I’m on the way to Montgomery, Alabama to attend an equity and justice conference organized by the National Association of Episcopal Schools. Back in the day, I served two terms on the NAES governing board. The Rev. Dr. Ryan Newman, executive director of the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles, and at least one of our school principals will also be along.In the Trump era, it’s hard for schools, colleges, and universities to speak up for their diversity, equity, and inclusion programs. Some fear that if they take federal grants or loans, they’ll be forced to compromise on DEI or cooperate in Trump’s cruel, racist immigration roundups.
We’re eager to hear from those who are holding the line. Among our speakers will be the astonishing civil rights prophet Bryan Stevenson, who advocates for those on death row and victims of mass incarceration. During the conference, which runs through Friday, we’ll get a chance to visit or revisit the racial history and justice sites Bryan founded in Montgomery, including the The Legacy Museum: From Enslavement to Mass Incarceration and The National Memorial for Peace and Justice.
DEI opponents saw a unique opportunity to whip up independent school parents’ anxiety during COVID, when a renewed emphasis on equity values following the murder of George Floyd in May 2020 coincided with lockdowns that kept parents off campus.
As the DEI wars began to rage, a few parents at one of our schools experienced a sense of dread and menace when a teacher invited nonbinary middle schoolers to share their narratives. During a town meeting, a parent asked if it wasn’t enough for the school to continue to proclaim the value of love. I replied that we would have to ask all our nonwhite, non-straight alums if they’d felt the love, too. Creating communities where everyone does is the essence of Episcopal identify and the theme of our week. More to come from Montgomery!