and Inclusion Statement

By Tiesa McElroy ’09 & Mary Pembroke Perlin (Adam ’18, Theo ’20)

Co-Chairs, Board Task Force on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

Tiesa McElroy ’09

Mary Pembroke Perlin

WE BELIEVE THAT AN INCLUSIVE COMMUNITY EMBRACES CULTURAL AGILITY, CIVIC ACTION, AND A BROAD DEFINITION OF HUMAN POTENTIAL.

Seattle Academy nurtures empathetic connections between people with different life experiences. We are committed to recognizing and addressing the causes and effects of bias and discrimination, as well as the historic and ongoing relationship between privilege and power. We strive to see, hear, and value all members of the community and work to build a strong foundation for meaningful dialogue, informed advocacy, and effective action.

EXAMPLES OF DEI IN OUR COMMUNITY:

SAAS partnership with South Park breaks ground in building community connections Parent book group connecting on race and equity Faculty book group reading and discussing “White Fragility” by Robin DiAngelo Ongoing professional development training for board, faculty, and staff; including attending the NAIS People of Color Conference in December 2019 Student and family commitment to DEI seen in participation and engagement in affinity groups Expansion of affinity group meetings for students, families, faculty, and staff Use of space by outside groups such as GLSEN, TEDxYouth, Coyote Central, and Greater Seattle Business Association

On the surface, board work may look boring: approving budgets, strategic planning, reviewing facilities plans. But dive in, and you find the current that energizes our work: stewardship of the SAAS mission and values.

What does “stewardship” look like, as we analyze budgets for example? A budget is several pages of numbers but look closely: it holds a story about what we think is important. Giving money to a program or idea can breathe life into it, and bringing to life ideas that we care about shapes who we are.

Another example is designating funds for financial aid. The debate is about more than dollars, it is a conversation about community. How broadly can we cast our net? Who will we build friendships with, work on group projects, discuss books, play sports and graduate with? At SAAS, we cast a very broad net because we believe in a broad definition of human potential, and we value the ability to connect with people who have different life experiences. We believe in the power of diverse perspectives working together to solve problems, to ‘contribute boldly’, together.

Broadly gathered, these ideas comprise our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) work. One evening, a question was posed to the board: how effective are we at lifting these DEI beliefs off the page and putting them into practice? What does DEI look like at parent gatherings, in the classroom, in faculty conversations, and in our board room? The next day, a special task force was created to look beyond the numbers and explore the story.

This task force, comprised of leadership from the board, administration, and parent associa tion, gathered regularly to talk, read, study, and ultimately write recommendations and a new DEI statement for SAAS.

Here’s the “yes/and” of what we found—our community values DEI deeply and incorporating DEI practices into our lives and work at SAAS is not easy. Making a genuine connection with people who have walked a different path in life requires effort and application; listening, learning, empathy, and open minds. If we succeed, we may be more nimble in complex situations, more knowledgeable about power and privilege, and more just and compassionate human beings.

From Tiesa: As a Trustee and Alum, I have a personal connection to the importance of DEI and its direct impact within and outside of SAAS. From the Trustee perspective, it’s important that DEI is a part of our foundation and implanted within all aspects and levels of our organization. DEI promotes better decision-making, prevents potential blind spots, and allows SAAS as an institution to not only gain access to resources but also contribute to the resources of various communities.

As an Alum, it was vital that I learned how to thrive in a forever changing and fluid world. Honestly speaking, my initial SAAS experience as a 7th grader was a culture shock. However, from both inside and outside of my classroom learning experiences, SAAS encouraged compassion and respect for differing perspective and experiences. SAAS prepared me for the current working environments within many corporate industries and empowered me to become a change agent within the spaces I occupy. I am not uncomfortable being the only African-American woman within a conference room. I am comfortable identifying connections with people who may have different experiences than my own and am able to create both positive personal and working relationships.

From Mary: As a Trustee and a parent, I agreed to co-chair the task force because I was asked, and also because of my own humanitarian values. But I agreed with genuine hesitation and discomfort. As a white person of privilege, I felt alternately nervous, embarrassed, intrusive, and fearful of missteps. I cannot summarize in this small space the learning that I found over many months, but I will share one memorable moment. In Ta-Nahishi Coates’ Between the World and Me, he writes to his son “You are the bearer of a body more fragile than any other in this country. What I want you to know is that this is not your fault, even if it is ultimately your responsibility.” A heartbreakingly beautiful passage, I thought about the burdens that so many bear in this world. I thought about fault, and guilt, and fragility, but mostly I thought about this: it is, ultimately, all of our responsibility.

We hope the new DEI statement can be a beacon and compass for SAAS people and programs and a testament to what SAAS stands for. We know that every group here will use their passion and creativity to engage with DEI work in their own meaningful way. It is not the Board’s role to say what this engagement should look like. But it is our role to say from the heart: this is important. ☜