Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Ursuline: It takes a Community by Renata Cioth Mulder P’17 We are a school community endeavoring to cultivate lifelong learning, spiritual growth, integrity, respect for all and dedication to Serviam. Central to the philosophy of The Ursuline School is a concern for the student as an individual and a commitment to the education of the whole person. This philosophy includes the statement, “With a diverse student population, the Ursuline community promotes a respect for the multicultural world and provides a range of opportunities through which students develop a global perspective.” Our commitment is guided by the principles of our mission, which include fostering a diverse school population of students and adults, and teaching the skills, modeling the behaviors, providing the resources, and cultivating an environment of equity and inclusion that affirms all perspectives and backgrounds within our community. Some alumnae may remember the after-school multicultural celebrations organized over the years by various clubs. Clubs are an integral part of student life at The Ursuline School and a number of them provide opportunities to celebrate various
cultures and histories such as the Black Essence Club, Asian Appreciation Association/Chinese Experience Club, Bollywood Club, Italian Society, Gaelic Society, Spanish Club, French Club, Anime Club and the clubs of many dance genres. Classroom education and experiences are enriched with our Guest Speakers, Visiting Authors, and our Global Education & Serviam Program. We hosted our first Diversity Summit, an offsite two-day workshop, in November 2017. A group of students explored self-selected topics, such as race, gender, voting rights, colorism, homophobia, and privilege. At subsequent annual Diversity Summits, we welcomed students from Convent of the Sacred Heart in Greenwich, and studied Title IX, gentrification, Antisemitism and Islamophobia. The aim at these Summits is for students from a wide variety of backgrounds to learn from one another, share ideas, and work
collaboratively to ask and discuss some of the most complex questions facing our communities and nation. While some of the conversations are quite complicated, these discussions promote responsible citizenship and, ultimately, enhance the living, learning and school/working environment of students, faculty and staff. We believe that when we engage our differences with mutual respect, we will expand our awareness of the world and how we can serve it. The summer of 2020 brought to our attention that we have work to do. It was the time of widespread national protests and many frank conversations about race. At Ursuline, during June and July 24
