St. Joseph's Prep: A Year of Solidarity

A Year of Solidarity

PREPARED BY: Anthony Bush, Director of Diversity and Inclusion MAY 2021 IN PARTNERSHIP WITH: Mission and Ministry Diversity Council

THE GREAT PREP CLASS OF ‘21 MAKE UP THE MANY FACES OF THE PREP

Introduction A labor of love, a commitment to improvement...

The Office of Diversity and Inclusion has been intentional in ensuring that each of our initiatives is specifically aligned to the mission of our school and the characteristics of the Grad at Grad. This document serves to remind our community of our mission as a Jesuit institution.

When we think about the statement “for and with others,” it is important to reflect on whom we are centering and who may be decentered by our blind spots and unconscious biases. Our work in Jesuit education is to continue to strengthen our fluency of and commitment to social justice programming so that we are helping shape our young men to be for and with all people.

This document summarizes this year’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) work and highlights the people who have aided in St. Joseph’s Prep’s efforts to embody the ideals of the Universal Apostolic Preference of “Walking with the Excluded” in A Year of Solidarity. The embedded links in “Journey Further” icons provide additional content and allow updates as we continue to improve diversity, equity, and inclusion in our Ignatian school community.

- Anthony Bush, Director of Diversity and Inclusion

Faith in Action “At the Prep, my focus has been on this question: ‘How do our colleagues and our students grow in cultural competency in order to draw students and families who can see themselves thriving in the Prep community?’ In fact, a broad range of families do see themselves in our community. I thank God everyday for locating the Prep in the heart of Philadelphia so that we can attract the best students from across the Delaware Valley with their varied backgrounds and voices.”

- Rev. John Swope SJ ’72, President

Table of Contents THE WORK

WITH GRATITUDE

Mission...............................................…3

Thank you……....…..........….…………16-18

The Profile of a Graduate at Graduation….....................4

OUR NEXT STEPS Looking Forward....................……………18

A YEAR IN EXAMEN Open to Growth………………............5 & 6 Intellectually Competent…….........7 & 8 Religious………………........…………9 & 10 Loving…………………......……….…11 & 12 Committed to Doing Justice.…....13 & 14

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Mission For The Greater Glory of God “Thus, education in Jesuit schools seeks to transform how youth look at themselves and other human beings, at social systems and societal structures, at the global community of humankind and the whole of natural creation. If truly successful, Jesuit education results ultimately in a radical transformation not only of the way in which people habitually think and act but of the very way in which they live in the world, men and women of competence, conscience, and compassion, seeking the greater good in terms of what can be done out of a faith

commitment with justice to enhance the

quality of people’s lives, particularly among God’s poor, oppressed and neglected.”

Excerpt from Ignatian Pedogagy: A Practical Approach (1993)

The Year of Solidarity began with a statement from the Office of Mission and Ministry, authored by Rev. Chuck Frederico, SJ, Senior Director of Mission and Ministry: “As we look ahead into the next school year, we pray with confidence that our community can rise to the occasion in its continued efforts to be a more fully inclusive institution rooted in God’s love for all. This depth of reflection and necessary work will guide us to engage the themes of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion as we contemplate any shortcomings concerning bias, privilege, and oppression. “

JOURNEY FURTHER

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Graduate at Graduation One of the salient distinctions of a Jesuit high school is the Profile of the Graduate at Graduation statement written by the Jesuit Schools Network. Commonly referred to as the “Grad at Grad,” this document pinpoints the goals and characteristics that each student receiving a Jesuit education should attain by graduation. The five characteristics shared by all Jesuit high schools, including St. Joseph’s Prep, are:

• Open to Growth • Intellectually Competent • Religious • Loving • Committed to Doing Justice Part of the answer to the question, “What does it mean to be a Jesuit school?” can be answered by referring to our Mission Statement which contains the aspirational elements from the Grad at Grad. These standards are what we hope our students and colleagues internalize during their time at the Prep.

JOURNEY FURTHER

“I think it is very important for us to talk about race and racism in the classroom because there are not many other spaces where there is opportunity to talk openly about this especially with people of different backgrounds.”

- Paris Davenport ‘21

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Open To Growth “I can recognize my own biases, limitations, and thinking patterns.”

Students and colleagues engaged in six advisory sessions and three professional development (PD) sessions, respectively, in the 2021 school year. These interactive sessions focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion.

All of these sessions centered on connecting the mission of the Profile of a Graduate at Graduation to social justice initiatives. The Diversity Report, published in 2020, identified sexism and racial discrimination as our target areas.

The advisory sessions, called For All, led by peer leaders and advisors, focused on identity as a social construct, bias, power, privilege, oppression, and intersectional justice. The professional development sessions featured panels composed of female colleagues, students of color, colleagues of color, parents of color, and a multiracial group of alumni leveraging their stories to emphasize the need for solidarity when working to build a more equitable and inclusive environment for our most marginalized constituents.

Additionally, a group of exceeding 30 colleagues, across multiple departments, engaged in an anti-racist reading group. Utilizing the text, So You Want to Talk About Race by Ijemoa Oluo, this group met bi-weekly to discuss issues of unconscious bias, systemic racism, privilege, and oppression. The group discussed how they can leverage this model to engage all colleagues in a text on social justice for next year.

“As educators, we are also lifelong learners and must strive to be similarly committed as we expect of our Jesuit Graduates at Graduation. In our case, more particularly, open to growth means open to more growth.”

- H.L. Ratliff ‘78

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“I seek new experiences, even when those that involve some risk or the possibility of failure.”

Goals of the Programming included: •

Deepen our understanding of the difference between the terms diversity, equity, and

inclusion while discussing our school’s strengths and areas of growth concerning these topics.

•

Examine the ways that sexism and racism manifest at the Prep. The discussion was driven by data that revealed a discrepancy by race between student and colleague representation and

female colleagues ‘experiences versus our male students’ interpretation of their experiences.

•

Highlight historical perspectives and the experiences of other stakeholders through the lens of our mission to be for and with others.

“It is often said that the most challenging things in our lives prove to be the most rewarding, and I found this to be true regarding peer leadership in the For All Sessions. I would be remiss if I didn’t mention how difficult it is to talk about race to a group of students, many of whom have little in common with me in terms of cultural background. The advisory sessions had a profound impact on me because it was rewarding to see growth in my fellow students from our first session to our last. In the whirlwind that is our world, you sometimes forget about what it means to be empathetic and to share in common humanity with others. Having other students voice their opinions on right versus wrong when it comes to bias, power, privilege, and oppression restored some hope to me and reminded me of the values that I share with my brothers. Through this journey, we as a group are learning how to apply the fundamental Jesuit beliefs to our unique moral principles and this process has helped me to grow as I tried my best to help others.”

- Bryce Jones ’21

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Intellectually Competent “Growing in knowledge and understanding of one’s cultural heritage and of cultural complexities in one’s local community and in a global society.”

In September 2020, a group of parents of color organized a town hall meeting with Prep colleagues to discuss issues affecting students of color, with an emphasis on recruitment and retention, representation in curricula, DEI training, and establishing an active parent group. The recommendations from the presentation included a need to diversify the organizations with whom we partner when posting instructional positions, utilizing culturally responsive educational resources to diversify our curriculum, and committing to mandatory DEI training for all colleagues in partnership with outside contractors.

“From a curricular standpoint, two things: number one for students of color, show me myself, my confidence increases when I see myself and so when I see myself in the books, when my narrative is out there, whether its Invisible Man, or Toni Morrison, let me see myself. The second point is let white people see me. When I taught at an all-white high school and my students told me how they never knew about diverse narratives, and how their parents and school protected them from these narratives. So for our students of color show me in the curriculum and in the classroom not just for myself but for everyone around me” - Omar Barlow P ’22

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In response to the town hall, several new classes, each with a global focus, were added to the curriculum for the 2021-2022 school year, including: •

African-American History

•

Caribbean Studies and Modern World

•

Introduction to Sociology

•

AP Microeconomics

JOURNEY FURTHER

“While these course offerings are a step in the right direction, we need to be more intentional about our curricula across departments so that electives don’t serve as the baseline in our attempts to diversify our curriculum.”

- Anthony Bush

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Religious “I work to sustain my Christian conscience, evaluating moral choices and reasoning through moral issues with increasing clarity.”

This Year of Solidarity is the Prep’s response to the Universal Apostolic Preference number two Walking with the Excluded. This was a discerned name on behalf of the Ignatian Engagement Committee (IEC) chaired by Mark Dushel, Associate Campus Minister, and Fr. Chuck Frederico, SJ, Senior Director of Mission and Ministry. During the Year of Solidarity, Examens throughout the school year challenged us to discern how our faith could strengthen our advocacy and support of marginalized communities.

Our colleagues day of reflection featured a A Prayer of Solidarity given by Fr. Chuck Frederico, SJ

faculty and staff to reflect on the differences between tolerance and anti-racism. Each

Almighty God of Love and Mercy, Justice and

professional development session focused on

Peace, in your infinite wisdom and goodness

DEI opened with a prayer and closed with an

You have created all people in Your image and

Examen led by Fr. Frederico and Mr. Dushel.

likeness. Open our eyes to see the dignity, beauty,

The Office of Mission and Ministry has

and worth of every human being. Open our minds

intentionally woven Ignatian Spirituality

to understand that all Your children are brothers

throughout all of our programs and retreats,

and sisters in the same human family. Open our

ensuring that faith is always at the center of

hearts to repent of attitudes, behaviors, and speech which demean others. Open our ears to hear the

our advocacy and fight for justice.

cries of those wounded by discrimination, and

In partnership with the Gesu School, our

their passionate appeals for change. Fill us as a

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebration

community, with the courage and hope necessary to overcome our hurts, build bridges, forgive and be forgiven. Empower us to create equality for all. In Jesus’ name we pray.

featured a prayer service, as well as a reflection and Examen. Nearly 200 community members engaged in a day of reflection, social justice, and service. In addition, alumni of both schools

Amen.

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homily from Fr. Greg Chisholm, SJ and tasked

participated in a panel discussion.

JOURNEY FURTHER

“Understands the relationship between faith in Jesus and being ‘a man or woman for and with others.’ ” Religious means a faith that does justice through all adult and student formation including liturgy, prayer (daily prayers and the Examen), an Ignatian Service (outreach). All school prayer this year had a social justice theme including the liturgies that we were able to celebrate together. Campus Minister Mark Dushel incorporated the theme of Solidarity into the Freshmen and Sophomore Retreats and the Mission and Ministry Student Leadership Board.

Ignatian Service, under the direction of Associate Campus Minister Erick Woods, is an integral part of our curriculum. It is a key component of living the Gospel and intimately connected with St. Ignatius worldview of faith in practice and living the Incarnation. Our students will graduate having immersed themselves in what it means to be a man for and with others.

Care for the City 2020-21 Service Initiatives Prep Grocery Giveaway

Girard Avenue Cleanup

Math Tutoring at Gesu and Lindly Schools Operation Santa Claus Thanksgiving Food Drive

MLK Day Coats and Toiletries Drive

Desks From Dads

DONATIONS BY THE NUMBERS: 2,100 service hours

5,500 boxes of food

650 volunteers

400 coats

400 Thanksgiving baskets

200 gift cards

500 toiletry bags

80 desks

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Loving “I work against personal prejudices and stereotypes; am open to and able to communicate with others, especially persons of another race, gender, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or sexual orientation.”

As part of the Year of Solidarity, the Prep’s Breaking Barriers and the Junior States of America (JSA) clubs partnered with the Office of Diversity and Inclusion to sponsor an LGBTQIA+ Week of Solidarity. Colleagues and students participated in a panel discussion focused on the importance of Catholic allyship with the LGBTQIA+ community and how Queer people at the Prep could experience discrimination. The two clubs hosted a student discussion focused on fighting apathy and discrimination towards the LGBTQIA+ community.

“The Awareness Panel served as a great outlet for both our LGBTQ+ members and allies. I imagine trying to have that conversation three years ago during freshman year and it’s very heartening to see the growth exhibited by the student body to be more open to having these types of discussions. The Panel itself served as a fantastic medium to spread awareness about LGBTQ+ issues, and also just to hash out what Prep students can do to best support their Queer classmates. Giving a larger voice to our LGBTQ+ students is a great first step in breaking down the pervasive homophobia that exists inside largely homogeneous institutions.” - Andrew Kallmeyer ‘21

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“I make the effort to understand and be empathetic with others.”

Fr. James Martin SJ, author of Building a Bridge: How the Catholic Church and the LGBT Community Can Enter into a Relationship of Respect, Compassion, and Sensitivity, spoke on the importance of solidarity with the LGBTQIA+ community and talked about the need to welcome these individuals into the church rather than excluding them.

JOURNEY FURTHER

“I think there is so much misunderstanding in terms of what the catholic church teaches us in terms of welcoming LGBTQ youth. One of the most important lines in the Catholic Catechism is that we need to treat LGBTQ people with respect, compassion, and sensitivity. The foundation of church teaching is not a book, it’s not the catechism, it’s a person, it’s an encounter with a person which is the encounter with Jesus Christ. And when we look at Jesus Christ we see someone who himself was always welcoming people who felt like they were excluded. Who felt like they were on the margins.”

- Fr. Martin

“As a gay student here at the Prep, I felt not only tolerated, but accepted. This was the first time that I felt that the Prep wasn’t just passively having me not feel excluded, but actively ensuring that I felt included in the community.”

- Daniel Sponseller ‘21

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Committed to Doing Justice During the 2020-21 school year, the Office of Diversity and Inclusion, in partnership with the Office of Marketing and Communications, published statements in response to societal injustices that target marginalized communities. In response to feedback we received from some of our earlier statements, we developed a proactive response protocol utilizing the perspectives of our various diversity councils so that our statements center the marginalized voices as well as the mission of our school as a Jesuit institution.

“Seeing and feeling the camaraderie and the community culture of the Prep inspires me to have these conversations around social justice so that other students of the Prep can have the same experience at the Prep that I had regardless of their identity.” Wil Schade ’13

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“I am gaining, through experiences of and reflection on Christian service, an understanding of solidarity with marginalized members of society.”

In response to the Instagram account Black at the Prep, a group of parents engaged in a series of meetings throughout the year to bring up the unique concerns their sons faced as people of color at the Prep. As a result of our September town hall, these parents continued to organize during the school year and eventually established the Onyx Parent Group as an active body that provides support to the Prep in diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives with a unique focus on centering students of color.

Additionally, the African American & Latino Alumni Association (A4) was re-established as an active body that mentors Prep students in time management, college programming, and potential career fields. The A4 Steering Committee has also provided a number of service programs and has been integral in professional development programming. The group meets weekly to discuss upcoming programs and initiatives.

“There are certain issues that only Latino, Asian, Indigenous, and African Americans can share amongst themselves.

That doesn’t mean that a White person cannot be empathetic, but no matter how much compassion and empathy one may have, a Caucasian man or woman will never fully understand my journey as a Black Man in this country. “ - H.L. Ratliff ‘78

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Thank you “I am flexible and open to other points of view and recognize how much I can learn from listening to peers and significant others.”

The Onyx Parent Group: Omar Barlow P ’22 - President

African American and Latino Alumni Association (A4)

Sabrina Harris P ’23 - First Vice President

Sherman Washington ’05 - President

Pamula Hart P ’23 - Second Vice President

Alonzo Jones ’03 - Vice President

Tonya Cooper P ’21 - Secretary

Daryl Lloyd ’03 - Treasurer

Bridget Phifer P ’23 - Treasurer

Luis Morales ’08 - Secretary

Sabrina Harris P ’23- Chair, Communications & Training Committee

Julian Rodriguez ’04 - Board Member

Ashley Robinson P ’24 - Chair, Networking & Fundraising Committee

Steven Bradley ’16 - Board Member

Briana Banks P ’24- Chair, Staff Recruitment & Retention Committee

Wadell Ridley ’77 - Advisory Committee Member

Aaron Sykes ’16 - Board Member

Hayward Ratliff ’78 - Advisory Committee Member

Erick Woods P ’23 - Co-Chair, Teaching & Student Success Committee Christina Cervantes P ’23 - Co-Chair, Teaching & Student Success Committee

PARTICIPATION IN NUMBERS 31 hours of Professional Development and Student Programming 67.2% of students reported the Prep as a diverse and inclusive environment

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Alumni for Allyship Members Alumni for Allyship is a multi-racial group of alumni focused on engaging in solidarity with marginalized communities. This group worked to support the voices of the Onyx Parent group and the A4 and spoke of the need for white stakeholders to take an active role in building a more inclusive and equitable community for all our students, families, and colleagues.

Gerald Abbey ’00

Drew Bergman ’12

Sherman Washington ’05

Thomas Pierce ’13

Alonzo Jones ’03

Aaron Sykes ’16

H.L. Ratliff ’78

Wil Schade ’13

Daniel Marley ’16

Reza Ali ’20

Andrew McCarthy ’00

Jamison Wellman ’14

Matthew Gutt ’84

Matt McCabe ’05

Kevin Rowley ’13

Khalil Johnson ’13

John Pierce III ’11

“For All” Peer Leaders The “For All” Peer Leaders worked over the summer to plan a series of advisories piloted in the 2020-21 school year utilizing the Graduate at Graduation to connect the mission of our school in our commitment to social justice. As we engaged in the year of solidarity, these 14 students led courageous conversations which challenged our community to contemplate how their faith could strengthen their allyship with marginalized people, most importantly within our community.

Nile Andah ’21

Daniel Deeney ’22

James Baker ’23

Kevin Doerzbacher ’23

Aiden Ball ’21

Liam Gundersen ’22

Benicio Beatty ’21

Anthony Hays ’22

Murphy Bonner ’22

Liam Holden ’23

68.2% of colleagues believed that the series effectively revealed the ways racism, sexism, and unconscious bias manifest at the Prep

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DEI Council Members During the 2020-21 school year, a group of colleagues joined the efforts of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion to aid in the facilitation of Professional Development sessions and support the Prep in responding to issues of discrimination that occur within our community. These colleagues have been instrumental in advising leadership on how we can improve in our efforts to support and celebrate our marginalized community members. This group will continue to support the Prep in future professional development, publish statements in response to societal injustice, improve our culturally responsive educational resources, and advise administration and teachers in reflecting on issues of discrimination/bias at the Prep.

Kate Ambrose - History/Social Studies Anthony Bush - Diversity and Inclusion Joe Dougherty - Human Resources Mark Dushel - Mission and Ministry Michael Gambone - Religion Kevin Kearney - English Corinne Logan - College Counseling Chris Rupertus P ’24 - English Sheri San Chirico - Religion Bethany Weed - History/Social Studies Erick Woods P ’23 - Mission and Ministry

67.3% of colleagues believed that this year’s series will help the Prep improve in its ability to establish an inclusive and equitable environment for all

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Looking Forward Data from the 2021 DEI survey revealed that students’ understanding of systemic racism, privilege, and oppression had improved. However, issues of bias, sexism, homophobia, and intersectionality are still growth areas for next year. Given the virtual format of our advisories this year and the lack of fluency across all colleagues concerning social justice issues, we feel confident in our ability to target these areas of weakness in the planning for our initiatives in the 2021-22 school year.

Programming will include, but is not limited to: •

Create programs that align with the Apostolic Preference of “Journeying with Youth.”

•

Hold a series of town halls involving all parents and colleagues.

•

Continuing to adapt and improve our “For All” Advisories.

•

Increase the number of students of color.

•

Continue our emphasis to attract teachers of color so that our adults better reflect the student body. This has been a goal for several years now, but the low turnover of teaching positions makes this a longer-term goal. We will continue to evaluate how we promote open positions so that we can attract a more diverse applicant pool.

•

Using this year’s Black History Month as a blueprint to create programming for Latino

History Month and Women’s History Month.

•

Expand affiliations and networks with other local, regional, national, and international DEI groups.

•

Utilize the Profile of an Ignatian Educator as an evaluative tool for colleagues to reflect on how they are embodying the mission of the Prep on an annual basis.

A reflection from the 2021 DEI Climate Survey: “Professional Development Series was great. My advice would be to leverage the DEI Council for the following years and have them lead larger sessions with different groups of students so that some conversations and learning and growth can extend outside the advisory sessions.”

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The imagery of the stained glass incorporated in this document illustrates how different colors are at their most beautiful when they are united.

The stained glass was photographed on the St. Joseph’s Prep Campus in Spring of 2021.

Click for additional resources and to review the full DEI Strategic Plan JOURNEY FURTHER

1 7 3 3 We s t G i r a r d Av e . | P h i l a d e l p h i a , PA 1 9 1 3 0 | 2 1 5 - 9 7 8 - 1 9 5 0 | w w w. s j p r e p . o r g

“One question I have for our teachers…When our young men of color walk in your classrooms, what are your expectations, what is your story for them? I want you to make sure you see all their possibilities. My son is a soccer player but he’s not a football or basketball player, so what is your narrative around him and how do you figure out who he is and believe and know on the upfront that he is amazing in the same ways that my husband and I see him.” Pam Hart P ’23