Our Wildwood, Summer 2021, Volume 46

protocol for effectively engaging, sustaining, and deepening interracial dialogue. Work within the community after the racial reckoning spurred by the deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and many others in the Black community as well as the Black Lives Matter movement was especially pertinent to the most recent DEIB initiatives. Along with revisiting the curriculum and practices to ensure anti-racism and anti-bias remains a priority, the work included the creation of the Alumni Anti-Racism Think Tank, a task force co-facilitated by Karen, Director of College Counseling and Alumni Relations Amy Abrams and Advancement Assistant for Events and Alumni Relations Paige Verdun ‘13 to inform about ways the school’s DEIB practices impacted alumni during their time on campus and brainstorm around potential anti-racist practice and programming for our community going forward. Though the task force stayed active for just a few months, an opportunity for further connection was borne from it in the form of an additional affinity space for middle and upper school students of color focused on creativity and conversation—the biweekly Crafters of Color gathering, facilitated by Moreau Halliburton ‘18. With the rise of discrimination and violence toward the Asian Pacific Islander Desi American (APIDA) community in our country, more recent efforts have been focused on support, education, and training to better serve the needs of this community. In March 2021, writer Sharon Kwon, author of “This Is What No One Tells You About Being Asian in America in 2021” facilitated an APIDA affinity group for parents and students. In April, Kwon was joined by Renee Tajima-Peña, Academy Award-nominated filmmaker and UCLA Asian Studies Professor, for a schoolwide event as featured guests of the Parent Multicultural Collaborative. As we look ahead to the immediate future, we are re-imagining Wildwood’s messaging to include a further sense of belonging for all community members. It is in belonging that our students, faculty, staff, parents, and alumni feel seen, heard, valued, and loved. When all is said and done, Wildwood’s mission of cultivating “reflective scholars, bold innovators, and compassionate leaders equipped with the skills, ethics and inspiration to transform their world” will only happen if these scholars, innovators, and leaders feel they belong in the world. W

programming in 2013, and more than 200 people from 56 schools nationwide have been able to take advantage of this MLT-led professional development opportunity since. Over the years, MLI has brought in facilitators such as nationally known DEIB consultant Alison Park; Bill Cross, author and originator of the racial identity model; and co-founder of AWARE-LA Jason David, a former Wildwood teacher who was also instrumental in the development of MLI. PROGRAM EVOLUTION In 2017, to reflect the current nature and goals of this work at the school, Rasheda’s title changed to the director of equity and inclusion. Soon afterward, the Board of Trustees undertook the work of assessing the school for its effectiveness in creating a diverse, equitable, and inclusive community. The Board Diversity Task Force used a tool from the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) called the Assessment of Inclusivity and Multiculturalism (AIM) to produce some recommendations for building a more diverse community, including through recruitment, retention, and socioeconomic equity. While remaining a Wildwood School parent, Rasheda began sharing her considerable skills and experience at Westland School in 2019, after 18 years at Wildwood. She currently serves as Westland’s assistant head for equity, inclusion, and counseling, where she works alongside fellow Wildwood parent and former employee Melinda Tsapatsaris, head of school, and Marcia Capparela, assistant head of school. strong DEIB foundation laid by Rasheda and Landis. An experienced practitioner, having instituted DEIB programming at two different independent schools in the Midwest, Karen created a Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Action Plan for Wildwood with input from MLT, academic and other administrators, and the Board of Trustees. Karen played a key role in updating the school’s hiring guidelines to incorporate a stronger diversity lens toward bringing in more faculty and staff of color, and, along with MLT, has launched work on further updates to the Multicultural Scope and Sequence. Additionally, Karen introduced the Wildwood community to Courageous Conversation about Race (CCAR), an award-winning DEIB TODAY In 2019, Karen Dye was hired to build upon the

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CELEBRATING 50 YEARS! | OWW SUMMER 2021