Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging
"Brooks School commits itself to creating a socially just community that is diverse, equitable and inclusive, because doing so is critical to providing the most meaningful educational experience our students will have in their lives."
BUILDING BELOVED COMMUNITY:
AWAKENING PURPOSE & APPLYING PRACTICE to support meaningful educational experiences
We honor Beloved Community as a purpose that connects us all, one that is rooted in the legacy of Dr. King and the civil rights movement, along with the many efforts working to create an inclusive, interrelated society based on love and justice.
We honor Beloved Community as a practice that includes the healing and transformation work we do inside ourselves and within the community using the power of love, vulnerability, care and connection.
Reverend Dr. Terri Ofori shares her philosophy of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging community-based DEI practice.
“I believe in utilizing narrative theory that focuses on uplifting the dignity of all humans as the entry point for engaging courageous conversations across difference designed to break down barriers and promote human understanding.”
Campus Affinity Groups
Alianza Latina (AL)
Alianza is an affinity group for students who share Latinx or Hispanic heritage.
Asian Student Alliance (ASA)
The Asian Student Alliance is an association made up of students of Asian descent at Brooks School. Through on- and off-campus events, ASA will come together in a variety of ways to celebrate and support Asian students at Brooks.
Black Students Union (BSU)
BSU is an affinity group for any student who identifies as Black, African or African-American.
Gender & Sexuality Alliance (GSA)
GSA functions as both an affinity group for anyone in the LGBTQIA+ community and an interest group for people who wish to serve as allies and friends to community members. The voices, concerns and institutional initiatives of queer Brooksians are centered in our work together.
Intercultural Student Association (ISA)
ISA is a place for students to feel welcome and have a safe place to share and discuss their Brook experiences together. ISA also serves a role in educating the Brooks community on international experiences and what it is like being an intercultural student. Additionally, ISA strives to welcome and help (new) international students adjust and feel at home at Brooks.
Jewish Students Organization (JSO)
The JSO is an affinity group for Brooksians who identify as part of the Jewish diaspora. The JSO also functions as a space for allies and friends who wish to work in support of the Jewish community at Brooks.
Sisters in Spirit (SIS)
Black womanist healing and hospitality for women in the African diaspora who identify as Black, African and/or African American. SIS promotes self care, self awareness and spirituality at Brooks as a pathway to women’s empowerment.
Students with Interracial Lives (Swirl)
A space for those who share multiple ethnicities and identities.
Women Supporting Women (WSW) formerly Women Incorporated (WINC)
A support group for women’s empowerment.
New in the fall of 2023, The Allies for Equity at Brooks (AEB): an ally group for white students at Brooks School who are committed to the principles of antiracism, equity, and justice.
STORIES OF BELONGING AT BROOKS
Brooks School's Commitment
To achieve our mission “to provide the most meaningful educational experience our students will have in their lives,” Brooks School is building a community where each one of us need not hide behind a mask, and can feel valued and affirmed in our true identity.
These identifiers include race, ethnicity, gender, socio-economic status, religion, physical ability, age, sexual orientation, gender expression, learning styles, family structure, language and geographic place of origin. We believe a diverse community enriches the lives of each member, and in this spirit we welcome individuals who support these values.
We strive to assure that our students, in all of the physical and virtual aspects of Brooks School, will see themselves reflected in our curricula and in the faces of our trustees, administrators, teachers, and staff.
We work to create a school where we are able to recognize our similarities and differences and where each individual has a voice to engage in community conversations with mutual empathy and respect.
We acknowledge the aspirations of this statement and the challenges of working together toward equity. We welcome these challenges and commit ourselves to creating a school that embraces the full identity of each of our students, their families, and all of our employees.
(Image by Alixa Garcia for Thrive Network).
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging
The DEIB teams — of faculty, staff and students — will continue with the goal of increasing community-wide understanding of the work of diversity, equity, and inclusion on campus and helping the Brooks school become an inclusive institution working towards the school's mission statement.
DEI Team Partnership
Brooks' DEI faculty team facilitates a wide-ranging program for the Brooks community:
- Coordinating and organizing a calendar of events to bring speakers, workshops and activities to campus to address DEI issues.
- Connecting and collaborating with alumni and Brooks' alumni office.
- Assessing the community's needs, and promoting community values related to issues of DEI.
- Collaborating in the development of DEI curriculum initiatives.
- Facilitating the development of Equity Grievance Protocols for Brooks students and employees.
"Given the heightened awareness concerning racial injustice in the country, we are steadfastly devoted to working with the Brooks community to combat and disrupt systemic and institutional racism. We are committed to making this work a movement rather than a moment.”
Kenya Jones
Statement on Gender Identity and Expression
Brooks School welcomes and proactively affirms the wide spectrum of gender identities of its students and community members, and the ways in which Brooksians choose to express their genders. The school’s policies and procedures are intended to accommodate, and not limit, the privileges and responsibilities granted to and expected of all of our community members who identify or express themselves outside the traditional cisgender binary. In all cases, community members should seek out a trusted adult or other community member for support and advocacy. The school recognizes that, along with other policies and systemic assumptions, its physical spaces are, at times, predicated on the traditional cisgender binary; the school intends to honor the identities, lived experiences and needs of all its students.