8 minute read
Connecting on Common Ground
from The Marker 2020
This year, we began planning to launch affinity groups at Mark Day School. We are excited to offer these spaces to students in 5th through 8th grade to promote healthy awareness, acceptance, and understanding of identity.
What is an Affinity Group?
Affinity groups are safe spaces where people can come together with a common identity to talk about their experiences and concerns and discuss issues that are specific to that identity. According to Rosetta Lee, a widely
recognized expert on diversity, inclusion, and equity, “Affinity groups allow for an exploration of one’s own identity, celebration of shared identity, and debriefing of the common challenges and experiences that members of the identity group face.” These groups are different from alliance groups, which are support based, and interest groups, which are activity or passion based.
A Foundation of Research and Planning
During the 2017-18 school year, a subcommittee was formed under the Diversity & Inclusivity Committee to research the idea of bringing affinity groups to Mark Day School. “We know that having affinity spaces for students is best practice,” says Fernanda Pernambuco, Director of Cross-Cultural Partnerships and Community Engagement. “Affinity spaces are good for community building, social dynamics, and academics. We also know that especially for students in marginalized groups, being able to get together and have positive identity development is crucial. And so it was time to start researching and create a vision for how this could look at Mark Day.” The subcommittee spent two years researching information from a variety of resources, notably the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS), Rosetta Lee, and other independent schools that have
already implemented affinity groups. They found that affinity groups in schools allow kids to more comfortably talk about how their identity— and how others view their identity— affects them. In an article published in the NAIS magazine titled “Identity, Affinity, Reality,” Julie Parsons and Kimberly Ridley explain: “Even in the most progressive independent schools, issues of race often live just below the surface of children’s daily experiences. In the relative security of an affinity group, these realities come to life. Affinity groups are places where students build connections and process “ouch” moments from their classes...The relationships students gain through race-based affinity groups enable them to feel less alone with their emotions and help them build a stronger sense of self.” One of the more common types of affinity groups they encountered during their research are racebased. Affinity groups offer a space in which to talk about, explore, and affirm identities of racial minorities. Rosetta Lee states that, “Those of us who have privileged identities are affirmed on a daily basis in many ways—we are reflected in government leadership, in
media, in school curriculum, and more...We are like fish thinking that the water is nothing special. However, there are those of us with identities that are rarely given that affirmation—in fact, we are told disparaging things about our groups...Affinity groups offer a space where marginalized groups can experience welcome and affirmation.” Some pose questions like: aren’t affinity groups more divisive than unifying? Doesn’t segregating groups of people based on race and gender just incite a greater sense of separateness? Though segregation is rooted in a history of injustice and oppression, affinity groups are a form of self-segregation that is optional like separate places of worship and sports teams. Beverly Daniel Tatum, one of the most renowned researchers on the psychology of racism, has widely addressed this idea of self-segregation. In her national bestseller Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?, she sparks new conversations about race and racial identity. In a 2017 article with The Atlantic titled “Do Conversations About Race Belong in the Classroom?” Tatum states that “in a race-conscious society, we all have a racial identity that develops in predictable ways, shaped largely by the interactions we have with others. I still believe that an understanding of that identity-development process can help all of us begin to build bridges across lines of difference.” “It’s not an ‘us vs. them’ mentality,” says Fernanda. “It’s about affirmation of identity and figuring out how to embrace it.” Part of bringing these affinity spaces to Mark Day is that students will learn to understand their identity and the identities of others. An important part of the education is realizing that other students may not have the same opportunities to get together with people who are like them often. Giving them a place to talk about what it’s like and have a positive affirmation around that identity is important. It’s not curiosity, it’s identity. It is a possibility that down the road, allies and upstander groups will be created so students who want to show up for their friends can do so without disrupting the purpose of an affinity group. At Mark Day School, it is important that we start the conversation about identity, and affinity groups is one way in which we can do that. Research has shown that affinity groups can be particularly influential for healthy identity development in kids and adolescents. According to a webinar released by Early Childhood Investigations, children begin to absorb social stereotypes, attitudes, and biases—in both themselves and others—at age two. And by the age of 10, these attitudes have become deeply rooted and difficult to shift without “life-changing experiences.” Following their research, the Mark Day subcommittee believed that bringing Rosetta Lee to campus would have a profound effect on faculty education and preparation. In
October 2019, Rosetta Lee visited campus for a full day of professional development. “For faculty, it was important that they fully understood what this could look like and feel like for students,” explains Fernanda. After a discussion and interactive activity around identity, they named groups, and then broke out into these groups to talk about their commonalities, challenges, and identities as prescribed by themselves and others. While this activity allowed faculty to gain a clearer picture of how affinity groups would function, this exercise also showed that affinity groups aren’t just beneficial for students in a school environment; studies have shown that these spaces boost employee happiness and retention. Mike Peel, the Vice President of Human Resources at Yale University, attributed the University’s tremendous improvement in diversity and inclusivity to the presence of affinity groups and encouraged staff managers to allow employees to attend these spaces during work hours. In a message to all managers at Yale, he said, “Probably the single most important catalyst for our greater diversity and inclusiveness has been our Affinity Networks.”
Introducing Students to Affinity Groups
In March, we planned to introduce 5th through 8th graders to affinity groups. Unfortunately, that introduction was postponed due to the transition to distance learning. When we are able to come together, Fernanda will lead grade-level conversation about what the term affinity means, how we all have a web of identities, and how affinity groups are an opportunity for people who share an identifying characteristic to connect and share experiences. To put this new knowledge into practice, students will be grouped by birth order (oldest, youngest, middle, only, and twin) and answer questions like: What are some common stereotypes of your group? What is a disadvantage or struggle being in your category? What are the advantages and strengths of being in that group? What message or request might you have for people who are not in your particular place in the birth order? Even when it comes to birth order—which on the surface, seems relatively straightforward—there will be a moment for students to connect with their identity more deeply. Fernanda says, “An important part of this activity is allowing for flexibility. For example, a student might have half siblings that are a lot older, and so will feel like the oldest in their household. It is important for students to choose the identity that most resonates with them.” It was important—and will always be important—for students to feel like they have a choice and that “ we are hearing them. We want to honor the identities that are important to them.
Following the activity, students will have the opportunity to write down parts of their identity they would be interested in starting an affinity group for. Fernanda, along with Gaelle Gordon, Director of Student Life, and Dave Hickman, Head of Upper School, will use these student ideas and select several affinity groups to start. “It is important—and will always be important—for students to feel like they have a choice and that we are hearing them,” says Fernanda. “We want to honor the identities that are important to them.”
What’s Next?
We are hoping to have between four and eight affinity groups next school year. These groups will meet once a month at lunch, led by two faculty or staff members who share the same identity and have been trained to facilitate. Each group will also have its own mission statement and a set of guidelines that all participants abide by. Throughout the year, students will have the opportunity to suggest additional affinity groups. Bringing affinity groups to Mark Day School is a great step forward in our constant commitment to diversity, equity, inclusivity, and ensuring that students are equipped with the tools and experiences to become secure in their own identities and accepting of others.
