Diversity, Equity, Belonging and Antiracism

January 20, 2022

from Dr. Bill Hudson, Head of School

This is the third of a four-part series of Head’s Messages that dives deep into MPA’s new strategic plan, 2024ward. Today we will outline this priority: Ensure an equitable and inclusive community. The second article may be found here. An overview of 2024ward may be found here.

It is not by accident that my article this week highlights the second priority of our new strategic plan. “The time is right to do what is right,” said Martin Luther King Jr. in a speech at Oberlin College on October 22, 1964. In the midst of a particularly violent year and in anticipation of the election, Dr. King noted that while behavior cannot be legislated, it is none the less crucial to protect dignity and lives of African Americans. Fifty-seven years later, our society continues to grapple with not just individual acts of racism but institutional and structural racism that deprives Black, Indigenous, and people of color from realizing the fullness of their humanity.

Since the founding of MPA in 1982, our school has been committed to embracing diversity, seeking equity, and continually striving to be profoundly inclusive. It has been a national leader among independent schools, well ahead of its time, in areas such as sexual orientation and gender identity. As a community, we have focused on fostering a safe and inclusive space for all, aspiring to be cognizant of gender identity and equality, religious understanding, socio-economic diversity, multicultural awareness, and racial diversity of students and staff. Equity, justice, and inclusion are embedded in our mission statement and are key in preparing our students to learn, live, and thrive in an increasingly diverse world.

While I am proud of our historical commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion at MPA, I also acknowledge the pain and trauma some of our students of color endured at MPA over the last forty years and continue to experience now. To say that MPA is a safe, inclusive community is authentic and it is also inspirational and aspirational. We are in the middle of great societal change and along with change comes periods of uncertainty, disruption, and discomfort. Nonetheless, we as a community must re-commit ourselves to actions and values that demonstrate a culture of respect, equity, and belonging.

In the fall of 2020, I formed an Antiracism Action Group to engage the MPA community in reflection, advocacy, and action to dismantle racism in our school and in the larger community. Composed of students, parents, alumni, faculty, staff, and trustees, the Antiracism Action Group met throughout the year and recommended a series of concrete steps to be taken to address institutional and individual bias and racism in our school. The recommendations were accepted by the Board of Trustees last year and serve as the foundation of this pillar of our strategic plan.

The work of implementing this priority is the responsibility of all members of our community. 2024ward calls for a balance of both immediate, short-term actions with longer-term strategies. To drive this important work and to hold us all accountable, the MPA Board of Trustees established a board level Equity and Belonging committee. The Equity and Belonging Committee will engage the larger MPA community to create a multi-year comprehensive action plan with quantitative metrics. Goals include expanding diversity throughout the MPA community including in our leadership, governance, faculty, staff, and student body and enhancing the capacity of faculty and staff to address instances of individual and institutional racism.

Work has already begun in several areas. For instance, the administration has been reviewing and improving our hiring process so that we are better able to attract high quality teachers and staff of color. Planning is currently underway for a comprehensive curriculum review to take place next year that includes ensuring that both content and delivery are centered on equity. In a new initiative this year, all employees are meeting monthly in small groups to build belonging, foster trust, and cultivate empathy so that authentic, meaningful, and ongoing diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice work can be done to strengthen the MPA culture and community.

Mother Teresa once said that, “If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.” As one independent school trustee said, “I’m talking about the kind of ‘when you feel pain, I hurt; when you feel joy, I smile’ belonging, going beyond the ‘let’s ensure that everybody participates in the trip to Italy’ kind of belonging that society might be more apt to take on within schools. It’s a “if I hurt you, I hurt everyone, including myself” kind of belonging. The work of diversity, equity, and belonging at MPA is a recognition that all of our fates are intertwined, and we can never be whole if we are unable to see and honor the humanity of others.