Mia Favini ’27
Despite nation-wide cuts of DEI programs, The Episcopal Academy’s Department of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion remains an important part of the school. It continues to run, quietly yet powerfully, with Ayinde Tate as Director of Diversity and Inclusion and Erica Snowden as Executive Director of the Office of DEI. “We still have a lot of the work that we’ve been doing still happening, and that goes from everything that is physically visible to people, and then the important things… [that] people don’t know about them,” explains Snowden. This effort can be seen through student-led clubs, admission efforts, and initiatives to make EA more inclusive.
However, to some, it may be unclear where the DEI office is currently located and what function the department serves. The DEI program at EA isn’t just for specific social groups—the program works for everybody. At its core, it’s about belonging. The misconception that it only helps a few students has obscured the foundational work that has continued to serve everyone. EA does not need to get rid of DEI, nor reinvent it. It has to illuminate it. Through more sophisticated communication, whether through chapel discussions, visible spaces for colleagues, or more vigorous enforcement of engagement, the school can remind students that inclusion is not limited to a department but rather a community value.
and faculty together.
Photo courtesy of episcopalacademy.org
The DEI office has moved location from across the dining hall to the Middle School office, where it may be less visible to students. Most notably, in addition to this change of space, there has been a decision to remove DEI coordinators. In years past, the Lower, Middle, and Upper Schools have had two faculty members each serving in these positions. The decision to keep two coordinators was put on hold this year. Nevertheless, DEI continues to be a place that fosters the idea of belonging and mattering. The EA webpage states that DEI’s mission is to “help ensure that every member of the EA community feels welcomed and valued.” Tate explains that the DEI Department exists to serve the community in such a way that serves all students. “They [students] come into this space, and I think that helps form those bonds and that connection as well, [which] just ensures that they know this is a welcome place for anyone,” says Tate. Furthermore, Snowden explains, “The most misunderstood part [of DEI] is that people think that it’s only about race. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion is so much more than race and skin color. It’s about learning differences, of which many students here learn differently, and we do things to ensure there are no barriers to their education. It’s about class, making sure that different people can afford it here. It’s about geographic location, making sure people from different areas can get to school. It’s about religion, making sure that even if you aren’t Christian or Episcopalian, that you feel like you can do a presentation in Chapel about Yom Kippur or Ramadan or Diwali.”
Asher Wan ’26 adds that DEI has helped AASU make its club more diverse and inclusive by changing its name from Asian Affinity Student Union to Asian Alliance Student Union, creating a broader audience of participants. Interestingly, however, the issue of representation within clubs is not necessarily about race or gender, but rather about participation. “ It really comes down to students, at the end of the day. You can put as many notifications on EA Upper on Instagram or on a TV in front of the Upper School, but at the end of the day, it’s up to the EA students to decide whether they want to show up or not,” says Wan. Inclusion cannot be achieved solely through leadership. DEI can help create opportunities and foster hope for equality, but true inclusivity depends heavily on student participation. Although many students may claim to support diversity in theory, the real importance lies in involvement. Therefore, the department’s real challenge is engagement. While the DEI program is a vital part of EA’s community, students need to participate more to have greater impact.
