Commitment to Listen, Learn, and Change

COMMITMENT TO LISTEN, LEARN AND CHANGE Diversity, Equity, Inclusion 2020-2021

Students gather in the Speight Alumni Room on September 25, 2020 for the inaugural meeting of the student-led Black Alliance organization. Though centered around issues affecting the Black community, the group is open to all students.”

The events of the summer of 2020, within the city of Richmond, across the country and around the world, put a spotlight on issues of racial injustice in the United States. The deaths of George Floyd and others at the hands of police spurred institutions all over the country to reflect and ask whether issues of systemic racism were hindering their ability to truly fulfill their mission and allow every member to feel a sense of belonging.

On June 2, Head of School Rob Short wrote an open letter to the community condemning racism in all its forms and pledging to listen and respond to these issues. “We are encouraged by the momentum we see and feel a great sense of urgency to create a real and sustained difference at Trinity,” Short wrote. “Our journey is not a short one,” he wrote in a follow up message in July. “Over the coming months and years, we will continue to learn, change and put into place initiatives, programs, and frameworks that will support our mission of lifelong learning.”

With the added challenge of being separated as a community throughout the summer, faculty and staff met by videoconference to talk through feelings, ideas and next steps. Additionally, administrators met with Black alumni from a range of graduation years to listen to their stories and experiences as Trinity students. These discussions were candid and sincere; while they expressed an overall love of the school, Black alumni also shared painful memories from their unique perspective on how their experiences were impacted by racism within the community.

Partnering with Trinity in this ongoing work is the Virginia Center for Inclusive Communities (VCIC). Established in 1935, VCIC works with schools, businesses, and communities to address prejudice in all forms and create equitable learning environments. VCIC’s program will have a broad scope to include students and faculty, as well as the Trinity Board of Trustees.

TRINITY IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE VIRGINIA CENTER FOR INCLUSIVE COMMUNITIES (VCIC)

• August 12: A half-day training session with all faculty and staff focused on building a culture of respect and trust, emphasized the primary importance of each student’s sense of belonging, and gave teachers the tools to find teachable moments, especially during moments of cultural insensitive or racial bias. • September 1: The Trinity Board of Trustees’ annual halfday fall retreat focused on issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion with facilitation by VCIC. Board members shared their own experiences from the corporate setting and expressed a desire to make a difference. • October 8: whole-school virtual assembly on the theme of “The Head” (theoretical understandings of prejudice and inclusion, “The Heart” (explore one’s own feelings, experiences, and emotions) and “The Hands” (developing concrete tools, skills, and strategies to make real and measurable change in the school community).

Beginning this fall, students have a Black Alliance organization on campus. This group is student-generated and seeks to create collective consciousness in order to make change within the school culture. While this initiative is centered around the Black community, allies are welcome and encouraged to join.

Laura Hamlin Weiler ’00, head of community engagement, is coordinating these efforts and initiatives in diversity, equity and inclusion. An alumna of Leadership Metro Richmond (LMR)’s Quest program (’18) and Trinity’s long-time representative to the Virginia Diversity Network, Weiler brings years of experience to bear in this area. Nonetheless, she says: “I enter this work from a place of humility — I have A LOT to learn… I am committed to continuing to learn and grow and to support, empower, and celebrate each of our students, families, faculty and staff.”

Working in collaboration with Weiler is a newly formed DEI Committee, comprised of 19 faculty and staff. “In my previous work as a school counselor, my work was based around listening and learning,” said Weiler. “In terms of our DEI work at Trinity, my goals this year are based in large part around listening and learning. This work will not happen in a silo and is very much a collaborative process.”