Philosophy on Honoring History and Heritage

When I started my Field journey as the Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in 2021, I was certain of two things. First, I felt prepared. My years as an educator, mentor, and advocate for students and families provided the tools and experience to assume this role. I also understood there would be things I couldn't have prepared for—something I wouldn't totally understand. To use a common phrase in pop culture, "I understand the assignment," but I didn't know what the assignment would be. This dichotomy of being prepared and unprepared at the same time presents many challenges. 

Last winter a group of enthusiastic students entered my office and confidently asked, "What is Field doing for Black History Month?" My experience working with teenagers made it reasonably easy to decode the sentiment as, "Debario, now that you are the Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, What are YOU doing for Black History Month? More importantly, I heard the students ask, how will you reassure me that YOU and The Field School care about me and my experiences as a student in this community and can I trust you? 

I understand every person in our community, especially those who suffer marginalization as part of their daily existence, needs affirmation, reassurance, and care. Often, these needs are unseen, unknown, or embedded in broader societal practices that can feel performative and superficial. 

This impactful interaction led me to explore the question, “How do we create and nurture the opportunity for Field community members to share stories related to their culture, heritage, history, and identity in a way that teaches, celebrates, and affirms?” By seeking answers to this fundamental question, we are honoring our mission, where students discover their authentic selves and distinctive paths to become empathetic, creative thinkers who act boldly to shape our shared future. Students need the space, resources, and opportunities to understand who they are as people and as members of the Field community. 

Identity development and affirmation are central to a Field education. For some in our community, the observance, celebration, and acknowledgment of essential aspects of identity are accomplished through heritage and history months, identity days, and religious observances. While there is value to these acknowledgments in affirming one's identity and educating others, we believe an approach that aligns directly with the Field School mission and core values and accurately reflects the needs expressed by our students and faculty would be a better approach. Academic inquiry is at the center of this approach and this method can be used to help our community learn more about specific cultures and identities. Rather than limiting our educational experiences to calendar-dependent observances, a broader approach of engaging with and learning about culture, heritage, history, and identity would benefit all of us.  

Identity development and affirmation should also live outside the classroom and curriculum. Community gatherings, advisory, affinity groups, announcements, and Falcon Press should all be employed to accomplish the goals of affirming student identity and allowing students to share their stories. Students and adults should have the space, opportunity, and consistent mechanism to bring forward ideas and suggestions for how their identity can be best affirmed and celebrated. Like our school, these processes should continue to evolve and reflect best practices for the Field Community. I don't believe Field should be the arbiter of what is acknowledged and what is not. Instead, The Field School community should use all means to affirm and celebrate our individual and collective identities. 

Our approach to celebrating, acknowledging, observing and teaching about diverse cultures, heritages and histories should be aligned with our Mission and Values. This does not mean that we will necessarily align our practices with celebrations and acknowledgments that are typically attached to the calendar. As a school, we should not seek to sync our community efforts with what might be happening outside of our community. Rather, we should be focused on addressing and responding to the needs of our community members in a manner that is authentic and student-centered. This does not mean that the observances like Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Women’s History Month, or Black History Month shouldn’t have a presence at Field. Members of the Field community should have agency and opportunity to experience these celebrations and observances. Our responsibility as a school should be to provide those opportunities in a manner that is equitable and aligned with our desire to continue to create a school that values, honors and celebrates the richness of our diverse community. 

Building something at Field would provide students and adults with opportunities to grapple with individuality and celebrate culture, history, and heritage while being accountable to the common good as members of our school community and global citizens. As a community, we emphasize the following.

These resources provide pathways to building this approach.

What Happens to Empathy Deferred?, Kip Bordelon  NAIS Blog