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August 31 - Sept. 6
SFDS eNews Homepage |
Tim Wise on White Privilege
Parent Group on Diversity
The Parent Group on Diversity is an active group of parents who come together several times a year to plan events, support families, and enjoy each other’s company. The group is open to adults in the SFDS community.
This year’s meeting will take place Thursday mornings from 8:30 – 9:30am in the Library Media Center on September 25, October 30, November 20, January 29, February 26, April 30 and May 28.
Family Affinity Dinners
Families are invited to an evening of discussion around identity. While adults have an informal dinner and discussion with the Head of School, Dr. Jackson, their children will meet with the Renée Otero, for dinner, activities, games, and stories.
Please attend the group you feel best identifies your family.
5:30 – 6:00 p.m. Social time
6:00 – 8:00 p.m. Dinner
African American and African American Multi-Heritage Families
Friday, September 26th
Asian and Multi-Heritage Asian Families
Friday, October 3th
Caucasian and Multi-Heritage Caucasian Families
Friday, November 7th
Latino and Multi-Heritage Latino Families
Friday, October 17th
LGBT Families
Friday, October 24th
RSVP to diversity@sfds.net.
Family Heritage Celebrations
If you are interested in helping with the school celebration of Day of the Dead, Diwali, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, or Lunar New Year, please contact Renee Otero at rotero@sfds.net.
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This summer the faculty was asked to read White Like Me by Tim Wise in preparation for his presentation at SFDS on September 15th. Tim Wise offers a highly personal examination of the ways in which racial privilege shapes and advantages the lives of white Americans. Wise examines the breadth and depth of the phenomenon within institutions such as education, employment, housing, criminal justice, and healthcare. We, the SFDS community, as a largely white institution can use this book and the author’s presentation to help us challenge our thinking and engage in an open dialogue about understanding the limitations to realizing our ambition to be an authentically inclusive community.
Wise’s book is deeply personal, as is every person’s experience with race. His book prompted me to reflect on my experience. From a child’s perspective, my simplistic elementary school self believed that there was something wrong with darker people, with my people, because we had so little. I believed that there was something right with lighter people, the other, because they had so much. I feared that there was something wrong with being a person of color. I feared that there was something wrong with my family, my community, and me.
Wise’s book asks us to consider that U.S. society is structured with advantage to whites and disadvantage to people of color. This premise is the reality for many yet often attempts to explain this reality to white friends and family can be tainted with misunderstandings, arguments, and blame. What are we to do with this information?
Children absorb culture like a sponge soaking up water. As a community, as parents and educators, we are their role models. Wise challenges us to confront and discuss issues of inequity in order to build the foundation for a better tomorrow. He role models this process as one that is deeply personal. We must explicitly analyze the pressures of a racialized society in order to develop a more authentic and empowered understanding of who we are and who we want to become. By doing this, we can support all our children in gaining a better understanding of self and society.
White Like Me pushed me to reflect and consider my place in the world. It also enabled me to share a small part of my story with you -- my community. I am proud to be part of a community that is open to doing this difficult work. This year we will have many opportunities to share our stories and to listen to one another this year. I’d like to continue getting to the heart of understanding our differences and why they exist. But most importantly, I hope to get to the soul of our being as we build an even stronger community.
In order to challenge your thinking, open community dialogue, and support diversity, please attend the Time Wise event on Monday September 15th at 7:00 p.m. in the SFDS gym and the follow-up discussion with Dr. Jackson on Monday September 22nd at 8:30 a.m. in the Library Media Center.
Renee Otero
Director of Diversity
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