Adams Addresses Issues of Equity and Inclusion

9/19/2017

On September 18, St. Stephen’s Director of Equity and Inclusion Yvonne Adams spoke with students in Middle School and Upper School Chapel services about important issues of diversity, inclusion and moving beyond tolerance to true understanding. Excerpts from her talk are provided below:

As educators it is not only our responsibility to teach students but also to help each of you grapple with the world around you and that is my intention as I speak to you today. In my role as director of equity and inclusion, it is my hope that teaching you, talking with you and navigating difficult conversations with you around areas of equity and inclusion will help each of you to grow into an independent learner and global citizen that our world needs. Events of the past few months have given us plenty of opportunities to talk about different things from white supremacy, to hurricanes, to deportation. Each time one of these events comes up, I work on learning something from them. So I would like to share some of what I have learned and thought about.

I heard from many of you about the events in Charlottesville; many of you sent text messages or emails expressing concern about the state of our country…. Charlottesville was a wake-up call to many, and I learned to hate one thing from this event. It's not white supremacy; it's not statues that commemorate confederate soldiers (although these things are very unappealing). What I learned to hate is intolerance. What makes the St. Stephen’s community amazing is the fabric of diversity that is woven in all aspects of everyday life. Despite our differences, we know and respect each other. Therefore, intolerance is not something any of us should accept in our community.

Another event that has helped to wake up many Americans and members of our community was the disastrous hurricanes that rocked the coasts of Texas and Florida. At some point displaced students will return to schools that suffered significant structural damage, such as broken windows, flooded gymnasiums, and lost books and classroom supplies. Beyond that, the emotional and academic impacts of the natural disaster could plague students’ psyches and school success rates for years to come. Problems like this are not fixed overnight… or over a week, month or year. But we can help. This is what you do, this is what I learned: You start where you are and get a little better every day. Little achievements add up over time. Here are some little things that will or can add up over time and bring about positive change for these communities.

I hope that you will find time in your schedule to help in some way, whether it is donating financially, dropping needed items into a donation box, or pitching in at one of the upcoming opportunities in LaGrange and Houston. A little goes a long way…remember that. Let’s not talk about how awful things are; let’s help make them better.

Another event where we can help make things better is with the current state of DACA, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. When it was announced that DACA would end, my heart dropped, as I realized just how acutely the political climate was affecting students and families that I know and love dearly. I know we have DACA students at St. Stephen’s, and many of you know DACA families. The constant threat of deportation or the actual act itself oftentimes can disrupt the stability of an entire community. We need to be cognizant of the root causes of the migration from Mexico and Central America, as well as the many countries undocumented workers are coming from. I encourage you to educate yourself about the systems at play that have created the need for DACA. We as a school are in support of all immigrant students, family members and employees at St. Stephen’s.

Diversity or equity, generally understood and embraced, is not casual liberal tolerance of anything and everything beyond yourself. It is not polite accommodation. Rather, equity is the sometimes painful awareness that other people, other races, other voices, other habits of mind have as much integrity of being, as much claim on the world as you do. So I urge you, amid all the differences present to the eye and mind, to reach out to create bonds with others that will protect not just some, but all: those affected by hurricanes, those under the threat of deportation, and those staring into the face of hate, bigotry and white supremacy. At this moment in history, we are all responsible for taking on this challenge. Our school’s mission and our shared humanity asks us to build paths toward justice that guarantee protection of human rights and dignity for all people.

I am reminded that our ideas can be in conflict without us being in conflict. We live in a world where when we disagree or when our ideas are in conflict, it automatically puts people in conflict with each other. However, I ask you to think about scenarios on this hill, in classrooms across this campus, in the dorms, in the dining hall, on the stage, on the fields and courts….wherever you might be, where you can have ideas that are completely opposite those of others yet you can help people see the world differently. Press them on their beliefs, and invite them to challenge you to see the world differently as well — all without being in conflict with them.

Before a dream can become a reality it must be owned by every member of the group. I hope you will join me in owning the dream that Bishop Hines and others had for St. Stephen’s...a school built on a hilltop dedicated to the recovery of humans.

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