10/01/20:
GDS 2020–21
ANTI-RACIST JOURNEY
Summer of 2020: Students, staff, and families participated in Black Lives Matter protests in person and via social media. GDS saw the stories brought to light nationally—and those shared closer to home from current and former students on the @blackatgds Instagram page—as opportunities to take a look at our work and determine what we could do better. Like at GDS, institutions and individuals across the country have interrogated their founding ideals and identified steps forward for growth and healing. GDS responded promptly with an action plan and has been engaged methodically in the work since. The disciplined approach to change has indeed been a response to @blackatgds; it has also been a commitment to holding the school accountable to the promises it has made to our families. The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) team worked in partnership with the counselors and wellness staff to develop much of the 2020–21 anti-racist programming for faculty, staff, students, and parents. DEI Director Marlo Thomas and team members Guyton Mathews and Campbell Keyser collaborated with Assistant Head of School Laura Yee as well as counselors Amy Killy ’90 and Gaby Grebski (HS), Gabrielle Holder (MS), and Meryl Heyliger (LS) as well as Director of Student Life and Wellness Bobby Asher. Dozens more community members contributed in meaningful ways to the ongoing work.
Track this year’s journey of the various constituencies color coded below:
40
STUDENTS
FAMILIES
FACULTY/STAFF
COMMUNITY WIDE
A F F INIT Y GROUP New: HS student affinity groups started: Crowns (for Black non-male students), First Gen, and South Asian Affinity Group
E X A MPLE OF CURRICUL A R INNOVATION New in Middle School: Book talks at the start of each 6th grade English class highlighting BIPOC (and LGBTQ+) writers
RE A DING
All GDS Faculty/Staff read The Racial Healing Handbook: Practical Activities to Help You Challenge Privilege, Confront Systemic Racism, and Engage in Collective Healing.
Implemented anti-racism tracker to chart progress through the strategic plan Follow the plan online:
05/29/20: Protests related to the death of George Floyd reach Washington, DC. Alumnus O’Neill Cushman ’90 used this original piece to fundraise for racial justice organizations. The top donor then gave the painting to GDS. It currently resides in the DEI Office of the new Lower/Middle School building.
06/01/20: A F F INIT Y GROUP A.W.A.R.E. (Alliance of White Anti-Racist Educators) continued regular meetings. RE A DING Faculty book clubs sprang up within office teams and among divisional faculty in the summer of 2020.
06/26/20: @BlackatGDS Instagram created and populated with statements from current students and alumni.
