Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, & Belonging

In addition to Pingry students and employees, alumni also have the opportunity to be part of an Affinity Group. Our alumni Affinity Groups include:

• Alumnae of Pingry
• Alumni of Color
• LGBTQ+ Alumni

Affinity groups are safe spaces for people who share part of their identity to gather and to discuss issues of common concern. Parent affinity groups are for parents/caregivers who identify as part of the specific community or are parents/caregivers to Pingry students who are part of those communities. They also serve to:

• Facilitate communication between Pingry leadership and communities which we serve.
• Be a voice for Muslim, Black, AAPI, Latinx, Jewish, and LGBTQ+ students.  

There are six affinity groups available for parents/caregivers. Contact them here:

• Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) Parents
• Jewish Parents
• Latinx Parents
• LGBTQ+
• Muslim Parents
• Pingry Parents of Black Children (PPBC)

Student- and faculty-led programming that marks Hispanic Heritage Month, Black History Month, Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month, Pride Month, LGBTQ+ History Month, and Women's History Month, among other annual occasions, in addition to regular assemblies and guest speakers, provide the opportunity for us to observe, learn, and celebrate diversity within our community. 

The Department of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, in collaboration with division directors, regularly hosts speakers and consultants to support the intentional and strategic skill development as outlined in our Mission Statement. Speakers and consultants have included:

• Dr. Eddie S. Glaude, Jr.: The James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor and Chair of the Department of African American Studies at Princeton, Dr. Glaude is one of the nation’s most prominent scholars. An author, political commentator, public intellectual, and passionate educator, he examines the complex dynamics of the American experience. His writings take a wide look at Black communities, the difficulties of race in the United States, and the challenges we face as a democracy.
• Alison Park, Blink Consulting: Ms. Park, who has keynoted at numerous conferences, including NAIS's People of Color Conference, has led consulting efforts as well as professional development for our faculty, staff, and Board of Trustees to further the work of our DEIB mission.
• Musicworks: Musicworks integrates music from across the globe to make diversity, equity, and inclusion topics accessible and engaging for students. Founder Jesse Neuman approaches DEIB with the assumption that students of all ages are poised and willing to tackle tough conversations and are open to more expansive perspectives through exposure to quality artists and movements, and carefully moderated discussion.
• Andre Bradford, a.k.a. S.C. Says, is an Austin based slam poet who has been performing slam poetry since 2013. He's toured and featured at venues and universities across the country, including Pingry. His poetry covers a gamut of topics ranging from being mixed race, to social justice, to mental health awareness, to never settling in relationships.
• Dr. Michael (Mykee) Fowlin: Mykee's programs combine both his professional acting talents and his psychological training. His mission is to create an atmosphere of worldwide inclusion, not just tolerance, towards all people. He has worked extensively with all age groups across the United States and in other countries. His work has included peer mediation, diversity trainings, gender equity workshops, and violence prevention seminars.

At Pingry, diversity is more than race. We certainly recognize that the social construct — race — is important to discuss. However, we also recognize that to simply focus on race significantly limits the scope of diversity and can marginalize our students and their families, as well as our faculty and staff. Instead, our community recognizes and seeks to have conversations about many cultural identifiers:

• ability
• age
• ethnicity
• gender
• race
• religion
• sexual orientation
• socioeconomic status (class)
• body image
• educational background
• academic/social achievement
• geographic/regional background
• language
• learning style
• beliefs (political, social, religious)

These cultural identifiers are introduced in Grades K-4, and are explored more in depth beginning in Grade 5.

Pingry’s Lower School Multicultural Team facilitates campus-wide diversity activities, which are tailored to the developmental maturity of each grade. Students in grades K-5 also dig into cultural competency work through the Decisions class which covers topics related to diversity, identity, and cultural connection at the local and global level. These lessons are designed to help students develop skills for engaging in conversations around identity, equity, and inclusion by introducing vocabulary related to social identifiers (e.g. gender identity, race, religion, ethnicity, ability, sexual orientation, etc.).

The Middle School advisory program incorporates conversations about identity development, familiarizes students with common cultural identifiers, and building a positive self image. Our Middle School Multicultural Team facilitates activities that allow for a more intentional and specific focus for conversations about identity. Students have the opportunity to question how they interact with others who are different from themselves and explore ways in which they can work to better the school community as a whole. In addition, a cultural competency curriculum is integrated into advisory beginning in Grade 6.

In addition to the grade-specific curricular work below, our Student Diversity Leadership Committee (SDLC) facilitates conversations about diversity, equity, and inclusion through the Upper School advisory program, with the goal of fostering a more inclusive and welcoming environment.