Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion

For Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead) this week, Bonnie Martinez's Literatura en Español (Literature in Spanish) class put together beautiful ofrendas (altars honoring the dead) in the Main Hall honoring famous Spanish literary figures. 

We asked our teachers how they have recognized the culture, history, and contributions of Hispanic Americans during Latinx/Hispanic Heritage Month in their classrooms. Classes in Lower and Middle School from arts to technology have linked curriculum to the observance of the month, September 15-October 15, and to the celebration of Día de los Muertos, which takes place November 1-2.

Last month, Counselor Sheri Johnson and Human Development Teacher and Co-Dean of Student Voices Regina Wei established a new support group for BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) students at Westridge.

“You have to see it to be it,” is a motto Middle School Coding & Game Design Teacher Sally Miller frequently repeats to her students, and this year the 7th and 8th graders are diving deeper into issues of representation in STEM fields than ever before.

Westridge is thrilled to announce the appointments of two, director-level administrators as part of the implementation of the 2020-2025 Westridge Strategic Plan. Ian Tatum will join us as director of equity, leading our school-wide diversity, equity, and inclusion programs. James Evans will join us as director of teaching and learning.

In a follow-up to our October student assemblies on microaggressions (which covered what microaggressions are and how they affect our community), Director of Lower & Middle School Dr. Zanita Kelly and facilitator and culturally responsive teaching expert Ian Tatum led another series of assemblies on how to respond to and disrupt microaggressions in the moment they occur.

As we continue our work to expand the voices and perspectives in our curriculum, we asked our teachers how they are recognizing Black History Month in the classroom. Classes from grades 4 to 12 and from the arts to math have linked curriculum to the observance of the month. In addition, many faculty members commented that their work this month is part of a year- or semester-long approach.

In lieu of the traditional dragon and lion dances Lower School students perform annually for Lunar New Year, this year the Student Activities & Leadership Council (SALC) joined forces with Middle Schoolers to host an all-school assembly on the origins and traditions of the holiday.

Upper School Student Voices—a student-leadership group that addresses topics related to diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice—explored activism in art in two Martin Luther King Jr. Day assemblies this month.

Upper School Student Voices hosted their first assembly of the year last week entitled “Black at Westridge.” The assembly was a testimonial-based presentation that gave students a chance to hear from Black and African American students, alumnae, faculty, and staff about what it is like to be Black at Westridge.

On Monday, Upper School Student Voices co-heads Danielle D. ’21 and Olivia Q. ’21 hosted a panel discussion with three emerging Los Angeles civic leaders about systemic racism and racial and gender equity from their personal and professional experiences.

The October 14 Westridge Wednesday divisional assemblies were each devoted to the topic of microaggressions: What are they? What is their impact on students? What should be our commitment to interrupting microaggressions in our community?

This summer, senior Kathleen C. watched as incidents of anti-Asian racism continued to escalate following the spread of COVID-19. She formed an organization called Vocal Asians for Change — a “youth-organized movement dedicated to speaking out against racism in our communities.”