Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
To address issues of diversity, equity and inclusion at Gladwyne Montessori, the DEI Committee was established. This team represents both parents and faculty of the Gladwyne Montessori community. To get in touch with the DEI Committee, please email DEI@gladwyne.org.
Reform Committee Leadership
If we want to raise antiracist children, we must engage. Silence teaches children that the best response to racism is to ignore and avoid conflict at all costs. When white silence isn't broken, there are unintended societal consequences that will be propagated through future generations.
So, what exactly should be said? Sometimes parents and educators will say "everybody's equal" or "be colorblind". These messages, however, promote the very thing that many are saying they are against: racism. We are not all treated equally or fairly, and to say otherwise and to pretend not to see color invalidates the real experiences that people of color face every day.
Our students, families, and faculty of color do not have the privilege of ignoring racism. It is a lived experience every day—being made to assimilate and navigate white-dominated space in a way that keeps the dominant culture "comfortable."
To our students and families of color, we see you and we stand with you. To our white families seeking to dismantle systemic racism and stand up against racial injustices, we support you and we are here to do the work with you.
As part of this work, we’ve compiled a collection of resources to help our community become more aware in order to have informed conversations about race.
Gladwyne Montessori also commits to prioritizing the work of anti-bias and anti-racist (ABAR) education, having courageous conversations among our community. Below you'll find resources to begin your own journey. We urge you to seek out education for yourself. We also encourage you to hear from educators about the importance of this work with children and talk in an open and developmentally appropriate way with your children.
We want a better society for all of our children and we hope that our entire community will contribute to reshaping our world.