Donor Profile: Joanne Moorehead '95

DONOR PROFILE:

JOANNE MOOREHEAD '95

The Shannon Harris Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice Fund

In high school, Joanne Moorhead’s ’95 academic successes regularly made the local news. Between Quiz Bowl wins and spelling bee championships, writing awards and performances, she represented Antilles across the territory and abroad. Yet, while she was recognized for her talent, and excelled in the classroom, Joanne always felt incomplete on campus – a shared feeling reported over the years by many alumni of color.

“When I went to Antilles, it was a very different landscape, ”

she said.

“It has clearly deserved its reputation for academic excellence but after graduating, attending other schools, living other places and being exposed to more than I was there, I also realize there was a definite lack of cultural sensitivity that I found problematic both as a person who was born and raised on St. Thomas - and whose family had been here for generations - and as a person of color. It took about a decade after she returned home before Joanne felt a tangible shift and began reconnecting with the school. “In the last few years particularly, there is a much wider national acknowledgment that inclusivity, in general, is important – and that’s not just racial and cultural inclusivity, but inclusion of all marginalized people, all people who feel different, ” she said, adding that conversations with other alumni and families with students attending the school gave her the hope that those values were becoming more integrated into the everyday Antilles experience. The announcement of Shannon Harris as Antilles’ first Head of School of color set the wheels further in motion.

“I believe that exposure kills ignorance, ” Joanne said.

"If we want to raise graduates that are good people, and appreciate others for who they are, then they have to be exposed to spaces, ideas, and programs that give them the chance to experience something different from what they read or hear. Watching Shannon over the years work to offer those platforms for faculty and students, I knew this was something Antilles was taking to heart, and when she was named the Head of School, I really wanted to do something in a more permanent way to show that it mattered – representation really does matter. Continuing to change mindsets and offering students and faculty access to DEI programming requires investment, and Joanne hoped to do that in the form of a dedicated fund that would benefit anyone within the school community. A similar pool of funding had been generously given in years past by alumni parent and trustee Carol Baker Robinson P’19, P’22 and earmarked for specific initiatives and training opportunities, and with her permission, it was renamed the Shannon Harris Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice Fund. “The purpose of the fund is to give those of us who have an interest in making sure that all students, from elementary through high school, feel included in our academic program a platform for doing so, ” Joanne said. “Our children spend the majority of their waking hours at school, just like adults do at their jobs. And we, the adults, should make every effort to ensure that their schools are a safe space for them - not because they need a safe space but in case they need a safe space. DEIJ is a critical principle in ensuring that all children feel comfortable and safe knowing that their school, Antilles, is that safe space. And, that's why I hope that we can fund programs and training to bolster these efforts. The impact that the fund can make was immediately seen in the reactions of students attending the 2021 NAIS Student Diversity Leadership Conference, a multiracial, multicultural gathering of Upper School student leaders (grades 9-12) from across the U.S. and abroad. SDLC focuses on self-reflecting, forming allies, and building community, and through Ms. Harris, the opportunity to participate has been offered to Antilles students for the