On Tuesday, January 20, in honor of the holiday celebrating the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, St. Mark’s held a Community & Equity Day. Organized by Ms. Ava Archibald, the School’s Director of Community and Equity Affairs, the focus of this year’s day-long event was gender, and the issue of gender diversity and gender equity, opening an ongoing dialogue about gender issues in the St. Mark’s community and beyond.
The day began with a service in Belmont Chapel, where Ellis Gage ‘17 sang a beautiful rendition of James Baldwin’s “Some Days,” set to music by renowned composer Steve Marzullo. Then Ms. Archibald set the tone for the day, welcoming everyone and introducing the chapel speaker: writer and educator Brian Walker. Mr. Walker, the author of the novel Black Boy, White School (2012 – Harper Teen), spoke of his experiences as a young African-American student, and cautioned his listeners against complacency and the natural tendency to avoid making waves and not standing up for themselves and what they believe to be right.
After chapel, all students took a personal experience survey, followed by group meetings and discussions. An all-school Town Meeting took place in the Elkins Field House gymnasium after lunch, where conversation was both lively and insightful. At the close of the schedule, St. Markers gathered with their advisors in advisory groups to talk about gender equity and their takeaway from the day’s experiences.
“The Community and Equity Day program was very positive for St. Mark’s in important ways,” said Head of School John Warren ’74. “The presentations and discussions prompted our students and faculty to reflect on how we can best ensure gender equity in our School community and about gender trends in our larger society. I was proud of the depth of thinking I witnessed during the program and as I debriefed afterwards.”