Virtual Social Justice Symposium

VIRTUAL Social Justice Symposium
February 10-11, 2021

In this complicated world, FCIS aspires to bring greater cultural awareness and a better understanding of diversity and inclusion to our independent school communities. Join us for sessions on topics that offer different perspectives and provide practical guidance for addressing social justice issues throughout all areas of school life.

Who should attend? Heads, Trustees, Administrators and Faculty

KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Reuben Brigety
Vice Chancellor and President
The University of the South

Ambassador Reuben E. Brigety II is the 17th Vice-Chancellor and President at the University of the South. He is a native Southerner whose life and distinguished career have taken him from the U.S. Naval Academy to the University of Cambridge, and from Africa to Washington, D.C.

He is a former dean of the Elliott School of International Affairs at The George Washington University and former U.S. ambassador to the African Union. He is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and holds a master’s degree in philosophy and a Ph.D. in international relations from the University of Cambridge.

He has served as an adjunct senior fellow for African Peace and Security at the Council on Foreign Relations and as the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State in the Bureau of African Affairs. He has also served as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State in the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration, where he supervised U.S. refugee programs in Africa. He is a member of the American Academy of Diplomacy, a Life Member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and a recipient of the Council’s International Affairs Fellowship.

KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Nicole Brittingham Furlonge
Professor and Director of the Klingenstein Center
Teachers College Columbia University

Nicole Brittingham Furlonge is Professor and Director of the Klingenstein Center, Teachers College Columbia University. She also serves as Narrative Medicine Core Collaborator at Columbia Medical School and is co-founder of LEARNS Collaborative, a catalyzer for human-centered, equitable change in organizations. A first generation college student, Nicole earned her Ph.D. and BA in English from the University of Pennsylvania, and her M.A. from the University of Michigan. Prior to joining Teachers College, Nicole served as Director of Teaching and Learning at the Holderness School. She has taught English and served as English Department Chair and Director of Diversity at several independent schools, including St. Andrew's School (Delaware), The Lawrenceville School, and Princeton Day School. Nicole is the author of Race Sounds: The Art of Listening in African American Literature, published by the University of Iowa Press. Her book demonstrates listening as an essential interpretive and civic act that leads to deeper engagement with others. Nicole has previously served on the boards of People and Stories/Gente y Cuentos and Village Charter School in Trenton, NJ. Currently, she serves on the board of the Center for Transformative Teaching and Learning. Dr. Furlonge’s research examines the intersections between listening, cognitive neuroscience, social justice, and school leadership. She lives in Yonkers, NY with her spouse, Nigel (Klingenstein Center alum), their three children, and their puppy.

Agenda

Agenda

Wednesday, February 10

8:45AM | Welcome & Introductions

9:00-10:15AM | Opening Keynote and Q & A: Leading Diversity in Difficult Times
Join Reuben Brigety as he opens the Social Justice Symposium with his reflections on leading diversity initiatives in these challenging times.
Keynote Speaker: Reuben Brigety, Vice Chancellor and President, The University of the South (Sewanee, TN)

10:20-11:15AM | Breakout Session: Inclusion: Moving Beyond Flags, Food, and Festivals
Sombreros and tacos on Cinco de Mayo, discussions about the Civil Rights Movement in February, and fireworks for Chinese New Year: these occasions are inspired by cultures around the world. And yet, they can become superficial displays of multiculturalism that ease our conscience and keep us from examining what diversity truly means. Flags, food, and festivals can be valuable gateways to meaningful inclusion, but we must be intentional about passing through those gates and exploring the history and influences that inform other cultures in both the past and present. How can we maximize teachable moments and opportunities to ensure that our daily curriculum incorporates genuine inclusion? This presentation will examine ways to deepen cross-cultural understanding and support inclusion in our schools.
Presenter: Jasmine B. Harris, EdD, Head of School, St. Philip’s Episcopal School (Coral Gables. FL)

11:20AM-12:15PM | Breakout Session: Assessing the Work of Equity: Using Data to Inform & Drive Practice
We are in a dual pandemic of racial inequity and COVID-19. We have had students mobilize in tremendous ways, for example, through the Black Students Demanding Change (BSDC). So now, how do we make sure we stay true to the commitments that we made as schools? How do we honor the lives of our children? With all of the energy that independent schools have had since summer 2020 to be aware and proactive in racial literacy, culturally competent curriculum, and culturally relevant teaching, one must pause and ask: how do we know if we are effective? How do we know if we are actually meeting the needs of our students, faculty, and families? How do we know if we are actually growing as an institution? This workshop is specifically designed to provide educators and school leaders with the opportunity to explore how to use forms of qualitative and quantitative data to inform practice and hold schools accountable to the commitments they made as a result of the racial awakening that was precipitated during summer 2020. After this workshop participants will be able to: (1) identify how & where data exists in their institutions, (2) define specifically why data needs to be used to drive equity work in an independent school setting, and (3) apply data driven approaches to their own practice.
Presenter: Ronald Taylor, M.S.Ed., Associate Director, The Office for Identity, Culture, and Institutional Equity at Horace Mann School (Bronx, NY)

12:15PM | Wrap Up

Thursday, February 11

8:45AM | Welcome & Introductions

9:00-9:55AM | Breakout Session: Beyond the Hashtag: Moving Toward Strategic Implementation
Institutions are looking to move their communities forward in terms of diversity, equity and inclusion … but they need to do so in a strategic manner. This presentation will focus on the process of putting plans and strategies into action concerning Moral Courage. Moral Courage is the "how" of effectively ending discrimination, on both the individual and system levels. An example will be given on how to take this strategy and put it into action for each area of the institution.
Presenter: Raquel Majeski, Assistant Head for Equity & Community Life, Lawrence Academy (Lawrence, MA)

10:00-10:55AM | Breakout Session: What Does MY Administration Know about Diversity?
As the landscape of the United States continues to evolve, independent school educators have been forced to look at themselves through a lens unfamiliar to them. How does my school see me as an administrator/educator/male of color and what can my school do to know how I feel? Come join me as I engage others to challenge themselves and see, themselves and the schools they lead’ through the lens of DEIJ (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Justice). Come prepared to learn, share, question and lead.
Presenter: Roderick Avery Fludd, Director of Diversity and Inclusion, Shorecrest Preparatory School
(St. Petersburg, FL)

11:00-12:00PM | Closing Keynote: Hungry Listening
This keynote will focus on this question: How might listening play a transformative role in equity, inclusion, social action, and belonging work in our schools and our educational practices? Drawing from Zora Neale Hurston's notion of the power of "hungry listening," Nicole will explore this ethical mode of engagement and its potential for creating enduring change in schools.
Keynote Speaker: Nicole Brittingham Furlonge, PhD, Klingenstein Family Chair Professor of Practice, Director of the Klingenstein Center, Teachers College Columbia University (New York, NY)

12:00PM | Wrap Up

Early Bird Registration:
$199 (Members) | $299 (Non-Members)
Early Bird Registration Deadline: January 15, 2021

Regular Registration:
$249 (Members) | $349 (Non-Members)
Regular Registration Deadline: February 3, 2021

Location: Zoom
Zoom information, link to connect, and password will be shared closer to the event.

Cancellation & Refunds: Workshop refund requests must be made in writing and emailed to Keara Danger at kdanger@fcis.org. There is a $50 per person processing fee through January 27, 2021, with no refunds after this date.

Questions? Contact Alison Carlson at acarlson@fcis.org.

PLEASE NOTE: If you click on the button below and do not see the registration form, try a different browser (Safari, Chrome, Firefox, etc.).

Virtual Social Justice Symposium

Read More

Read More

Agenda

Register Here

Registration Form