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Nationally Recognized Diversity Speaker Rosetta Lee Leads Day of Workshops for School Community

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Master educator and nationally recognized diversity speaker Rosetta Eun Ryong Lee led a full day of workshops for the school community on Fri., Dec. 7. Her sessions for faculty and staff, Lower School students, and parents delved into a wide range of topics, from identity to implicit bias, and gave her audiences food for thought, new research and perspectives, and opportunities to engage in meaningful conversations and push beyond their comfort zone.

Ms. Lee kicked off the day with an all faculty/staff discussion on how to foster critical conversations in the classroom and around school about race, gender, and other cultural identifiers. These conversations, she explained, are a critical step in building more inclusive communities. Ms. Lee also explored ways that stereotypes and microaggressions -- comments or actions that subtly and often unconsciously express a prejudiced attitude toward a member of a marginalized group -- can sneak into discussions and cause hurt or harm, particularly as they accumulate over time. Drawing on examples from her own life and classroom (Ms. Lee teaches at the Seattle Girls' School), she shared tools for encouraging "courageous conversations" and intervening in a healthy way when stereotypes and microaggressions arise.

Late morning, Ms. Lee spoke with Lower School students about identity, stereotypes, and power dynamics. She began her sessions by asking girls to close their eyes and picture a police officer, a doctor, a basketball player, a nanny, and a host of other roles. Some students were surprised at how similar their images of a given role were to their classmates'. Ms. Lee then asked students to think about the messages society sends girls: What are girls supposed to be like? How should they dress? What should they be when they grow up? After discussing their answers, Ms. Lee helped girls explore the dangers of these "should's" -- how they hold women back, and how stereotypes and prejudices of any kind work at the individual, group, and systemic level to oppress various groups. She remarked on how easy it was for the students to discuss gender issues and inequalities, and encouraged them to continue digging into similar discussions about other cultural identifiers. She also challenged them to serve as allies when they see or hear stereotypes at work around them.

After an open, drop-in Q&A session for faculty and staff, Ms. Lee wrapped up the day with a talk for parents on implicit bias. She led the audience through a range of activities that illustrate the mental shortcuts our brains take to help process the 11 million bits of information they receive every minute -- shortcuts that are critical to our survival and ability to live a focused life, but that also, unfortunately, can be the source of shorthand that works against equity. Implicit bias, she explained, is a preference for or against a person or group of people that operates at the subconscious level. It's triggered automatically and may run contrary to our stated beliefs. Building awareness of the implicit biases we may have is the first step to changing them, she shared. Then from there, we can work consciously to replace these biases.

This marks Ms. Lee's second year visiting Holton and speaking with various constituencies. This programming is part of the school's continued commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, one of our three institutional priorities. Throughout the year, Holton engages in this critical work in a host of ways, including classroom activities, guest speakers, workshops, global immersion trips, and so much more.



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