Rick Chen ‘24
Diversity, equity, and inclusion issues are going to be more important than ever at EA this year. EA has implemented changes to their curriculum and other aspects of student life, and Upper School DEI Student Council members and diversity-centered affinity groups are also continuing to increase their DEI focus.
One major initiative involves altering course curriculums to better address issues of diversity and inclusion, especially in the required Freshman Seminar Class. In last year’s course, seminar lectures were centered around a variety of topics, including diversity, racism, and xenophobia. Izzy Rozes ‘24 comments, “It was really nice learning about DEI topics in our freshman seminar class because I think it included a lot of topics that we needed to learn about.”
Photo courtesy of Ashley Kennedy ‘22
For the 2021-2022 school year, Andrea Yu, Upper School Librarian, Student Council Advisor, and 9th grade Seminar teacher, says, “teachers re-examined their lessons and activities including those that touch on identity, social justice, gender, mental wellness, and healthy relationships.”
Head Chaplain Father Tim Gavin and the Vestry have also been working on increasing DEI education through chapel services. They are continuing to include slideshows that honor influential figures in accordance with the month. For example, September was Hispanic and LatinX Heritage Month, and prayers were offered to significant Hispanic or LatinX people who have impacted the world and the EA community.
Rachel Letts ‘22, a senior member of the Vestry, explains, “We integrated the idea last year because we felt it was important for chapel to utilize its playroom to educate as well as celebrate people who often go unnoticed. In Vestry meetings, we will decide who to include based on conversations about people that have influenced us and the greater community, or just people we feel it’s important to honor.”
Yu has also heard “students mention that these mini-profiles have often included people they can’t believe they never heard about or learned about in school.” Anika Kakarla ‘23 shares, “I think the prayers for influential people that we do in Chapel are really important. It’s great that the student body is learning about these incredibly important people who some of us never knew about.”
Another important part of DEI focus in the student body is affinity groups, and they will continue to increase their visibility this year. Affinity groups like the Asian-American Student Union (AASU), Black Student Union (BSU), and Queer Straight Alliance (QSA) are continuing to increase EA’s work in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
Affinity groups in the Upper School exist to offer a safe environment for students in minority groups, where they can bond over shared experiences. William Sergeant ‘22, co-president of QSA, explains, “QSA is a space where queer students and allies can talk about things that they would feel uncomfortable discussing around their peers or family members. They can connect with fellow members of the queer community so that they feel that there are people looking out for them and that their stories are heard.”
Affinity groups are also involved in advocacy and collaboration with other groups and school leaders, like Ayinde Tate, Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. Sergeant shares some of the QSA plans: “This year, we wanted to take a step further by advocating for more a more inclusive dress code because many of the things that are not allowed in the uniform (like unnatural hair colors and piercings) are important parts of queer culture.”
Anika Agarwal ‘23 says, “This year, we really want to look at issues from a pan-Asian perspective, as “Asia” encompasses many different unique cultures. We also want to create opportunities to expose the greater EA community to Asian diversity, as well as work with Mr. Tate and other affinity groups to advocate for a more inclusive EA community.”
DEI student council members have also been discussing their plans for the year. Chelsea Swei ‘23, Student Council DEI member for the class of 2023, says, “So far we have been focusing on repurposing the Diversity Awareness Club and trying to integrate Student Council DEI members with affinity group leaders to begin a conversation of what we can do better at EA and what issues we should bring attention to in the EA community.”
Kakarla reflects on the DEI changes and new plans for the year, commenting, “In addition to the honoring of people in Chapel, I’m really excited to see what the clubs centered around diversity and inclusion are going to be doing this year, as well as my student council DEI member. I’m interested to see what sort of differences from last year that they’re implementing or the kind of advocacy actions that they take.”