All shared some good news for April.

Diversification Grant – Tiffany, Ruth, Pam – will be presenting on behalf of Parker.

a. This Friday a group of folks from Parker are presenting our equity projects that we are working.  Parker project is based on the affinity group work that Emilly Moura proposed back in September 2023 in our DEI committee meeting.

b. Option 2 selected – look at random acts of improvement around diversity and equity; grounded in Parker’s 10th principal: “democracy and equity”. Dug into this work at Parker.  We do our best work when we have structure and tools that guide our work. 

• Ex. Advisory – four pillars
• Ex. Decision making at Parker

c. More recently – Ruth and Tiffany have developed the “Equity Triangle Tool”; workshopped it with several different groups. Action, Education, and Belonging are the three elements of the “equity triangle”; a few changes made to the triangle since our last DEI meeting. 

Action: What steps do we need to take?

Education: What do we need to learn?

Belonging: Who can join us in this work? 

Feedback around defining what “equity” means to us at Parker from Luciana 

Want to use the equity tool tonight to work through a recent challenge at Parker around antisemitism. 

Brian summarized current challenge with antisemitism; we then asked questions of Brian, grounded in this equity tool.

In the last 12 months, have found 3 swastikas at or around Parker (Student car parked offsite but near school, Girls bathroom wall/stall, Girls bathroom written in dust on a surface.)

Each time Brian authored a letter to the Parker community; teed up a discussion in advisory. Each subsequent time the events feel normalized; how do we create a safe space where it’s okay to say that it’s not okay.  What more can we do to provide space to think and feel deeply around this; Jewish kids are hurting silently. 

Mario suggested an onboarding effort to underpin equity work.

Tiffany asked about the student group that is coming together on this issue; how do ensure that this work is not siloed?

In general, the tool is helpful because it’s thought provoking in different respects - helps you think about various elements.

Next steps, bringing some kids and Rabbi Josh back together in the next week or so.

Ruth – asked the team to share relevant research back with the team and Ruth regarding the equity triangle.