The 35th annual National Association of Independent School's People of Color Conference, affectionately referred to as PoCC by those attending each year, was held in December in Atlanta, the hometown of the great Civil Rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. The conference brought together over 3,500 faculty, staff, administrators, trustees, and activists from schools and educational organizations from around the country and the world to focus on advancing human and civil rights and fulfilling "the dream" together. At the same time, over 1,600 students from the same schools as their adult counterparts came together to do the exact same work at the Student Diversity Leadership Conference.
As I entered the Georgia World Congress Center with three of our students the energy was contagious. People were smiling, some hugging old friends, some hurrying to register and get a good seat, and some just not sure what to expect. Saint Mary's participants Olivia Ng '17, Reagan Massey '18, and Emily Leung '20, seemed to be just as excited to meet and engage with their peers from other schools as I was to catch up and engage with my peers. The conference started with a student performance that set the tone for the next few days. Royce Mann, a 15-year-old slam poet from Atlanta, brought the audience to its feet with two selections: "All Lives Matter But..." and "Rise Up," and reminded all of us of the power a young, focused voice has to inspire others to do and say what is necessary and right even when it is difficult. Following an energizing open session, all attendees heard from several keynote speakers, worked in smaller group sessions, and enjoy the company of the other conference participants.
All the sessions and the time spent with other educators were so valuable. But the message that remained in my heart and mind in the days following the conference were the four prerequisites for making true change in America, as set identified by Bryan Stevenson, founder and executive director of Equal Justice Initiative in Montgomery, Alabama:
- Get proximate.
- We must change the narrative around oppression, poverty, racism, and exclusion.
- Hope is essential.
- Be comfortable doing what is uncomfortable.
After months of difficult moments in our country, hearing Stevenson's message and considering these four points reminded me of the work, opportunity, and responsibility we have as educators to our students and to the future of our school, country, and world. I was reminded that each day we work to provide opportunities for all our students to see the possibilities, in and out of the classroom. Seeing students learn, collaborate, grow, and realize their own potential gives me hope that our country and world has the chance to move beyond the negativity and trouble present today. Giving girls the opportunity to engage in difficult but necessary conversations helps them see how they can transform the narrative around any area or issue and become agents of positive change.
As a person working with the next generation, I understand my responsibility in teaching all our students about the importance of moving the needle and helping to make our community and nation a place where respecting the worth and dignity of all is essential. Our students are more than a test grade, more than a leadership opportunity, more than a college acceptance. Our students are the future, and my hope is that what they learn at Saint Mary's will set them on a course to stay connected to doing the important and sometimes uncomfortable work to change the narrative, affect positive change, and give us all hope. With them we can fulfill the dream together.
Jennifer Rundles
Associate Dean of Students