Every year in the late fall, the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) hosts a pair of simultaneous diversity conferences for its member schools: the People of Color Conference (PoCC) for educators and the Student Diversity Leadership Conference (SDLC) for students.
This year, four Holton administrators attended the PoCC, held Nov. 28 to Dec. 1 in Nashville: Middle School Director Nichole Foster-Hinds, Assistant Lower School Director Sherry Wells, Director of Diversity & Global Education Melissa Brown, and Assistant Director of Diversity & Global Education Kelly Randall. According to the NAIS website, the "mission of the conference is to provide a safe space for leadership and professional development and networking for people of color and allies of all backgrounds in independent schools. PoCC equips educators...with knowledge, skills, and experiences to improve and enhance the interracial, interethnic, and intercultural climate in their schools."
Ms. Randall says that she and fellow PoCC participants chose from a broad range of workshops in areas like anti-racist training, allyship, leadership that promotes equity, and social justice. "We also worked in smaller 'regional groups' and 'affinity groups' to share successes and challenges, as well as ideas on how to move our work forward. Inspired by keynote speakers such as activist Marian Wright Edelman and author and former Stanford Dean Julie Lythcott-Haims, our faculty and staff return with a renewed sense of purpose and drive."
Meanwhile, six Upper School students attended the SDLC: Lillian Broeksmit '20, Anushka Dar '21, Kelly Padalino '21, Katie Smith '19, Erin Thomas '20, and Maya Valmon '20. The conference drew around 1,500 students in grades 9-12 from more than 300 independent schools across the US and abroad. The goals of this multiracial, multicultural gathering are, according to its website, to help students "develop cross-cultural communication skills, design effective strategies for social justice practice through dialogue and the arts, and learn the foundations of allyship and networking principles." Keynote speakers this year included journalist Lisa Ling and founder of the nonprofit Life After Hate Christian Picciolini.
"Bringing diverse backgrounds and open minds, our students engaged in profound diversity work," says Ms. Randall. "As their teachers, we could not have been more proud of their insightful thoughts and reflections during our final dialogue. Not only are they prepared for the challenge of leading their peers in discussions as we continue to make diversity, equity, and inclusion and institutional priority at Holton; they are impassioned to share what they have learned."
Later this year, the six SDLC attendees will join with another 20 Upper School peer facilitators to lead the school's Second Annual Middle School and Upper School Diversity Conferences.
