Katie O’Reilly ’14: Some members of the Episcopal community recently reacted with dismay to the annual Star-Fest auction invitation. This year’s planned theme was a ‘White Affair,’ a theme that sought to give a more glamorous undertone to a typically modern fundraiser. Unfortunately, many in the EA community saw the proposed theme as insensitive to our efforts to promote diversity.
Photo courtesy of The Episcopal Academy
This episode is a great opportunity for Episcopal to improve itself from within. But simply changing the name of an auction theme does not create diversity.
Remember however, that diversity comes from the mind and the spirit, not just the outside. At Episcopal, it seems that the only way we are defined is by the stereotypical definition of diversity. What diversity actually is, however, is the difference in peoples and that has such a broader meaning.
The form of diversity that should be valued and embraced at Episcopal is the difference of thought, attitude, and character. This definition incorporates those diverse thoughts into a classroom discussion, which in turn allows peers to understand each other as we listen to their stories and learn from them. A classroom that is filled with different kinds of people and thinkers will create the solutions to the greatest problems that the world faces in the modern era. Our motto is “Esse Quam Videri”(translated “to be rather than to seem to be”).
Diversity is to be rather than to seem to be. People should be valued for what they bring to the table regardless of gender, race, socioeconomic status, religious affiliation, and sexual orientation. People need to be valued for who they are, not what they seem to be. Diversity should never be artificial.
So Episcopal must use this invitation to see the bigger picture. It is just a party and theme that really will have no relevance in the history of this school. But ultimately, and more importantly, this community needs to recognize that to create a truly diverse environment, we must embrace the difference of thoughts and opinions.
Diversity is only natural. We are all different however we must come together to grow and learn from each other. This is what Episcopal stands for, and instead of complaining about a rather insignificant theme, use this as an opportunity to expand your ever so capable horizon to teach differently and think differently through the purity of diversity.