In many settings, including schools, diversity has increasingly become a desired goal. Some of this has been driven by the recognition that we live in an increasingly diverse, global world. Indeed, diversity is one of the School’s core values, based in part on the belief that “a multicultural school community creates an enriched learning environment through the exploration, understanding, and appreciation of differences.” The foundational belief of Quakerism that there is “that of God” or “that of light” in each person, coupled with equality as one of its testimonies, renders diversity a moral value.

 

Creating successful diverse environments, however, is complex. Behind the notion of diversity is the reality of issues that arise from the fact that in societies as we know them, there are certain groups who are less visible, empowered, or privileged than others because of minority status, comparatively few resources, or historical political and social structures. This dynamic plays out in many areas of life, including, among others,

 

Certainly there is much that Brooklyn Friends can take pride in its diversity efforts. The number of its students, faculty and staff of color is considerably higher on average than at other independent schools, both in the city and throughout the country. The staff has regularly been engaged in significant professional development activities on issues of diversity; most recently it spent a day engaged in discussions about white privilege. The School was an early proponent of maintaining economic diversity by providing financial assistance, and the recent Strategic Plan calls for increased monies for this purpose.  The Guidance Committee recently revised harassment policies to ensure firmer consequences for actions involving bullying, physical aggression, and the use of abusive language based on race, ethnicity, gender, and sexual orientation. In addition, the School now sponsors a “The Good Person To Talk To” program which identifies certain trained faculty/staff who provide safe spaces for students to discuss sexual orientation issues.

 

On the other hand, the work of diversity is an ongoing process. Schools, Brooklyn Friends included, are not immune to the dynamic of inequities that exist among groups in society. Transforming institutions so that they do not mirror those inequities requires vigilance, knowledge, and sensitivity at all levels and among all constituencies.

 

As envisioned by the All-School Diversity Committee, the Strategic Plan for Diversity attempts to formulate broad directions for the next three to five years. The goals are not seen as exhaustive, and certainly can be modified to address specific concerns as they develop.

 

While the focus will be on racial/ethnic and socio-economic diversity, the Plan is meant to extend to other areas of diversity as well. Special action plans will be developed for the goals, and priorities will be set annually. The overall goal is to make BFS over time a better institution from the point of view of diversity.