Agnes Irwin Students Launch Diversity Conference

About 20 Agnes Irwin Upper School students hosted fellow students, faculty and staff from 10 other independent schools for their first-ever Acceptance and Awareness of Diversity Conference, designed to promote positive dialogue and greater understanding about cultural, racial, religious and other social differences in school communities.

“We as a generation are in a really good position to make change. It’s not just wanting to make change but needing to make change, because we have the resources to do so,” said senior Deja Lewis-Nwalipenja, one of three student organizers, in opening remarks to an audience of 60 students and about a dozen faculty and staff.

The daylong conference involved large and small group sessions in which students and adults shared personal experiences and discussed a range of topics related to student life, sources of misunderstanding and how to address prejudice and bigotry.

For students, the day started with a consciousness-raising exercise, “The Great Wind Blows,” in which students gathered in a circle and, like musical chairs, had to find a new spot in the circle when the person in the center mentioned a characteristic that related to them.

Junior Dejah Bradshaw, who also helped organize the conference along with classmate Jaakirah Reid, said the game was chosen to kick off the conference because it gives participants “a sense of their common experiences and helps them get to know a little something about each other.” Students from Baldwin, Boys Latin, Devon Prep, Episcopal, Friends Select, Germantown Academy, Germantown Friends, Haverford, Saint Joseph’s Prep and Shipley attended.

Meanwhile, faculty and staff had their own awareness-raising exercise; they had to introduce themselves to each other without mentioning their name or profession. “This really points up the ways in which people define themselves,” often resorting to race and other social identifiers, said Bradshaw. “We thought these activities would open people’s eyes to look at what they didn’t know and what they could learn at the conference.”

In breakout sessions, students gave their reactions to the Silent Anonymous Movement group exercise, during which people had to stand based on a list of social identifiers they had been given on a sheet of paper. The papers were completed anonymously by all attendees and then distributed among the entire group.

Germantown Academy senior Nichelle Hall said that if was difficult during the SAM exercise not to think about the person in the room who fit the characteristics she had. “What I learned is that you kind of have to put judgment aside and just step into issues.” Another student said that “the silence was also great,” the time when no one stood. The social identifiers included race, ethnicity, religion, socioeconomic status, family structure and gender.

Baldwin sophomore Madison Sanders liked the fact that faculty were also invited to participate in the day, adding, “It is nice to have the opportunity for teachers to step in to the shoes of students. It was a good chance for teachers to see who we are.”

Agnes Irwin junior Nadia Slocum echoed Sanders’ sentiments, saying she feels “my teachers only know me through my papers.”

The day was equally beneficial for faculty and staff. Kim Beamon-Morton, AIS Counselor for Lower, Middle and Upper Schools, facilitated a small group discussion with faculty and administrators on cross-cultural communication and teaching with cross-cultural competence.

“The opportunity to be in the room together to discuss these topics, was a treasured moment. Our discussion was lively, rich and informative. We plan to stay connected, to share resources, ideas, successes and challenges. These new relationships were made possible, because our students had an idea and through their collective vision made this day a reality,” said Beamon-Morton.

About The Agnes Irwin School

Founded in 1869, The Agnes Irwin School is an independent all-girls’ college preparatory school in Rosemont, Pa., serving students in PreK through Grade 12. Its mission is to foster the development of each student’s highest potential in intellect, character and physical well-being through a rigorous academic education, diverse community, creative arts and competitive athletics. For more information, please visit www.agnesirwin.org or call 610.525.8400.