by Tyler Thompson
This fall, a new club was formed at Greenfield with important goals in mind. The Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Club, or DEI Club, strives to create an accepting and inclusive environment at Greenfield. Their mission statement is: “Greenfield School aims to build a fostering environment that welcomes and includes, and respects people of all races [ethnicities], [religions], sexual orientations, gender identities, abilities, and ages.” “We look to achieve more inclusion of people and to make sure that everyone feels included and that they have equal opportunities. I'd say [the] overarching goal is to have more clubs that promote [these] goals,” said Aidan Blackmon, who works with Pauling Ngo and Juliette Suarez-Robles to lead the club.
Members who attend meetings come from different backgrounds and are there because they want to learn and share. They hope to better understand others by considering their experiences and perspectives. Nik Edwards assisted with developing this club and helped define what it would be about. “I saw an opportunity for me to [make] something happen, [bigger] than what I can already do,” he said. “One of my goals is to [make] everybody feel like they're welcome here... some people come here feeling that they're not [welcome]. [There are] harsh comments and we are trying to prevent that from happening.” DEI Club is open to anyone who wants to attend, and it is important that everyone feels welcome. Nik is hopeful that DEI can make a noticeable impact at Greenfield. “I think [it will] change Greenfield in a great way. It'll make students feel more welcome. [They will] feel included and feel equal,” Nik said.
So far, the DEI Club has held three meetings. These meetings aim to provide students with a space to share experiences, learn of others’ experiences, and advocate for change. “[In a typical meeting,] we will discuss problems around school and discuss how we could fix them and make sure everyone feels included,” said Aidan. The club also promotes and hopes to enforce better use of language at Greenfield as well. Club members encourage the use of African-American instead of black, avoiding the use of the “boys will be boys” phrase, not furthering stereotypes around certain students playing sports, breaking down the stigma surrounding police brutality, and more.
DEI Club will continue to promote the core values of its members and spread them throughout the school community to continue to make Greenfield a better place. The club members look forward to continuing to share their experiences, hear from others, and make students of all backgrounds feel more welcome and valued in our community.
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