alison Frank Fitzgerald ‘87
William Flesch ‘74
Timothea Sugrue Frost '84
Rima Fujita ‘83
Danielle Gardner ‘81
Jane Glucksman ‘79
Robert Golden (faculty)
Stephanie Goldman ‘84
Robert F. Goldrich ‘80
Alix Goldschmidt ‘81
Adam R Goodman ‘86
Noelle Gray ‘81
Susan Easum Greaney ‘80
Adam Green ‘91
Laurie Grobman ‘80
Justine Gubar ‘84
Ellen Trescher Haas (faculty ‘73-’77
Douglas Haber ‘95
Robin Orloff Halperin
Jane Cowen Hamilton ‘86
Karyn Scott Harden ‘81
John Harper ‘83
Beth Hollander Harris ‘84
Nikki Brandon Harris ‘91
Richard Harris ‘86
Wendy Straker Houser ‘93
Tracey Hollander Hefter ‘82
Ross Henderson ‘84
Josh Herman ‘86
Ciporo Sternlicht Herman ‘91
Kathy Hertz '80
Deborah Herzog '81
Chisa Hidaka ‘82
Kathy Hirsch ‘80
Numi Krawiecki Hirsch '91
Jon Horn ‘85
Joshua Holland ‘83
Christopher Hornig ‘85
Peter J. Jankell ‘82
Kevin Jenkins ‘91
Sarah Joblin ‘95
Dan Joseph ‘84
Phillip Joseph ‘85
Suzy Jurist ‘80
Kathryn Shapiro Kappell ‘95
Ronny Kaplan ‘78
Nicole Karaman ‘84
Michael Kaufman ‘83
Ben Kaufman ‘85
Kim Kaye ‘78-82
Aashik Khakoo ‘86
Yasmin Khakoo ‘82
Charles Kibel '84
Jamie Kibel '87
Lynn Grobman Klaiman ‘83
Sharyn Grobman Korwin ‘78
Andy Kramer ‘80
Brian Krex ‘85
Laurent Landau ‘81
Jonathan Laufer ‘89
Rebecca Lawrence '91
Felicia Bernstein Lerner ’82
Audrey Silver Levin ‘82
Audrey Levine ‘79
Hilary Levine '86
Lauren Levine ‘78
Keith Levenson ‘78
Bud Lichtenstein '76
Elizabeth Liebeskind Livingston ‘90
Todd Lustgarten ‘86
Erin Lynch ‘84
Barbara Magnoni ‘86
Arthur Magnus ‘80
Nicholas Maltby ‘85
Matt Marinovich ‘84
Ben Marshall ‘84
Terry Martin ‘79-’82
Kristin Marting ‘84
Peter Masterson
Michael McQuarrie ‘86
Sara Meltzer '89
Peter Millard
Nancy Mindich '83
Michele Milgram Marques '82
Marc Milgram ‘84
Judith Mizrachy '95
Julie Molnar ‘86
Darcy-Tell Morales ‘00
Priscilla Morales ‘96
Adam Morrison ‘78
Todd Moyer ‘82
Carlos Mulia ‘83
Mario M. Muller ‘80
Alexander Nagel ‘82
Alison Nager ‘83
Michael A. Naso ‘76
Bobbe Navia ‘82
Jessica Neuwirth '79
Michael Neuwirth '85
Nicholas B.A. Nicholson '87
Andrew Obstler ‘80
Danielle M. Officer ‘89
Tim Ognisty ‘84
Dominique Olbert ‘82
Alex Parisien ‘89
Rachel Fine Parsons ‘89
Penny Paul ‘80
Julia Pearlstein ‘79
Daniel Penchina ‘96
Lynn Breidenbach Phillips ‘80
John Pinto ‘83
Andrew Platt ‘84
Julie Polkes ‘80
Julie Pollitz ‘78
Meryl Poster ‘82
Paul Pottinger ‘86
Francesca Prada ‘84
Karsten Prager Jr. ‘82
Seth Price ‘87
Jessica Queller ‘87
Kimberly A. Reid ‘91
Damon Rein ‘88
Abigail Revasch ‘86
Karen Rivera ‘84
Ed Robinson ‘78-’80
Katherine Alexandra Roe ‘86
Lauren Rosenthal ‘85
Jenifer Ross ‘85
Abby Russell ‘91
Michael Russell '82
Gregory Ryan '88
Paul Ryan '85
Steve Sacks ‘86
Roy Samuel ‘89
Alicia Sands '89
Mary Ohannessian Stonor Saunders '82
Josh Scheier ‘82
Debra Scherer ‘85
Rob Schwartz ‘83
Kimberly Ryan Servin ‘86
Nikki Schefler Silver ‘85
Charles Shain ‘96
Edward Shain ‘62
Meg Shevach ‘83
Jennifer Shorten ‘92
Alex Shulman '96
Laurence Siegel ‘8
Chelsea Silvernell '83
Alain Silverio '89
Ann Rosenthal Sindelar '86
Andrew G. Simon '75
Joanna Minikes Sirulnick '88
Lionel Slingsby ‘74
Diane Squadron ‘81
Jill Solomon ‘80
Eric Soloway ‘88
Diane Squadron ‘81
Oliver Stanton '83
Melissa Schwartz Steinhauser ‘81
Kacee Stevens ‘95
Laura Stoland ‘87
Adam Strassberg ‘89
Hillary Haberman Suchman '82
Peter Sultan ‘83
Dana Alison Swinsky ‘'80
Hope Schefler Taitz ‘82
Francesca M. Terrell ‘85
Niki Thran ‘80
Jon Leon Torn ‘83
Stephanie Winston Vann ‘81-’83
Luca Vignelli ‘80
Troy Volin ‘91
Cynthia Wachtell '85
Karen Waddell ‘80
Angela Weisl '81
Deborah Garfield Weitzen ‘82
Stephanie Wingolf
Cathy Wint ‘84
Victoria Kent Worth '78
Anthony Wright ‘89
Eric Yadven ‘82
Priscilla Yamin ‘86
Sophia Yarosh ‘91
Ahmed Yearwood ‘91
Stephanie Scherer Young ‘84
Jonathan Zambetti ‘84
Elizabeth Zimmerman ‘80
Michael Zorek ‘78
