Bridging the Gap Cultivating & Sustaining Lifelong Relationships with BIPOC Students and Alumni Lauren D. Lewis, Foxcroft School Anika Walker-Johnson, Germantown Academy
Community Agreements ●
We are here to learn from each other.
●
speaking, and then speak from the “I”
Together, we know a lot. Alone, we don’t
perspective.
know it all.
●
Do your best. Be curious and respectful.
●
Leave room for uncertainty and a lack of
Process your thoughts and feelings before
●
Take space, make space.
●
Uphold what’s confidential. What we say, stays here. What we learn, leaves here.
closure as part of the learning process. ●
Please mute your mic when not speaking.
“In our traditional way of life, we believe that I don’t tell you who you are. You tell me who you are, and that is who you are.”
-a Cherokee saying shared by Ahyoka from Tahlequah, Oklahoma in Tell Me Who You Are: Sharing Our Stories of Race, Culture, and Identity
“When alumni have memories of experiences at their alma mater that made them feel seen and valued, it strengthens their sense of belonging in the community.” -Trina Gary, Independent Trust
A Sense of Belonging
Graphic and framework developed by David Willows, Director of Advancement at International School of Brussels (No edits made to the original graphic)
Perspective from a 2019 Graduate
“BIPOC: What Does it Mean?”
BLACK@ IG Testimonies “A student I sat next to in a History class once asked when we’d finally get back to ‘White History’ in February.”
“I was told in Physics, after a failed quick quiz, that I had to be at the school for sports because I couldn’t have been there for grades.”
“Senior year, we had themed football games...When it came time to support black seniors, everyone dressed up like gangsters.”
“I was walking by and a white girl called her black guy friend her slave.”
“One time while walking in the hallway, a black man happened to walk by my friend and I….she [a teacher] assumed the person was my dad because of the similarity in our skin color.”
“I was told by a teacher that I looked beautiful for a black girl.”
“Students Using Instagram to Reveal What It Is Like to be ‘Black at’ Private High Schools” -CNN (6/29/20)
Small Group Discussion ●
What resonates with you and/or challenges your thinking after viewing Yasmin’s testimony and reading the IG posts?
●
What are some of the obstacles that Yasmin faces that she raises in her feedback?
●
In the context of these obstacles, what are your thoughts on why Yasmin and other students and alumni took to social media to share their trauma?
●
What solutions might you suggest if these were concerns raised by a current student?
Recess & Informal Q&A
“There is no such thing as a single-issue struggle because we do not live single-issue lives.” -Audre Lorde Did you know? According to NAIS’s Facts at a Glance, in the 2020-21 school year, 30.9% of students identified as BIPOC, while only 19% of faculty members identified as BIPOC.
Common Obstacles for BIPOC Students ❖
Marginalization
❖
Isolation
❖
Tokenism
❖
Microaggressions
❖
Imposter Syndrome
❖
Stereotype Threat
What is the impact on the school community when BIPOC students do not feel integral to the community?
The Complexity of Identity
●
What 2-3 identity categories most resonate with you and how you define yourself?
●
Are there identities that you do not see on the wheel that are key to how you define yourself?
●
Can you think of a story that highlights a time when you felt a sense of belonging as it relates to one of the identities that you selected?
“The aspect of identity that is the target of others’ attention, and subsequently our own, often is that which sets us apart as exceptional or ‘other’ in their eyes.” -Beverly Daniel Tatum
Do You See What I See?
Surface Culture - Contains the characteristics, behaviors, & practices that are apparent to the casual observer. Deep Culture - Contains a person’s core values as they are reflected in specific situations in daily life (e.g. at work or in social settings) and how those values are interpreted by others. Unconscious Rules - Contains the “rules” of a person’s core values or learned ideas (e.g what people consider to be good or bad, desirable or undesirable, and acceptable or unacceptable).
Intersectionality “Intersectionality is a lens through which you can see where power comes and collides, where it interlocks and intersects. It’s not simply that there’s a race problem here, a gender problem here, and a class or LGBTQ problem there. Many times that framework erases what happens to people who are subject to all of these things.” -Kimberlé Crenshaw
Enrollment Management
Admissions
&
Entrance to school and graduation
Encompasses all areas of the school to ensure students’ success (e.g. retention, financial aid, market research)
“Why Parents Choose Independent Schools: A Quantitative Analysis”
The Enrollment Horizon: Key Questions to Consider
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of your current and prospective students? How are populations by racial and ethnic group expected to change in your area in the next few years? What are the implications of those changes for your admission and marketing plans? *Excerpts from 2019-20 NAIS Trendbook without edits
BIPOC Students in Independent Schools (2020-21) School count - 1,233 (NAIS member schools) ● ●
Total Enrollment- 579, 299 Enrollment of BIPOC Students - 30. 9%
% Shifts in Demographic Trends NAIS Schools 2019-20
2020-21
Black/AA 6.8% 5.9% Latinx/Hispanic 4.3% 4.8% Asian-American 6.7% 7.3% Native American 0.5% 0.2% Native Hawaiian/ 0.5% 0.4% Pacific Islander Middle Eastern 1.3% 0.9% White (non-Hispanic) 54.0% 50.4% Two or More Races (U.S.) 9.0% 7.9% International 3.4% 2.3% Unsure 13.4% 6.6% ____________________________________________ *1276 schools reported (‘19-’20) *1233 schools reported (‘20-’21)
Recess & Informal Q&A
Building Bridges
“We have a huge responsibility in advancement...If we are educating the next generation of students for this complex society, it’s a moral obligation that we continue to fight for diversity and equity, particularly given the history of independent schools in America.” -Jenn Salcido, Mirman School
Fact or Fiction? REALITY ❖
Wealth inequality is growing, particularly along racial and ethnic lines.
HOWEVER…
Fundraising isn't just about asking for money—it's about committed relationships, and the conscious effort it takes to start and sustain them.” The Six P’s of Successful Friend Raising
❖
People of color often have traditions of giving.
❖
Black/African-American and Hispanic/Latinx families report being more fulfilled through charitable giving.
How Well Do You Know Your School Community? ●
Where do the stories of your school
●
questions or concerns for prospective
community live? ●
●
and current BIPOC community
Whose stories are you sharing internally and externally? Are the stories authentic, and how do you
members? ●
Do the halls and walls in every building reflect the diversity within your community?
●
Are you proximate to the issues that reside in your school?
Are you present (e.g. visit classes, the cafeteria, hallways, or other places
know? ●
Are you prepared to respond to
where students casually hang out?) ●
Do you provide intentional and consistent DEI training for all employees that aligns with the school’s mission and DEI strategic goals?
You must always cultivate the favor of the inhabitants...If we create a virtual home for our families, we will indeed enjoy ‘lifelong customers’. - Patrick F. Bassett
Reflection
What is 1 specific area where your organization already shines in its support of BIPOC students, their families and alumni, and where does it still need to grow?
Contact Information Lauren D. Lewis
Director of Access and Inclusion Senior Associate Director of Enrollment Foxcroft School lauren.lewis@foxcroft.org (540) 687-4342
Anika O. Walker-Johnson
Director of Equity and Inclusion Germantown Academy anika.walker-johnson@germantownacademy.org (215) 646-7333
THANK YOU!