Diversity, Equity, Belonging and Antiracism Archives

February 23, 2023

from Lamar Shingles, director of equity and belonging

Editor’s Note: Periodically, you will find a guest Head’s Message here from one of MPA’s administrators. We hope you enjoy reading their thoughts and reflections about life at MPA.

If you ask anyone who knows me well, I have a deep fascination with understanding how things work. My mother recalls many instances where her home and possessions became a canvas for me to explore my mechanical inclination, two of which would define me above all others. She loves to reminisce about how I used to take apart working kitchen appliances and put them back together before I was old enough for kindergarten. Infamously, there was the time she came home from shopping with a friend to find that her ambitious high schooler had rendered her car unroadworthy, determined to find the issue, and fix it. As she looked precariously upon the bevy of unidentifiable parts strewn across the front lawn, instinctively, her mind searched for ways to fix her car—and me. However, as she observed and allowed initial emotions to subside, she recognized the most important thing to do was embrace my intrinsic motivation to “work the problem.” Not only did this establish the necessary conditions for learning to occur in the moment, but it also expanded my capacity to identify and resolve problems in the future.

While I ultimately did not become the NASA engineer my mother probably assumed I would be, the lessons I learned influenced my career path, nonetheless. Diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) work is uniquely challenging. It is intentionally disruptive of the status quo. It is difficult to define, and few standards exist to guide the way. Progress and success can be even more difficult to identify as they are predicated on both individual and collective exploration and growth. I often think of the work as an iceberg, 10% is what everyone can see, while 90% exists below the surface.

2024ward outlines a strategic vision that defines the guiding principle of DEIB work: “Deepen our commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging and ensure it is reflected in our policies, programs, and practices and in the life and culture of the MPA community.” Such a commitment requires an approach that must be as unique as MPA itself. It will also require resilience, creativity, empathy, and participation from all within our community.

This year has marked real progress in our DEIB journey. At the core, we are continuing to build our capacity to define and sustain this work while building off previous work. Administration has participated in True Colors and Intercultural Development Inventory trainings that enhance our ability to collectively and effectively lead MPA. Student support has been significantly elevated with the addition of assistant director of equity and belonging, Samantha Sanchez. Faculty have begun training in Culturally Responsive Teaching practices that will help us understand and address implicit bias in the classroom. Employee affinity groups have emerged. A faculty and staff equity and belonging committee has been established that is working to define shared language and equity standards that will dovetail with our curriculum review process. The MPA Parents Association established a DEI committee and paved the way for the creation of affinity groups for parents of LGBTQ+ and neurodiverse students, and the ability to form more groups going forward. We have also recognized and are actively working to improve how we address the needs of our international students and provide greater support for our host families, who selflessly open their homes to our international students.

Implementation is and will continue to be a multifaceted journey with many destinations. Guy Kawasaki once stated, “Ideas are easy. Implementation is hard.” I have been asked many times, “why do you do this work?” My response brings me back full circle to the intrinsic motivation my mother helped to cultivate. This is challenging work. But most importantly, it is work with purpose that is inseparable from my internal desire to leave MPA better than I found it.

Reflections From a Transformative Experience

January 18, 2023

MPA Upper School students Alex Appleton, Abdur-Rahman Lodhi, Alex Appleton, Andrea Pugh, and Ema Santibañez represented MPA at the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) Student Diversity Leadership Conference (SDLC). The students attended this transformative gathering in San Antonio, Texas in December. Some members of MPA’s faculty and staff also accompanied the students and participated in intentional professional development concerning diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Regina Santiago, MPA’s kindergarten teacher, shared that “It was amazingly validating and healing to be in a space with so many other folks who understand the unique experience of being an educator of color in predominantly white institutions. It meant a lot to feel support and solidarity for my whole, authentic self. It was also great to spend more time with colleagues and students in other departments and divisions at MPA that I don’t get to spend enough time with because we’re all so busy!”

The workshops and modules that were available for faculty and staff ranged from resources for employees groups of color to general education on the nuances of being an employee in independent schools. Bakari Jackson, MPA’s communications coordinator, attended the event and recounts, “Although I’m not faculty, there were so many relevant workshops for me to learn from. I gained a considerable amount of beneficial tools and insights that are serving me today in my work here. I’m incredibly grateful for the opportunity. The time I spent and experiences I shared with my coworkers of color provided me with an invaluable sense of community that came back with me to MPA.”

While MPA employees attended their sessions, the students took part in the Student Diversity Leadership Conference (SDLC). NAIS describes the program as “a multiracial, multicultural gathering of Upper School student leaders from across the U.S. and abroad. SDLC focuses on self-reflecting, forming allies, and building community. Led by a diverse team of trained adult and peer facilitators, participating 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.”

MPA is proud of the students’ passion for leadership and their dedication to diversity, equity, and inclusion. We continue to look forward to hearing about these students’ experiences and instituting the practices that they learn into our community.

The Power Of Connection

October 26, 2022

The following essay is adapted from MPA Class of 2023 member Justin Choi’s Senior Speech.

I’ve always feared change. There’s something about leaving everything known and entering new territories that scares me. When my family and I made a choice to move to Minnesota, I didn’t have the time to fully evaluate the process of moving to a new country, a new environment. I was on the plane to Los Angeles when I realized how much of my life was packed on a small island in Hong Kong, and in that plane seat I also realized how frightened I was. I had never even met a single person in America. I had only met my aunts and uncles when they would occasionally visit Hong Kong or the rare time we would visit America, but even then, I’d never had a whole conversation with them. I realized this was going to be the biggest change of my life, and I had no idea how to even adapt.

I landed at MSP, and I immediately felt lost. I didn’t know where I was in the country, I didn’t have any friends, I had never seen lakes, boats…farms! I felt tiny–coming from Hong Kong, where I was the same size as everyone else–felt weird. In Hong Kong, there were mountains surrounding a concrete jungle. I could walk the streets throughout the whole city and find my way home. Here, I couldn’t even get from my house to my school…and for our first year here, we lived in the apartments right by MPA! Read More

Host Family Experiences: Ms. Stacy

June 30, 2022

Parent of alumni and fourth grade teacher DeeDee Stacy shares her experience hosting Lyndon Lyu ’20.

How did hosting an international student impact or change your family?
Having an international student in our home enriched our understanding of another culture first hand, and taught us that extending ourselves to those who need a place to live garners many rewards. The laughter, gratitude, and love that our student brought into our home resulted in an ongoing relationship that feels like family.

Do you have a special memorable moment you experienced while hosting your student?
There are countless memories worthy of sharing, because seeing MPA and Minnesota through the eyes of a new comer was delightful. When our student entered our home for the first time, he went into the living room and and twirled around, saying, “Thank you for letting me live here. I just love this house!” At the end of his first year here, when he learned that as a junior he might not have the same Lower School buddy, our student asked if he could write notes to the young student to let him know how much he enjoyed their time together. The connection to the community was obvious in so many ways. Read More

Belonging At MPA

April 28, 2022

from Dr. Bill Hudson, Head of School

It has been a hectic several weeks for members of the MPA community! We had a wildly successful Spring Auction with more than 250 parents, alumni parents, alumni, grandparents, faculty, and staff gathered at A’Bulae in St. Paul to celebrate MPA and raise much-needed funds for our students. It was a full house, and everyone seemed to have fun and were undoubtedly happy to be together again.

Yesterday, we hosted Grandparents and Special Friends Day with several hundred attending for Lower, Middle, and Upper School students. For some, it was their first time in the school and the first time experiencing a little bit of the magic that happens each day at MPA. In my opening remarks to the grandparents and special friends, I shared research highlighting the importance of grandparents and mentors/role models to young people’s academic, social, and emotional health and well-being.

The importance of a strong sense of community to the growth and well-being of young people cannot be understated even more so as we emerge from the pandemic. Belonging is an essential human need, and we all require and long for caring, genuine, and ongoing connections with others. In a school environment, students deeply desire to be accepted, respected, included, and supported by others in the school social environment.

A recent article in the New York Times caught my attention and presented evidence that all educators and parents feel instinctively. While I have been concerned about student mental health for some time now, and MPA has made it a priority to address, the article powerfully but sadly presented the current reality of our young people in a post-pandemic society.

There is some good news. In many instances, young people are avoiding high risk behaviors. “Young people are more educated; less likely to get pregnant; use drugs; less likely to die of accident or injury,” said Candice Odgers, a psychologist at the University of California, Irvine. “By many markers, kids are doing fantastic and thriving. But there are these significant trends in anxiety, depression, and suicide that stop us in our tracks.” For example, emergency room visits for suicide attempts rose 51 percent for adolescent girls in early 2021 compared to the same period in 2019. The figure rose four percent for boys.

A Culture Of Respect, Equity, And Belonging

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.

MPA Connecting for Understanding: An Open Dialogue about Neurodiversity

January 20, 2022

The MPA Parents Association invites you to Connecting for Understanding: An Open Dialogue about Neurodiversity.

Do you think there is a “normal” brain? What does that mean? Or does having a “normal brain” simply mean having a brain that functions well within the given structures of our current systems? As parents, how do we talk with our students, when they, or their classmates, don’t have brains that fit within the parameters of “normal” learning or “normal” classroom behavior? What does it mean to be neurotypical vs. neurodiverse? How do we discuss these topics with accurate information and compassion to create understanding within our school community?

Please join us as we welcome Pediatric Neuropsychologist, Dr. Jonathan Miller, on January 27, 6:30-7:45 PM for an interactive dialogue about neurodiversity and the many ways in which our children learn. This event is for Lower, Middle, and Upper School parents.

This is the first in a series of community-building open dialogue events hosted in partnership between the Parents Association and MPA. Upcoming webinars will cover issues around race and LGBTQ+ topics. Please join in the conversations!

Meet Zainab Lodhi ’25

January 14, 2022

This is Zainab’s second year at MPA. She joined in eighth grade and is currently in ninth grade.

What do you love about MPA?
What I love most about MPA is the community and environment. Not only does MPA provide students with a supportive community, but it also gives an environment that encourages curiosity, and it pushes its students towards improvement rather than pressuring students to constantly succeed. MPA makes me feel safe and respected, which I feel is vital in high school. I have never dreaded going to school at MPA. Everyday feels like a new and exciting experience. MPA truly is one of a kind––not only in its beliefs, but how it implements them to create an experience for each of its students.

How are you encouraged to dream big and do right at MPA?
MPA wholeheartedly encourages its students to institute change, gives students the support they need to pursue their passions, and teaches students that everyone can make change. We are not treated like we are ignorant of the “real world,” and instead, given room to grow as individuals. I have felt that this treatment encourages us be unafraid of uncertainty and pursue happiness. Read More

Meet Zaara Nayak ’23

November 18, 2021

Zaara has been an MPA student for six years.

What do you love about MPA?
I love MPA’s culture of inclusivity and its commitment to diversity. I also love my teachers and how they encourage me to be an independent thinker.

How are you encouraged to dream big and do right at MPA?
At MPA, I truly feel there is no limit to what I can accomplish. MPA has provided me with many leadership opportunities. For example, I recently re-established the Upper School student-run newspaper as I felt students needed a platform to cultivate community culture.

Why do you believe your teachers teach the way they do?
Hands-on, experiential learning is a key part of teaching at MPA because it teaches us how to think, not just what to think.

If you have attended another school, how has your experience here been different?
Compared to the schools I’ve previously attended, MPA’s small class size has allowed teachers get to know me, my strengths, and challenge me accordingly.

What would you tell another student your age considering MPA?
You won’t regret coming to MPA! It’s one of the best decisions you’ll ever make.

In what ways has MPA prepared you for life beyond school?
MPA has taught me to think critically and independently and how to apply classroom learning to solve real world issues.

What’s your big dream?
Regardless of what career I pursue, I hope to meet the needs of our community and leave the world a better place.

The Crimson And Cream Foundation’s Top Award Recipient, Salmah Elmasry ’21

September 24, 2021

Congratulations to Salmah Elmasry ’21

The MPA community is celebrating Salmah Elmasry ’21, for receiving the the top award from The Crimson and Cream Foundation! This foundation is a local one founded in 1996 to advance academics, leadership, and social skills in young people throughout the St. Paul-Minneapolis area. Since graduating from MPA, Salmah’s impressive extracurricular and community service accomplishments include founding and managing operations for The Neda Project, Captain of the Varsity Speech Team and Varsity Debate Team, and President of the Social Consciousness Club. We wish Salmah all the best as she continues her education at Georgetown University studying International Relations.The community couldn’t be more proud of Salmah. read more>