Social Justice Initiatives Emerge for Lower and Middle School

Last May, Friends Select’s lower school Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) committee coordinated its inaugural Social Justice Day, with the objective of guiding students from pre-kindergarten through fourth grade in understanding race and racial justice at developmentally-appropriate levels while celebrating diversity in the lower school community. “This one day is truly a culmination of an entire year’s worth of hard work by both students and teachers to bring anti-bias and antiracist education into every part of the curriculum to allow children to be seen and celebrated for who they are,” said lower school DEI coordinator and assistant teacher Sara DeSabato P’31, ’34.

Classes read Skin Again, a children’s book by the late social activist bell hooks that emphasizes skin color as just one part of a person’s larger identity. Additionally, kindergarten assistant teacher Kit Clever curated a division-wide project during which each student mixed a paint color that matched their own skin. Students then traced one of their hands
 on paper, painted it with their personalized hue, and added it to a display that is still hanging in the lower school hallway. “This project showed the diversity of lower school through visual art and displayed for students that, even though our skin colors may be different, we all work together as one in this community,” Kit said. “It was also a great opportunity for the kids to see how their own skin and everyone else’s is beautiful and unique.” Sara added, “It was heartwarming to see how excited the children were when they mixed a color that perfectly matched their skin, and it was affirming to them that they were painting something that looked just like them that was going to be seen by peers.”

A range of activities, lessons, and discussions throughout lower school all focused on social justice issues. For example, pre-kindergarten students in Kellie Bowker P’14, ’17 and Amy Danford’s P’25 class were inspired to use their voices to motivate social change by composing a letter and video message to President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. The students implored our nation’s leaders to prioritize environmental issues, to provide healthcare and education for all, and to treat everyone fairly and equitably. 
In his response letter, President Biden told the pre-K students: “Even at your young ages, you have the power to impact the future for generations to come.” 

In middle school, students work on expanding the self-advocacy they discover as lower school students as well as developing and understanding their own identities and roles in society. Social justice issues are highlighted year-long in required courses at each grade level. The daily schedule also provides opportunities for students to meet in affinity groups and for teachers to guide students in conversations about social justice issues based on current events. “The curriculum is structurally designed, and there’s intentionality in our academic program, but we also ensure there’s time in our schedule when we can come together in community to have conversations,” explained Bryan Skelly, middle school English teacher and the division’s DEI coordinator. “It is impossible to go through middle school without talking about topics such as race, gender, class, and ethnicity. Social justice is a fixture of our program, and students leave middle school with a better understanding of who they are.” 

In her quest to select a public figure for sixth graders to study in her Identity and Society class, middle school English teacher Dorlisa Goodrich Young P’27 discovered local artist Roberto Lugo. The Puerto Rican potter, who was born and raised in the Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia, was recently featured on CBS Sunday Morning for both his captivating pieces and his work within his community. Students visited the Arthur Ross Gallery at the University of Pennsylvania to see an exhibition of Lugo’s graffiti art lining the walls of a room also showcasing his teapots, plates, and vases adorned with hand-painted images of Harriet Tubman, President Barack Obama, and rapper Slick Rick. They then wrote about their experiences and combined grammar and writing assignments with art and social justice studies. “Roberto Lugo is a prolific artist who is from a neighborhood near our school,” Dorlisa said. “Being able to see his work at a gallery in their city and the people he represents through his art, the study of Roberto Lugo felt aligned with the objective of Identity and Society.”

The continuing work of Friends Select faculty and staff to be cross-culturally competent is serving students well. “Our professional development opportunities and in-service days have been effective in the ways we support students through anti-bias and antiracist work,” said Sara. “Years ago, faculty were interested in bringing these conversations into the curriculum but might have felt like they didn’t have the proper training or tools. We now feel confident in identifying how to take social justice work further in our classrooms and celebrating diversity in each division.”