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Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, & Social Justice




A Team Approach

Athenian believes that upholding our commitments will take full community participation -- a team approach. Our Director of DEIS and Director of People & Culture will support school-wide DEIS efforts with students and employees, and our Board of Trustees has formed a DEIS committee to work in parallel, to support and ensure we continue to make progress and hold DEIS as a school priority. In addition, our Director of DEIS will facilitate the new DEIS Advisory Council which includes faculty and staff, and will work with student DEIS interns to advise, advocate for and support our shared DEIS goals.

On Campus Affinity Groups

Athenian Upper School students are invited to participate in or help create affinity groups. These identity-based groups help foster community and are a vehicle for connection, advocacy, and support for students who identify as members of a historically marginalized group. Each group has its own unique mission and an adult advisor with a shared identity. 
 
In addition to the groups to the right, the school recently formed the  Athenian White Antiracist Group (AWAG), an accountability space for students, staff, faculty, and administrators who are White or have proximity to whiteness (self-identified) and are seeking to learn more about their whiteness and its relationship to antiracism (unlearning and relearning). A new adult/employee BIPOC affinity group will be added in 22-23.
Asian Student Union
Black Student Union
International Students Affinity Group
Jew Crew (Jewish Affinity Group)
La Gente (LatinX/Hispanic Affinity Group)
Mixed Race Affinity Space
Muslim Affinity Group
Neurodivergent Student Union
Queer Student Union
South Asian Representation

What is an Affinity Group?

Unlike student clubs that are organized around a shared passion and open to all, affinity groups are just for those with a shared identity background. As we explain to our students, “you know you are in the right affinity group if you can say unequivocally, I am __________ and can speak to that group’s collective identity and experience from the I and we perspective.”



Athenian's Commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Social Justice

Fulfilling our school mission requires being an equitable and inclusive community that reflects a wide range of identities, lived experiences, and perspectives. Our Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Social Justice (DEIS) work is in service to this belief, helping to create an environment where all members of the community thrive. 

We call upon all of our students, families, faculty, staff, alumni and trustees to actively engage in this work both individually and collectively. And, as an institution of learning, we will work to ensure our programs and curriculum reflect the diversity of our community and the world, including the experiences and perspectives of varied race, national and/or ethnic origin, socioeconomic class, faith, political affiliation, physical abilities, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression. We acknowledge that there is much work to be done and that conflicts may arise in the co-creation of a just and equitable community; we see these conflicts as opportunities for restoration, growth, and learning. We invite you to join us on this journey. 



In 2020, Athenian made the following commitment to become an anti-racist school.

We, Athenian, condemn racism, discrimination, and bigotry in all forms. Acknowledging that racism is systematic and self-perpetuating, we are counteracting racism by identifying and dismantling the systems--policies, practices, and cultural norms-- that may be perpetuating racial inequities at Athenian. While our work will be centered on enacting change at Athenian, we will engage our entire community in the process thereby educating young people equipped to advocate for racial equity in their own communities and throughout their lives. 






Multi-Year DEIS Goals

In 2021-2022 we made notable progress on our DEIS goals, including our anti-racist commitment (see DEIS Updates 8/24/2022). And, we will continue on this journey, taking measurable actions each school year. See current-year initiatives listed by goal below. While each initiative is noted just once, many are in service to several of our four major multi-year goals.



Naoko Akiyama, Director of DEIS




Naoko brings over two decades of independent school experience with time spent in schools on both coasts. In addition to her many years as a math teacher, Naoko has served schools and students in a variety of roles including Class Dean, Dean of Students, and Dean of Community Life, and Interim Director of Equity and Inclusion. Throughout her time as an educator, Naoko has been a committed DEI advocate and practitioner in both formal and informal capacities.
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