Derryfield Discusses Diversity
- Jan 1, 2017
- 2 min read
Ask your classmates about the second Diversity Discussion held a few weeks ago!
On Friday, September 30, 2016, Ms. Karp and Mrs. Byron, two Middle School teachers of Art and English, held an open-ended conference on diversity for the Middle School and Upper School. It was student-led and an opportunity to learn about different points of view on the subject of diversity. The Derryfield community knows that race is a difficult topic to discuss, and Sam Duan ’20 remarked, "[Race has] been a sensitive topic for years."
Racial bias was a major topic throughout the discussion. Emma Losey '22 voiced an important opinion that was widely agreed upon during the discussion, saying, "We're all still people." In addition to talking about the impact that race has in today's society, the issue of racial bias was also discussed. "Whenever there's a public incident involving people of two different races, people will assume it's because they're of two different races," said Madison Viger '23.
Another big subject in the conversation about race was impact and intent. The group talked about the big difference between making a joke that someone might interpret as hurtful, regardless of your intentions, and making a rude comment with a hurtful intent and then saying, "just kidding!" The group discussed the fact that words can’t be thrown around. Losey said the following about making a joke that could be interpreted as hurtful: “If you're saying 'just kidding', you have to say it like you mean it."
This discussion was a very thought-provoking event. If you’re interested in learning about different opinions, come to the next diversity discussion! Your thoughts on the matter would be greatly appreciated!
Grace Valashinas and Riley Valashinas are both currently members of the class of 2022. They are frequent contributors to Lamplighter.
If you are interested in becoming a staff writer, contributor, or guest writer for Lamplighter please reach out to either our Editor-in-Chief Anja Stadelmann '17 or our Management editor Richard Tarpey '17. Their contact information can be found in our 'Meet The Staff' section of our website.
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