Participants in a post-convocation discussion pose with diversity expert Maura Cullen: (back) Spanish teacher Kitty Peterson ’72, senior Mary Morris Evans, and Ms. Cullen; and (front) seniors Joseph Hinton, Ellen O'Brien, Anita Richmond, and Alice Jiang. Photo: Patricia Cousins
MLK Week Speaker Examines the Power and Perils of Good Intentions
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HERE is nothing wrong with recognizing our differences. We just shouldn't use that information to put down or exclude others. And kindness, even in small gestures, goes a long way toward making others feel validated and included. Those were the central messages in a special MLK Week convocation in January featuring author, educator, and diversity expert Maura Cullen. Her appearance was part of Loomis Chaffee’s week-long celebration honoring Martin Luther King Jr., which included performances by students and faculty, a Hot Topics Discussion about migration and immigration, and a poetry slam. As humans, we see our differences before we see our similarities, said Ms. Cullen. These differences can include race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, and cultural background. “Noticing differences is never the problem,” stressed Ms. Cullen, who
holds a doctorate in social justice and diversity education from the University of Massachusetts. “It’s what we do when we notice that renders the other invisible.” Ms. Cullen shed light on some truisms about humans and behaviors that act as barriers to inclusion and diversity. Through group exercises, she exposed the universal desire to be liked, the tendency to believe what a group recognizes as truth, the propensity to “clump” into groups with others similar to ourselves, and the likelihood of a heightened awareness when we stand out in a crowd. Ms. Cullen, author of the book 35 Dumb Things Well-Intentioned People Say, also discussed important concepts to keep in mind when speaking to others about differences. She delineated the relationship between intent and impact, noting that well-intentioned people can cause negative impact. For example, she said, when someone says they “don’t see color” to a
person of color, they are denying the obvious and rendering the other invisible.
Junior Justin McIntosh with slam poet Sharmont "Influence" Little. Photo: Mary Coleman Forrester
After the convocation, Ms. Cullen met with students and faculty to share her experiences and offer advice for ways to ensure and maintain the welcoming community that Loomis values. For more information about MLK Week programs, go to www.loomischaffee.org/magazine. loomischaffee.org | 9