Last spring, at the first diversity forum hosted by Dr. Muldrew, Ms. Agüero-Esparza, and Mr. Janda, several students grappled with the complexity of their ethnic, racial, or religious backgrounds while others spoke of a precarious sense of place at Harker and in the larger community. Their comments were so raw and honest that I left the meeting jarred, as if we had just peeled back the layer of our rushed daily activity to expose the underlying tensions affecting many of our students.

That experience accelerated my growing commitment to advocate in a more active way for a larger set of diversity goals. I had already begun to move in that direction, more secure in the last couple of years that the hard work on the part of many LGBT teachers and our allies had put structures more solidly in place for LGBT education and outreach. Work remained, I understood, and yet our strides had begun to free me up to contribute to other advocacy areas whenever possible.

I hadn’t expected to put my resolve into practice so soon after the referenced meeting, but an opportunity caught my attention a couple of days later when I came across in Wingspan senior Shay Lari-Hosain’s interview with Middle School Alum Wajahat Ali, a Muslim-American journalist and activist. I was so impressed with the piece and with Ali’s message that I emailed Shay asking whether he had considered pushing for an Upper School assembly featuring Ali, a possibility he seized immediately and brought to fruition last fall. It turned out to be a very well received talk, and the subsequent diversity and journalism sessions also proved inspiring.

In general, much good came from my becoming more pro-active on this front. Not only had Shay secured a larger platform for a cause he had worked extremely hard on for years, but also I gained important insight into the Muslim-American experience from Shay himself, someone who, at particular points in his academic career at Harker, has had to defend his religion from taunts and ridicule on our own campus.

We are fortunate to have several budding activists at Harker working toward a greater understanding of the struggles of marginalized communities. I support the interest of some of these students in an actual diversity club. More diversity-themed assemblies might also serve our school well.

Let me close by applauding the leadership of Dr. Muldrew, Ms. Agüero-Esparza, and Mr. Janda in shaping our official diversity programs, as well as the many teachers doing grassroots work in these areas. And to the students seeking more opportunities to promote a broader community dialogue on these issues: Stay focused, as you are among the best resources at our school!

This piece was originally published in the pages of the Winged Post on Mar. 23, 2016.