{"id":29233,"date":"2020-06-15T15:13:21","date_gmt":"2020-06-15T19:13:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.easternmennonite.org\/?page_id=29233"},"modified":"2025-07-31T13:51:45","modified_gmt":"2025-07-31T17:51:45","slug":"dei","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.easternmennonite.org\/es\/about\/peacebuilding\/dei\/","title":{"rendered":"Diversidad, Equidad e Inclusi\u00f3n"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\t<div class=\"trp_language_switcher_shortcode\">\n<div class=\"trp-language-switcher trp-language-switcher-container\" data-no-translation >\n    <div class=\"trp-ls-shortcode-current-language\">\n        <a href=\"#\" class=\"trp-ls-shortcode-disabled-language trp-ls-disabled-language\" title=\"Espa\u00f1ol de M\u00e9xico\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault()\">\n\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"trp-flag-image\" src=\"https:\/\/www.easternmennonite.org\/wp-content\/plugins\/translatepress-multilingual\/assets\/images\/flags\/es_MX.png\" width=\"18\" height=\"12\" alt=\"es_MX\" title=\"Espa\u00f1ol de M\u00e9xico\"> Espa\u00f1ol de M\u00e9xico\t\t<\/a>\n    <\/div>\n    <div class=\"trp-ls-shortcode-language\">\n                <a href=\"#\" class=\"trp-ls-shortcode-disabled-language trp-ls-disabled-language\"  title=\"Espa\u00f1ol de M\u00e9xico\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault()\">\n\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"trp-flag-image\" src=\"https:\/\/www.easternmennonite.org\/wp-content\/plugins\/translatepress-multilingual\/assets\/images\/flags\/es_MX.png\" width=\"18\" height=\"12\" alt=\"es_MX\" title=\"Espa\u00f1ol de M\u00e9xico\"> Espa\u00f1ol de M\u00e9xico\t\t<\/a>\n                    <a href=\"https:\/\/www.easternmennonite.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/29233#TRPLINKPROCESSED\" title=\"English\">\n            <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"trp-flag-image\" src=\"https:\/\/www.easternmennonite.org\/wp-content\/plugins\/translatepress-multilingual\/assets\/images\/flags\/en_US.png\" width=\"18\" height=\"12\" alt=\"en_US\" title=\"English\"> English        <\/a>\n\n        <\/div>\n    <script type=\"application\/javascript\">\n        \/\/ need to have the same with set from JS on both divs. Otherwise it can push stuff around in HTML\n        var trp_ls_shortcodes = document.querySelectorAll('.trp_language_switcher_shortcode .trp-language-switcher');\n        if ( trp_ls_shortcodes.length > 0) {\n            \/\/ get the last language switcher added\n            var trp_el = trp_ls_shortcodes[trp_ls_shortcodes.length - 1];\n\n            var trp_shortcode_language_item = trp_el.querySelector( '.trp-ls-shortcode-language' )\n            \/\/ set width\n            var trp_ls_shortcode_width                                               = trp_shortcode_language_item.offsetWidth + 16;\n            trp_shortcode_language_item.style.width                                  = trp_ls_shortcode_width + 'px';\n            trp_el.querySelector( '.trp-ls-shortcode-current-language' ).style.width = trp_ls_shortcode_width + 'px';\n\n            \/\/ We're putting this on display: none after we have its width.\n            trp_shortcode_language_item.style.display = 'none';\n        }\n    <\/script>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\t<h3>Equity Work<\/h3>\n<p>The EMS Equity Group is made up of faculty representatives from each division and administrators. Everyone is welcome to join. The group is a place to give focused attention to the school&#8217;s efforts to continually grow in its vision to be a &#8220;learning community where every student belongs, thrives and lives God&#8217;s call.&#8221; Started as a Racial Equity Group in 2020, their work has broadened to include equity for all.<\/p>\n<p><strong>All faculty and staff members are invited to join. <\/strong>The group meets regularly throughout the year. Participants included faculty from each of the three divisions, administrators, school counselors, and other staff. A list of their work is included below. A milestone at the end of the 2023-2024 school year was the approval by board and leadership of a statement of a belonging.<\/p>\n\t<p><strong>History:<\/strong> In June 2020, the EMS Strategic Leadership Team established a Racial Equity Group in the wake of the death of George Floyd and world-wide protests that provided a long overdue wake-up call to address systemic racism in our institutions and country. A preamble to the group&#8217;s working document stated:<\/p>\n<p><em>Eastern Mennonite School was founded in 1917 by Mennonites for Mennonite students. EMS has undoubtedly hurt people of color throughout its history, while offering benefits to people of white, and Mennonite, background. This included\u00a0racial discrimination in its admission process up through 1948, when black students were first allowed admittance to EMS. [<a href=\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/dei\/diversity-timeline\">See a timeline<\/a> posted by Eastern Mennonite University, which shares its early history with EMS.] <\/em><\/p>\n<p>As followers of Jesus, we believe we are called to advocate for just treatment of all God&#8217;s people.\u00a0Read the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.easternmennonite.org\/2020\/06\/ems-launches-new-racial-equity-working-group\/\">full article<\/a> about the group&#8217;s formation.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.easternmennonite.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/06\/IMG-7911-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"Debbie Katz, high school counselor, and Maria Archer, then K-8 principal, plan for a meeting of the Racial Equity Working Group (later renamed the Equity Work Group).\" itemprop=\"image\" height=\"225\" width=\"300\" title=\"IMG-7911\" onerror=\"this.style.display='none'\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>\n\t\tDebbie Katz, high school counselor, and Maria Archer, then K-8 principal, plan for a meeting of the Racial Equity Working Group (later renamed the Equity Work Group).\n\t<h2>Equity training and work over the years has included:<\/h2>\n\t<ul>\n<li>15 employees took part in a three-part racial equity and inclusion training hosted by Virginia Association of Independent Schools.<\/li>\n<li>Assessment of social students\/history curriculum and incorporation of more BIPOC perspectives and stories beginning fall 2020. Awareness that all curriculum needs to be reviewed with a racial equity lens. That process is beginning.<\/li>\n<li>Addition of two classes at the high school level: African American History and African American literature<\/li>\n<li>Each staff and faculty member set one of their professional development goals for the year 2020-21 to connect with a racial equity theme.<\/li>\n<li>2021 faculty-staff professional development focused on implicit bias awareness training with the Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities (VCIC).<\/li>\n<li>Summer 2021 a small group met with a representative from the VCIC to identify priorities and strategies for an EMS Equity Team in the coming year.<\/li>\n<li>The chapel theme for grades 6-12 in 2020-21 was: &#8220;This is My Story&#8221; with an emphasis on belonging. Speakers reflected on EMS mission to be a learning community where every student &#8220;belongs, thrives and lives God&#8217;s call,&#8221; and share stories of times when they felt they belonged &#8212; and times they didn&#8217;t feel they belonged. See <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UC6Nrt6RuzmPpBdInCssoCyA\">YouTube channel<\/a> for links.<\/li>\n<li>Updated document on teaching controversial topics.<\/li>\n<li>Racial equity work was added to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.easternmennonite.org\/about\/board-of-directors\/strategic-pathways-2020\/\">Strategic Pathways 2020<\/a> document and visited at the board level periodically.<\/li>\n<li>Ongoing intention to host chapel speakers from diverse communities.<\/li>\n<li>Mark Metzler Sawin, Eastern Mennonite University history professor and expert on local history, helped the school understand its history, particularly in terms of race, as well as Mennonites in the Shenandoah Valley. Mark spoke at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.easternmennonite.org\/2020\/01\/chapel-series-inspires-on-mlk-themes\/\">EMS chapel<\/a> in January 2020 about EMS history.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\t<ul>\n<li>Ongoing development of library resources and web-based resources for faculty and staff personal education, and curricular support.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.barnesandnoble.com\/w\/stamped-jason-reynolds\/1133020388\">Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You<\/a>: A Remix of the National Book Award-winning Stamped from the Beginning by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi was added to 9th grade US history class.<\/li>\n<li>Elementary school faculty book read, Me and White Supremacy by Layla F. Saad in 2020-21<\/li>\n<li>EMS land acknowledgement concept was introduced in chapel and task force established to develop for integration into school culture.<\/li>\n<li>In February 2021, the <a href=\"https:\/\/inclusiveva.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities<\/a> (VCIC) lead faculty-staff in workshops on implicit bias and smaller working teams in additional conversations.<\/li>\n<li>10 students participated in the school&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.easternmennonite.org\/2022\/04\/civil-rights-e-term-you-are-a-piece-of-the-puzzle\/\">Civil Rights Tour E-term<\/a> in spring 2022<\/li>\n<li>Updated hiring policy in 2023. &#8220;It is our policy to practice equal opportunity without regard to an individual&#8217;s race, color, national origin, sex, age or disability in the application of any policy, practice, rule or regulation.&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>Dynamic strategic plan, 2023-26, includes work towards belonging for all students at EMS, serving a diverse world, and serving diverse learning needs.<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Encouraged a faculty &amp; staff walking field trip to learn the history of the Newtown community (historically an African American neighborhood) in Harrisonburg as part of the 2023 Fall Faculty Conference.<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">In the 2023-2024 school year, in collaboration with faculty and staff, board, and alumni board, created a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.easternmennonite.org\/about\/\">statement of belonging<\/a> to expand on our vision.<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Offered a tour of an Old Order Mennonite community in eastern Rockingham during the 2024 Fall Faculty Conference.<\/li>\n<li aria-level=\"1\">Reviewed salaries and benefits in 2024-2025 with goal of competitive and equitable compensation for faculty and staff.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.easternmennonite.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Leaman-Paul_cropped-250x300.jpg\" alt=\"Paul Leaman, head of school\" itemprop=\"image\" height=\"300\" width=\"250\" height=\"300\" width=\"250\" title=\"Leaman-Paul_cropped\" onerror=\"this.style.display='none'\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>\n\t\tPaul Leaman, head of school\n\t<p>While hundreds of students have graduated from EMHS with an education that nurtured them and prepared them for the future,\u00a0 some students left here carrying hurts and stories of pain. We acknowledge that students of color and others may have experienced pain that has not been acknowledged. For that, we are sorry.<\/p>\n<p>If you would like to share your story, we want to listen. In sharing stories, we honor those who have been hurt and hope to learn how we can do better.<\/p>\n<p>Please <a href=\"https:\/\/www.easternmennonite.org\/facultystaff\/paul-leaman\/\">email me<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/www.easternmennonite.org\/facultystaff\/maria-archer\/\">Maria Archer<\/a>.\u00a0 If you do not feel comfortable reaching out to us, please feel free to talk with a trusted counselor, pastor, or friend and ask if they would be willing to connect with us so we can find a process that will feel comfortable to you.<\/p>\n<p>Paul Leaman, Head of School<\/p>\n\t<h3>Additional Information<\/h3>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.easternmennonite.org\/2020\/06\/an-open-letter-from-paul-leaman-following-the-death-of-george-floyd\/\">Read the letter<\/a> that Paul Leaman, head of school, shared with students grades 6-12 and the parents of students K-12, as well as faculty and staff following the death of George Floyd.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.easternmennonite.org\/2020\/06\/ems-launches-new-racial-equity-working-group\/\">Read a June 23, 2020, article<\/a> announcing the launch of the Racial Equity Working Group.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.easternmennonite.org\/2022\/04\/civil-rights-e-term-you-are-a-piece-of-the-puzzle\/\">Read an article<\/a> about the Civil Rights E-term in spring of 2022.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Trabajo de equidad El Grupo de Equidad de EMS est\u00e1 compuesto por representantes del cuerpo docente de cada divisi\u00f3n y administradores. Todos son bienvenidos a unirse. El grupo es un lugar para prestar atenci\u00f3n a los esfuerzos de la escuela por crecer continuamente en su visi\u00f3n de ser una &quot;comunidad de aprendizaje donde cada estudiante pertenece, prospera y vive el llamado de Dios&quot;....<\/p>","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":28921,"parent":830,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-29233","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.easternmennonite.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/29233","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.easternmennonite.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.easternmennonite.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.easternmennonite.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.easternmennonite.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29233"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.easternmennonite.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/29233\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":75822,"href":"https:\/\/www.easternmennonite.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/29233\/revisions\/75822"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.easternmennonite.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/830"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.easternmennonite.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/28921"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.easternmennonite.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29233"}],"curies":[{"name":"gracias","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}