Dear Brearley Students, Alumnae, Parents, Faculty, Staff and Friends,
The past few weeks have been a transformative and pivotal period in our school’s history. We have immersed ourselves in the painful, often searing stories of the firsthand effects of institutionalized and, at times, overt anti-Black racism within our walls. The strength of Brearley students and alumnae in sharing their stories on our forums and on the blackatbrearley Instagram account has been profoundly inspiring. We have listened, and we acknowledge the need for significant change.
Our hearts are heavy. We are deeply sorry and apologize to all members of our Black community. We can do better; we will do better; and we hope that this letter can begin to articulate how we will actively shape an anti-racist community at Brearley.
We are grateful for the calls to action we have received from Black students, parents and alumnae, as well as faculty and staff and the support for their concerns demonstrated by the larger community. In particular, we want to thank UMOJA, Brearley’s affinity group for Black students, whose powerfully candid and thoughtful comments have served as a basis for many of our conversations over the last week. We appreciate their leadership and their creation of a summer advisory group that will work with Ms. Fried and Dr. Huelett over the next few months. They have suggested and we agree that we should refer to this period of change as Building a Better Brearley.
The next steps below—some concrete, some conceptual—extend to every area of our school: curriculum, training, student support, hiring and more. Clearly, achieving our goal requires the commitment of every member of the community: faculty, staff, students, parents, trustees and alumnae. While these initiatives to create a safer and more affirming environment for our Black students require further development and refinement, we want you to know the breadth of our efforts to address our task at hand. Some of these programs may sound familiar, as some were in development previously; in those cases, we have reconsidered and recast these efforts through the lens of the many experiences about which we are hearing. The work begins this summer and we will update the community with a timeline. The vital conversations and meetings that we will be having moving forward will enable us to further refine the action items highlighted here.
Establish Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee of the Board of Trustees
The Board has voted unanimously to create a standing committee for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion to focus on the goal of building an anti-racist community. This committee will partner with the administration and interface with stakeholders in supporting and expanding the work to confront anti-Black racism outlined below and will develop a plan to become an anti-racist school community. Annual strategies and goals will be established and progress will be assessed using data from annual surveys.
Establish Community Anti-Racism Advisory Bodies
The School will create anti-racism advisory boards for students, parents, faculty, staff and either a new or existing group of alumnae to engage all constituencies in monitoring our progress toward becoming an anti-racist community. The advisory boards will meet with one another regularly and also with the trustee members of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee.
Conduct Community-Wide Training
The faculty and staff have engaged in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion learning multiple times annually over the past four years through the Pacific Educational Group and the School’s own Equity Learning Groups. Topics have included history of race and racism in the American educational system, microaggressions, implicit bias, restorative justice and code-switching. Clearly, much more work is needed to connect this meaningful learning with our transformation to an anti-racist school culture. Mandated faculty and staff training in anti-racism will continue next year, beginning with a community read of How to Be an Antiracist, by Ibram X. Kendi. Now all constituencies will engage in anti-racist training as well.
All trustees and at least one parent/guardian from each student’s household will be required to participate in training at an interval to be determined. The School’s enrollment contract will include this expectation moving forward. This training will provide insight for parents about their children’s learning, as well as help them reflect on their own beliefs. With a common vocabulary and understanding of community values with respect to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, parents will be able to better support the School’s commitment to creating an anti-racist community.
Foster Anti-Racist Behavior Among Students
Division leaders and the Director of Equity and Community Engagement will review our code of conduct to more explicitly address acts of racism and connect clear and understandable discipline responses to these acts so that students are aware of administrative actions. They will also work with UMOJA leadership to create an anti-racist curriculum that will teach students how to identify racist behavior and stand up to it, and they will develop a restorative justice process to redress harm caused by racist behavior.
Develop Inclusive Curriculum and Culturally Competent Pedagogy
The Administration will oversee changes across the curriculum with particular emphasis on the humanities, where texts, topics and pedagogy are central to the development of the students’ intellect, imagination and identity. Work will begin this summer. Departments will review their curriculum; question the assumptions that led to the inclusion of or emphasis on certain topics and texts and the omission of or underemphasis on others; introduce new texts by Black authors and topics in Black history to deepen the breadth and scope of students’ understanding; create lessons that provide the context for and enhance the appreciation of these texts and topics; and develop greater competence in connecting all students to these texts and topics.
We will train teachers to acknowledge and address the biases that influence their pedagogy. Departments will introduce changes in the fall, and this first phase of change will continue intentionally and measurably over the next three years.
Nurture and Hold Administration, Faculty and Staff Accountable for Creating Anti-Racist Community
In addition to professional development and training in anti-racism, each member of the administration, faculty and staff will develop an annual equity goal in their area of expertise that will be approved by the Assistant Head of School for Academic Life and the Director of Equity and Community Engagement.
The School will utilize a performance improvement plan to review all employees who are not consistently incorporating the skills they have learned in the required, school-sponsored anti-racism training. Those who do not improve will be, in an important sense, working against our shared goal and be terminated.
Augment Staffing in the Equity and Community Engagement Office
We will review staffing needs with respect to student, parent, faculty and staff training and support.
Educate Prospective Families
The admission staff will inform all prospective families about the School’s goal to become an anti-racist community and set as an admission criterion the family’s commitment and willingness to contribute to this goal.
Support for Black Students
Division leaders and the Director of Equity and Community and Engagement will develop with UMOJA leadership more robust programming for Black students to focus on social experiences, identity-development and mental health, among other needs. The College Advising Office will, with input from students and alumnae, ensure its programming acknowledges, reflects and responds to a diversity of student experiences and needs. We will also establish an alumnae volunteer group to mentor Black students and strengthen student support based on a survey that will focus on student experiences in each division at Brearley and on the college experience and transition to life after college.
Conduct Annual Survey on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Brearley will contract an independent consultant with expertise in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion to conduct research on school climate with respect to student belonging, anti-racism and attitudes toward Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
Review Photo-Taking and Student Panel Practices with Students
We will evaluate and reform our processes to address student concerns about our creation and use of marketing materials involving Black students.
Redouble Initiative to Hire Teachers, Administrators and Staff of Color
Brearley will contract with an independent consultant with expertise in hiring educators of color to review current hiring practices and work with individual department heads and departments in the fall in anticipation of the 2021 hiring season. The School will continue the initiative to recruit and retain faculty and staff of color, with a focus on Black teachers. Some departments have made progress in this area and others have not. Changes to the curriculum and our commitment to creating an anti-racist community will support this important work.
Review Student Body Composition
The diversity of our student body is a hallmark of the School and a perceived strength. As we work to improve the experiences of Black students, additional attention should also be given to their representation in the school community.
We are grateful for the dialogue with the community about this work and are committed to sustaining this communication as we move forward. There is much work to be done. We will Build a Better Brearley, together. We are holding ourselves accountable and counting on you to as well.
Sincerely,
The Brearley School Board of Trustees
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