Our Programs

Diversity and Inclusion Center for Equity

DICE

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Diversity & Inclusion Center for Equity

A commitment to equity and inclusion lies at the heart of Northwest Academy’s culture, and we strive to carry it out through our arts and academic partnerships. We value the uniqueness of each student, family member, teacher, and staff member; their diverse backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives create a culture rich with mutual respect and authenticity. The Northwest Academy community values all ethnicities, races, cultures, religions, economic backgrounds, family structures, sexual and gender identities, and abilities. Ongoing efforts related to diversity, equity, and inclusion are essential to our staff and to our students’ abilities to develop into thoughtful and creative global citizens. Reach out to the DICE team at dice@nwacademy.org.

Our Team

List of 2 members.

Hau Bui

Teacher (Math); Director of DICE

(971) 362-2950
Nia Johnson

Teacher; DICE Co-Coordinator; Education Assistant

(971) 340-4621

Affinity Groups @ Northwest Academy

Affinity Groups (AGs) are new to our school as of 2020. Affinity Groups are a place where groups of people with common interests and backgrounds come together to support each other and share their experiences. It’s a designated “safe space,” where everyone in that group shares a particular identity. This identity can be based on race, gender, or sexuality. Currently, Northwest Academy will hold BIPOC, White Allies, LGBTQIA+, JSU (Jewish Students Union), FI (Female Identified) Affinity Groups. All Affinity Groups have student leaders as well as staff/faculty advisors who are able to identify with the AG they help supervise. To talk about how it’s going, a few group leaders came together to talk about some of the tough conversations that have come up in their groups and about AGs in general.

Copy of Rainbows Classroom Rules Poster 1

Copy of Rainbows Classroom Rules Poster 2

- Student Diversity and Leadership Center
  
  sdlc 2019

Student Diversity & Leadership Conference

What is the Student Diversity & Leadership Conference (SDLC)?
SDLC is a part of the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) People of Color Conference (PoCC). This conference is usually held in person but due to COVID it has been held online for the past two years. The conference is a multiracial, multicultural gathering of upper school student leaders (grades 9-12) from across the U.S. and abroad. SDLC focuses on self-reflecting, forming allies, and building community. Led by a diverse team of trained adult and peer facilitators, participating students develop cross-cultural communication skills, design effective strategies for social justice practice through dialogue and the arts, and learn the foundations of allyship and networking principles. In addition to large group sessions, SDLC "family groups" and "home groups" allow for dialogue and

Student Diversity and Leadership Retreat 2022

This winter, 5 students along attended the NWAIS Student Diversity and Leadership Retreat, a smaller, local version of SDLC. The theme of the event was "Caring for Ourselves, Each Other, & Our World." Students heard from Cinnamon Kills First and Christian Paige, and also attended workshops and affinity groups. Our students had a great time! Hover over the photos below to see what they thought!

Ava

"I was incredibly lucky to be able to attend this year’s retreat. I learned so much about reflection and how to interact with the world as a white person. I enjoyed attending the neurodiverse affinity group and finding a fantastic support group This experience was incredibly eye-opening."
- Ava S., Class of 2023

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Malia

"SDLR was so much fun because I got to talk to a lot of new people. I went to the Asian American affinity group and the closing speaker was very interesting and entertaining."
-Malia B., Class of 2022

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Ruby

"My experience with SDLR was very positive. Coming from a predominately white community, it was fantastic to see so many diverse and different people from different places. I had so much fun and wished I had gone sooner."
-Ruby S., Class of 2022

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Rowan

"I had a wonderful time at SDLR! It was enlightening to engage in dialogue with people with whom I share an identity, as well as with people who are different than me. It felt good to be in a room with a majority POC, and I felt heard and appreciated. Overall, it was an excellent experience. 10/10"
-Rowan C, Class of 2025

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Yasmin

"SDLR had amazing people, workshops, and speakers. Diversity Conferences, like SDLR, help further the connections I make with people that have similar experiences to me and teach me methods of dealing with situations like microaggressions, and overall help me navigate my life as a minority."
-Yasmin G.V., Class of 2023

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Resources

Anti-Racism Resources for White People
75 Things White People Can Do for Racial Justice
(from Medium)
What Educators Should—and Should Not Do—in Response to George Floyd’s Death
(Education Week)
Scaffolded Anti-Racist Resources
(Anna Stamborski, Nikki Zimmermann, and Bailie Gregory)
“Seeing White”
Scene on Radio

Definitions

List of 7 items.

Ally

Someone who makes the commitment and effort to recognize their privilege (based on gender, class, race, sexual identity, etc.) and work in solidarity with oppressed groups in the struggle for justice. Allies understand that it is in their own interest to end all forms of oppression, even those from which they may benefit in concrete ways.
BIPOC

Black, Indigenous, and People of Color. The term BIPOC highlights and aims to undo the Indigenous invisibility and anti-Blackness that is so pervasive in our nation.
Diversity

Diversity includes all the ways in which people differ, and it encompasses all the different characteristics that make one individual or group different from another. It is all-inclusive and recognizes everyone and every group as part of the diversity that should be valued.
Equity

Equity is the condition that would be achieved if one’s identity no longer predicted, in a statistical sense, how one fares. This includes the elimination of policies, practices, attitudes, and cultural messages that reinforce differential outcomes by race or fail to eliminate them.
Inclusion

Authentically bringing traditionally excluded individuals and/or groups into processes, activities, and decision/policymaking in a way that shares power.
Racism
- Racism = race prejudice + social and institutional power
- Racism = a system of advantage based on race
- Racism = a system of oppression based on race
- Racism = a white supremacy system
Racism is different from racial prejudice, hatred, or discrimination. Racism involves one group having the power to carry out systematic discrimination through the institutional policies and practices of the society and by shaping the cultural beliefs and values that support those racist policies and practices.
Structural Racism

The normalization and legitimization of an array of dynamics – historical, cultural, institutional, and interpersonal—that routinely advantage Whites while producing cumulative and chronic adverse outcomes for people of color. Structural racism encompasses the entire system of White domination, diffused, and infused in all aspects of society including its history, culture, politics, economics, and entire social fabric. Structural racism is more difficult to locate in a particular institution because it involves the reinforcing effects of multiple institutions and cultural norms, past and present, continually reproducing old and producing new forms of racism. Structural racism is the most profound and pervasive form of racism – all other forms of racism emerge from structural racism.