by Danny De Leon
Facilities Manager
This year I had the fortune of being able to travel to San Diego for the NAIS’ 23rd annual People of Color Conference (PoCC). Six other members of San Francisco Day School were also able to make the trip including Renée Otero, Sheri Leavitt, Loren Moyé, Damian Crosby, Andy Shin, and Audrey Soriano. In all, 2900 teachers, administrators and high school students from around the country attended the conference.
The PoCC is the NAIS’ flagship of equity and justice initiatives to address two important needs: the need for people of color in independent schools to come together for support and the need for schools to find ways to build and sustain inclusive independent school communities.
The PoCC is coupled with the Student Diversity Leadership Conference (SDLC), now in its 17th year. The SDLC is a multiracial, multicultural gathering of upper school student leaders (grades 9-12) from around the country that focuses on self reflection, forming allies and building community. Trained facilitators work with groups to develop cross-cultural communication skills, create strategies for effective social justice, and learn networking principles and strategies.
Each day, conference attendees met in their respective Affinity Groups: Asian, Black, Native American, Non-US citizen, Latino, Middle Eastern American, Multiracial, Pacific Islander, Transracial, and White/European American. I went to the Latino Affinity group and over the course of the week, I met several people from around the country who work in independent schools in a wide variety of capacities. Very quickly, we developed relationships by sharing stories about our heritage, exchanging experiences about working in independent schools, and finally developing strategies to help kids of color flourish in independent schools.
We also had the pleasure of hearing notable speakers each day. Phoebe Eng, author of Warrior Lessons, gave the PoCC keynote address. She wove a story of culture, familial duty and race intersecting with a range of American institutions, from Fortune 500 companies to schools. Phoebe urged young people to develop their leadership skills on their own terms and to listen to and discover their personal cultural values in the face of dominant culture.
All were on their feet and none dry-eyed as Ernest Green gave a stirring speech about Civil Rights, racism, leadership, and perseverance. Ernest was the first of the Little Rock Nine to earn his diploma from Central High School in 1954, following the United States Supreme Court decision in Brown vs. Board of Education. It was hugely moving to hear his first-person account and something I’m sure we’ll all remember.
Between Affinity groups and speeches, there were professional conferences covering a variety of subjects, for example: “Multiracial Classrooms: A Framework for the Transforming Pedagogy,” “Teaching New Perspectives: Engaging Students in Conversations about Diversity,” “Adoption and Schools: What We Can Do to Support All Kinds of Families,” and “Overcoming and Obstacles to Recruiting and Retaining Faculty of Color.”
Each day was more stimulating (and exhausting) than the one before, as we each struggled to decide which conference to attend. On Saturday, we were all ready to leave the sunshine to head home, filled with ideas, inspiration and thoughts about our myriad of experiences. I left the conference astounded by the warmth of people I met and everyone’s eagerness to share experiences and give encouragement to each other, which is what makes the PoCC so important to so many people: it’s a glimmer of comfort in a world that doesn’t necessarily look like your own. I often find that when you are not a part of a dominant culture, it’s easy to always give yourself away, which can be exhausting for some. More than once, kids in my Latino Affinity group have marveled at the simple comfort of being surrounded by people with whom you share a common bond. That is the true power of the PoCC – it is one of the few places where this notion is universally recognized and appreciated.
For me, the PoCC also represents the challenge to undertake the perpetually unfinished Diversity work that each and every one of us is responsible for; as parents, as teachers, and as members of San Francisco Day School. The conference reminds me that we all must strive to develop our Cultural Literacy, wherever we may be in our personal continuum, be it in our schools, our homes, or in our job places. The time for this work has never been so important and I am thankful to do my part every day.
