Office of Diversity, Equity and Belonging

Diversity is a core value of Brooklyn Friends School, and we are actively committed to building and maintaining a racially, ethnically, and socio-economically diverse community. We know a multicultural school community creates an enriched learning environment through the exploration, understanding, and appreciation of differences. It prepares students for living in an increasingly diverse and global society.

Brooklyn Friends School is committed to maintaining an environment in which all people are respected and valued. To that end, discrimination in any form, such as that based on race, religion, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, or socio-economic status, will not be tolerated. The School actively strives to recognize, respect, and celebrate the differences and commonalities that shape the individual and collective identities of its members.

Grounded in our Quaker values, diversity is a core value of Brooklyn Friends School.  As articulated in the 2008 Strategic Plan, a multicultural school community creates an enriched learning environment through the exploration, understanding and appreciation of differences.  It prepares students for living in an increasingly diverse and global society.

The Office of Equity and Inclusion has been in existence for six years.  Prior to July 2011, there were various individuals within the BFS community who were actively involved in diversity related work and helped to lay the foundation.  BFS recognized the importance of this work, the way in which it falls in line with the mission of the school and the Quaker commitment to social justice.  Members of the school community worked together to actualize the vision for the creation of the office.  This office has been instrumental in building off of the foundation that had been laid by individuals by giving the previous efforts shape, language and direction.

Since 2011, the Diversity Office’s program has incorporated schoolwide initiatives for all members of the Brooklyn Friends community. The program is continually evolving, and these are only a few examples of our events and series.

Speaker Series

Various speakers are invited to engage all members of Brooklyn Friends to cover a variety of issues that directly reflect and impact our community.  These events take place during and after school hours so that everyone can have equal access to information.

Professional Development

The office provides annual professional development sessions for faculty and staff such as our In-House Professional Development, People of Color Conference, Undoing Racism, Gender and Sexuality Conference, Courageous Conversations, and the White Privilege Conference, to name a few.

Student Identity Work

We work with faculty and staff in a consultant capacity to support our students’ growth and development while they explore their identity. Age-appropriate work is done through affinity groups, diversity speakers, and student leadership conferences.

The Office of Diversity, Equity, and Belonging explores various aspects of diversity through three different lenses: Comprehensive, Intersectional, and Power & Privilege.

• Comprehensive- Critical analysis of the various aspects of diversity and the way in which it impacts us as individuals as well as interpersonally.
• Intersectional – is a concept often used (in critical theories) to describe the ways in which oppressive institutions (racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, xenophobia, classism, etc.) are interconnected and cannot be examined separately from one another.
• Power & Privilege: Privilege is defined as benefits and resources gained by any person(s) or groups of people who have access to a larger dominant culture within a society due to any one of their social identifiers. Power is defined as the possession of control or command over others; exercising authority or being able to impact/influence a perceived reality or external environment.

What is an Affinity Group?

An Affinity Group is a group of people who share a similar identity. Although members of the group may have a common identity, it does not mean that everyone in the group has had the same experiences. Rather, the group is a place for reflection, dialogue, and support; it ultimately strengthens ties within the community. Facilitating positive identity exploration is central to creating an inclusive and thriving community.

Why do we have affinity groups at BFS?

We want to create open spaces where members of the Brooklyn Friends community can explore ideas about identity, share resources, mentor each other, learn, and grow. Affinity Groups are one way that we can support one another and are active in the Lower through Upper Schools, as well as among Faculty/Staff schoolwide.

Which Affinity Groups are offered to students?

1. Faith/Religion Based groups:

• Atheist & Agnostic
• Christian
• Jewish
• More Religions at BFS (Buddhist, Muslim, Spiritual, etc)

2. Family Structure (Adopted, Divorced/Separated, Deceased, LGBTQ+, Mental Illness)
3. LGBTQ (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans/Gender Non-Conforming, Questioning)
4. Learning Differences
5. Race/Ethnicity Based Groups:

• Biracial/Multiracial Students
• Middle Eastern/Arab
• African, Black/African-American, Caribbean-American
• Asian, East Asian, Pacific Islander
• Hispanic, Latino/a
• First Nation/Indigenous/Native American
• White Students for Anti-Racism
• International (1st or 2nd generation)

Which Affinity Groups are offered to faculty and staff?

Intersections, Jewish Affinity Group,  Latin@/Hispanic Group, LGBTQ, MARSH Group (Men Against Racism Sexism and Homophobia), People of Color Group and the White Affinity Group.

What is Identity?

There are lots of layers to who we are and many different ways we may choose to identify or are identified by society. Identifiers include gender, race, ethnicity, nationality, religion or nonreligion, language, and sexual orientation, to name a few. Some identifiers are defined externally to us, by history, society, our family, etc. Others are internal choices that we make.

The way we identify may differ from how others see us and may change over time. Just because we share an identity with another person does not mean we experience it in the same way.