DEI Committee: This is Just the Beginning

What a joyful online gathering we had last month with Cedarwood’s first ever Black History Month celebration!

This is just one small part of the work that has begun with the newly formed Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI) Committee.

Last October, a group of volunteers from the administration, teaching staff, and parent community began meeting weekly to start the process of revisioning Cedarwood’s future. Randolph Carter of Alma Partners (and Cedarwood’s guest speaker at Three Pillars meetings) offered his experience to support the newly formed committee. In light of the massive shifts happening in our nation in response to the Black Lives Matter movement, Cedarwood knows it must begin the necessary work of looking at its past and present, in order to move more equitably into the future.

Led by none and guided by all, the DEI Committee started by ensuring (as best we can) a safe and open environment for all. Next, the group worked on shared agreements (see below), and the creation of a list of issues to be addressed both now and in the future. While the list is long and the conversations complex, the work itself is a source of great hope.

The topics the group looks forward to work on include:

  • DEI leadership & communications

  • Inclusive festivals & celebrations

  • Pedagogy

  • Anti-bias curriculum development

  • Student experience

  • Incident response

We encourage all community members to join in the conversation! The committee currently meets twice monthly on Monday evenings from 7:00 - 8:00 pm. You are welcome to email the committee at dei@cedarwoodschool.org for the Zoom link to join.

We are so happy that our work led to creating and celebrating Black History month in February. We want the Cedarwood community to know how hopeful we are that there will be many more diverse celebrations and changes like this to come.

The DEI Committee does not know what the future looks like, but we do know that we believe Cedarwood can be an excellent example of a loving, diverse, equitable, and inclusive Waldorf school: a supportive environment where children can safely learn, grow, and thrive.

Please consider being part of the change and join us at a DEI Committee meeting! We need your voice, opinions, and ideas to help guide Cedarwood’s future.

DEI Committee Shared Agreements

  • Make space, take space (while being mindful of creating space for the voices and experiences of BIPOC people).

  • Assume positive intent; assume responsibility for impact.

  • Building, not selling: when you speak, converse. Don’t pitch.

  • W.A.I.T. (Why am I talking?)

  • Be open to someone else speaking your (and their) truth.

  • Listen from the inside out, or from the bottom up (the feeling in your gut matters).

  • Value the process as much as, if not more than, you value the outcome.

  • What’s said here, stays here. What’s learned here, leaves here.

 

Rosalie McDougall is a white, heterosexual, cisgender married mother of three: Sacha (Cedarwood’s Class of 2022), Jonah (Class of 2020), and Lena (Class of 2017). She spends her time making a mess, cleaning it up, advocating for seniors and people who are incarcerated, and feeling very blessed to be part of the Cedarwood community.

Community Events, Festivals, ParentingRosalie McDougallCedarwood Waldorf SchoolDEI, DEI Committee, Community, Diveristy, Diversity Equity Inclusion, Inclusion, Black History Month