Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, & Justice

Student affinity groups have existed at Westridge for decades, and continue to serve as an important tenant in our work to build a community sense of belonging. Student affinities are student-run with a faculty/staff advisor, and meet once per rotation for group discussions, support, and just-for-fun activities. Student affinities also have opportunities to lead activities for the wider community, inviting their peers to learn more about a given topic or cultural tradition, and Upper School affinity group heads take the Student Voices elective course to receive formal training and have time dedicated to the work of their affinity group.

Upper School affinities currently include: Armenian Affinity, Black Student Union, Chinese Affinity, Christian Affinity, Family for the Disabled, Filipinx Affinity, Gender Affinity (ANON), Immigrants Are Us Affinity, Japanese Affinity, Jewish Affinity, Korean Affinity, Latine Affinity, Middle Eastern & North African Affinity, Multi-Cultural Affinity, Divergent Abilities Affinity, Non-traditional Households, Skittles Affinity, South Asian Affinity, Southeast Asian Affinity, and Taiwanese Affinity.

Middle School affinities currently include:  African American/Black Affinity, Asian American Affinity, Latine Affinity, and LGBTQIA Alliance.

Student Voices is a student leadership group and a class that exists at age-appropriate levels for both Middle and Upper School. The group is dedicated to addressing topics related to diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice. Student Voices raises awareness about local and global issues and events, and Upper School Student Voices plan and lead a series of assemblies, town meetings, and lunch talks for the community throughout the school year.

The Middle School JEDI Club (Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion) offers a space for open discussion about DEIJ topics and issues and experiences raised by club members. The DEIJ team helps students talk through issues, understand others’ perspectives, and know what to do when they face challenging situations.

Council is a social and emotional learning program for grades 4-6 led by Director of Lower & Middle School Dr. Zanita Kelly. It provides students a foundation for healthy and positive relationships, improves learning, and assists in their ability to succeed in school and in life. Throughout the year, topics vary based on students’ needs and current events in the community and the world.

Throughout the school year, Director of Equity Ian Tatum holds optional, drop-in lunches for Lower, Middle, and Upper School students. These lunches are separated by division, and are designed as open-forum conversations to discuss topics of interest to the students who attend. 

Each year, a cohort of Westridge Upper School students attend the Student Diversity Leadership Conference (SDLC) in December. Hosted by the National Association of Independent Schools, SDLC is an annual multiracial and multicultural event for Upper School student leaders that helps participants develop cross-cultural communication skills, design effective strategies for social justice practice through dialogue and the arts, and learn the foundations of allyship and networking principles.

Each year, groups of Westridge faculty and staff members attend the National Association of Independent School’s annual People of Color Conference (POCC) in November and the White Privilege Conference in March. These events provide opportunities to expand knowledge of diversity as well as to affirm personal identities and increase understanding of individual and group privilege.

Parent education and DEIJ programming for our parent community is of the utmost importance to us. A variety of parent affinity groups exist at Westridge and they meet regularly for support, discussions and presentations with experts or other guests speakers, and community-building activities.

Our current parent affinity groups include: 

• Parents of Students with Neurodiversity Affinity
• Westridge Asian American Culture & Heritage Group (WAACH)
• Comunidad Latinx
• Students at Westridge of African Heritage Group (SWAHG)

The Alumnae DEIJ Committee serves as a subcommittee of the Westridge Alumnae Board, and its co-chairs are responsible for overseeing the alumnae affinity groups and their interactions with the student affinity groups. 

Alumnae affinity groups include Asian American, Black/African American, Middle Eastern, and Latinx Affinities. They have focused on supporting current families during the college counseling process with language support and cultural conversations, and providing speakers for Upper School affinity group meetings.