Postscripts 2019

How a conference about diversity changed the life trajectory of Lora Mc Manus ’14

Illuminating. Energizing. Inspiring. These are among the words alum Lora McManus ’14 uses to describe her nearly 10-year affiliation with the Student Diversity Leadership Conference run by the National Association of Independent Schools. She first attended the conference as a Mayfield freshman and now serves as a faculty member. Lora, a fourth-grade teaching fellow at Crane Country Day School in Santa Barbara, talked about her experience.

Tell us what PoCC/SDLC is all about?

PoCC stands for People of Color Conference and it runs concurrently with the Student Diversity Leadership Conference (SDLC). The conference is a multiracial, multicultural gathering of high school leaders and focuses on self-reflection, forming allies, and building community. Students develop cross-cultural communication skills, design social justice strategies and learn networking principles.

What does the conference mean to you?

As a Mayfield freshman, connecting with other students who had similar passions, challenges, and interests was an incredibly affirming experience. Also, finally having the language to describe my experiences was illuminating and empowering. PoCC and SDLC have always felt like home, an extended community that continues to sustain, energize, and inspire me.

What do you find are the most powerful messages from the conference?

SDLC, at its core, is a conference about love— intrapersonal, interpersonal, institutional, and ideological. Students experience, often for the first time, what it feels like to be truly embraced and accepted for who they are. We try to impart, on every student, that they are seen, heard, valued, and powerful; that their voices and experiences matter.

How do fourth graders respond to discussions about equity and inclusion?

I use pieces of the SDLC curriculum in my classroom, occasionally adapting the language slightly, or displaying it through pictures instead of words. I have been surprised and delighted by the ease with which they understand and interact with these abstract concepts. Their ability to distinguish between equality and equity/fairness makes me hopeful for the future.

Can you give us an example of how you teach these kinds of issues to students at such a young age?

We delved into a variety of topics—redlining, food deserts, imposter syndrome, settler colonialism, and social movements. Even the youngest can relate to feeling unfairly treated, frustrated, or hurt. Also, it is important to celebrate the accomplishments, history, and resilience of marginalized communities.

What is your wish for Mayfield students?

I hope they continue to trust and love themselves; to choose to walk through the gates of Bellefontaine with purpose, passion, and grace; and to work to foster truly inclusive peer groups, classrooms, and systems where the gifts of all can come alive to their fullest.

Mayfield students meet up with Lora McManus ’14 (third from right) at the 2018 SDLC in Nashville.

Lora attended Pitzer College and is currently pursuing her master’s in education administration at Cal State Channel Islands.