Past, Present & Future

The Evolution of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Marin Academy

At Marin Academy, we recognize that creating an inclusive school is an ongoing process that requires continual attention and evolution. From establishing our first Director of Diversity position in 1991, our Dean of Multicultural Life in 2002, the creation of the Dean of Equity and Inclusion position in 2017, to our newly added role of Director of Student Inclusion and Belonging this year, we regularly engage in reimagining our practices and culture to consider students' experiences and needs.

Speaking about her experience with Identity and Equity (IDEQ) student groups, SANJAI MOSES, former Dean of Multicultural Life and current Human Development Department Chair shared, "Over the 15 or so years that I held the position of Dean of Multicultural Life, many new groups were formed by students for students. MA has a robust history of social activism, critical affinity work, and cross-cultural communication skill-building. It has been enriching to hear from MA alums how they have used their time at MA to be the catalyst for their own personal equity work out in the world."

Our new Dean of Equity and Inclusion, PIYA KASHYAP, is considering how we can better frame the process and opportunity for students to fall in love with their identities to build bridges across their differences. We spoke with her about the current moment in DEI work nationally—specifically in education—and her visions for the future of the work at MA.

Q: Our IDEQ groups are designed to empower our students to develop an appreciation of their own identities and to advocate for the diverse perspectives of others. How can we continue to build upon the vital work of these groups?

A: I love that the IDEQ groups are focused on positive expressions of identity. I have been discussing with Director of Student Inclusion and Belonging, JULIET DANA, how we can better scaffold this process for the IDEQ groups so that we are not asking students to educate the community when they might still be grappling with achieving self-love and knowledge of their own identities. We need to think carefully about engaging those with dominant identities in this work so that DEI work isn’t carried only by IDEQ groups. I believe we can engage the dominant white population in DEI work in a way that is liberatory and positive. While feelings of shame, denial, and defensiveness might occur on the journey—as they do intensely for BIPOC people and those with any sort of historically marginalized identity—they cannot be the destination. Our job as educators is to remain committed to what is on the other side of those difficult emotions: embracing vulnerability and complexity and the aspiration for a truly thriving multicultural community.

Q: Share more about the importance of this work.

A: For our schools to be genuinely thriving, multicultural communities where every student and adult can contribute and all members can belong, we must address the white heteronormative culture of our schools and society. How might we engage in harm mitigation and a reimagining of teaching and learning to actively create an environment in which every individual reaps the benefits of learning amongst diversity? Furthermore, we must educate our students about the reality of our country in regards to the vision of an inclusive United States and motivate and equip them to continue working towards a well-functioning multicultural democracy.

Excerpt from a piece in the '97/'98 Annual Report about The Pulse—a three-week summer leadership workshop created and facilitated by MA's former Director of Diversity and Outreach, Lisa Arrastia

Q: Societal issues such as poverty, race relations, gender equity, social identity, and privilege arrive in classrooms every day, where learners come together from many backgrounds, identities, and abilities. In what ways can we address these national societal issues in our community discussions? How are our community discussions unique from the national discussion?

A: What crucial and challenging questions these are! It is absolutely essential to be addressing these issues inside and outside of the classrooms, and if we do not, we are ignoring the elephant in the room! At the same time, it can feel impossible—in large part due to the way that the national discourse is playing out—to do so in a way that feels safe, nonpartisan, and inclusive of all identities and points of view. Here, we need to practice our critical thinking and academic skills and ensure that we are using the finest pointed tools instead of painting with too broad a brush. How do we frame the conversation, and what are the parameters as they relate to MA's mission? Which issues are, in actuality, matters of human rights, even if they are playing out as partisan in the national discourse? How can we offer community members the opportunity to opt-out of certain discussions as a way to mitigate further harm while ensuring that discourse continues? How might we organize these conversations in affinity groups to initially create the most comfortable environments for challenging interactions? How can we learn about the concept of radical love and the beloved community through calling in so that we can center the bond of our community above all else? The fact that we are an independent school that can design and create the structures and practices that work best for this particular community of people is paramount to how these conversations can and should play out differently at MA than they do on the national scale.

Article by Bodie Brizendine in the San Francisco Chronicle, December, 1996

Q: What is your vision for the future of this work at MA?

A: My vision is that while it is my responsibility to steer and oversee this work, it is each and every person's work. I aim for every adult at the school to have a DEI-related goal every year and for every department of the school to apply a DEI lens to their operations, structures, and practices. I aim for every student to be able to articulate why this work is important to their individual and collective experience at MA and to their education. I am here to lead and collaborate, but the vision is not for there to be DEI programming that is separate from the mainstream functioning of the school. I truly believe that my role has been designed to succeed in this vision, and I am genuinely excited to begin my work at MA.

Marin Academy's Dean of Equity and Inclusion, PIYA KASHYAP, comes from the Grace Church School in NYC, where she supported the progress of each student through academic, social-emotional, and identity development as they navigate high school. Piya began her independent school teaching career in the Bay Area as an Urban School Teaching Fellow and an English teacher at University High School, followed by teaching at The Winsor School in Boston. In addition to teaching literature and anti-racism and equity-focused courses, Piya worked closely with faculty on their DEIBA (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Belonging, and Accessibility) curriculum and pedagogy as a DEI Curriculum Integrator. Piya has also worked towards educational equity with both Summerbridge at University High School and the Breakthrough Collaborative in Boston. Piya has a BA from Middlebury College and a Master’s in Private School Leadership at Columbia University’s Klingenstein Center.