In response to the continued incidents of racial justice in the United States in May of 2020, the Edmund Rice Christian Brothers North America Province made a commitment to promote and encourage antiracism in our schools in North America. In addition to resources that were created and published online during the summer, the Mission Frère Advocacy Office has continued to hold conversations about how we can continue to promote diversity, equity and inclusion in our schools.
On February 24th, the Mission Frère Advocacy Office hosted a Zoom training workshop for ERCBNA educators on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI).
The training was led by Mr. Rick Holifield, the Dean of Diversity, Inclusion & Community Engagement at the Lawrenceville School in Lawrenceville, New Jersey. Mr. Holifield led a presentation for ERCBNA educators on microinequities, which as he described, “are subtle actions or words that can devalue or demoralize school stakeholders.” The training allowed teachers to understand what microinequities are, the ways in which they affect students, and how teachers can identify and prevent such behaviors. We look forward to continued conversations and initiatives in ERCBNA schools on how they are taking action to promote antiracism and DEI.