Equity and Inclusion

List of 3 items.

• What do we mean by Diversity?

  We recognize and celebrate that diversity exists in the backgrounds and experiences that have shaped our lives. Diversity encompasses the complexity of the human experience: our life experiences, our journeys through the world, the faiths we observe, the traditions we practice, the structures of our families, our socioeconomic statuses, the languages we speak, the colors of our skin, our abilities, our physical, social, emotional, and spiritual needs, and the list goes on. These myriad intersecting identities shape us as individuals, in groups, and in our school community. At St. Margaret’s, we are proud that our Tartans’ many backgrounds, life experiences, and identities weave together to form a wonderful fabric that unites us and prepares our students for living in a complex global society.

• What do we mean by Inclusion?

  By inclusion, we mean our ability to honor and respect the dignity of every human being. Inclusion means that when Tartans walk onto campus, they can bring their full selves each and every day. Each of our backgrounds, perspectives, and social identifiers belong here—fully and without exception. I am my full self. I belong. When we engage in inclusion work, we ask ourselves, “Is every member of our community able to co-create the culture of our school? Whose voices and experiences are included? Whose are not?”
  
  

  “Being seen, valued and loved for who you are by nurturing adults and peers is the rich soil in which a young person flourishes and thrives. We have a wonderfully diverse community of people who come from many cultures, backgrounds and experiences. We want every Tartan to feel they belong here. At its most fundamental level, DEI work is love work. It is about ensuring that every member of our community is known and experiences a sense of belonging,” says Director of Equity and Inclusion Victor Cota. 

• What do we mean by Equity?

  Whenever and wherever we find that certain voices and experiences are less represented than others, that is when our equity work kicks in. We understand that ours is a world of imbalanced access to opportunities and resources. As a result, people in the same community will have very different experiences. When we engage in equity work, we ask ourselves, “Who is favored? Who is not? Who has privilege in this situation? Who does not?” Then, as we become more comfortable and informed, we ask, “What will we do about it?” Sometimes this means reflecting on individual behaviors and sometimes it means examining entire systems. What matters is that we recognize that inequity exists, work to identify it, and ask the questions to fully understand it, move through any subsequent discomfort, and act.