Friends Select faculty, staff, and upper school students traveled to San Antonio, TX, in December for the annual People of Color Conference (PoCC) and Student Diversity Leadership Conference (SDLC), hosted by the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS).

In their first in-person setting in two years, the conferences attracted more than 7,500 adults and students from independent schools across the country for this year’s theme, “Reunited in Purpose: Elevating Our Worth, Our Agency, and Our Excellence.”

For over 30 years, PoCC has represented NAIS’s commitment to equity and justice in teaching, learning, and institutional development while providing a safe space for leadership, professional enrichment, and networking for people of color and allies. Featuring engaging keynote speakers, networking opportunities, seminars, and workshops, PoCC is a favored professional development opportunity among Friends Select faculty and staff. This year, a record 16 FSS educators attended. 

Friends Select middle school director Desiree Harmon P’19 is a 16-year attendee of PoCC, and has experienced the conference through the lens of both teacher and administrator, as well as speaker. In 2018, alongside FSS middle school art teacher Fred Kogan and former associate director of college planning/diversity coordinator Naté Hall, Desiree presented “Students of Color and LGBTQ+ Clubs in Middle School.” Desiree feels strongly that her conference experiences have provided skills to guide her through various roles at FSS. “PoCC programs are organized in tracks for different educational professionals, for example, those in teaching to those in administrative and head roles. You are also encouraged to attend programs on other tracks to vary your perspective,” Desiree explained. “I have always liked the workshops and programs to help attendees build up their resumes to become administrators. PoCC offers extensive support for independent school professionals at every level of their careers.”

First-time PoCC attendee Satoia Wright, middle school math teacher and fifth grade advisor at Friends Select, waited specifically for the conference to return to its in-person format to attend. Based on the incredible feedback from previous PoCC participants within the FSS community, Satoia was most excited to connect with educators from all over the country. “So many of my peers said great things about PoCC, so I knew I could make genuine connections with others who look like me,” said Satoia. “At the conference, I knew that I would be seen, heard, and understood without explaining myself or proving my worth, intelligence, or expertise.” 

After the conference, Satoia reflected on the reinvigorating experience PoCC provided. “At Friends Select, I feel I have achieved the highest level of comfort possible in a professional setting. The school changed my life and continues to allow me to put my pedagogical beliefs into practice, but there are still many experiences and systems that make the day to day for staff and faculty of color 
arduous and isolating,” she said. “Going to PoCC is mentally, emotionally, and spiritually restoring. It gives faculty the strength to continue for ourselves, our students, and our community.” 

Even after attending PoCC for many years, each conference Desiree attends continues to reaffirm her work in an independent school and enables her to feel celebrated as a Black educator. “Attending PoCC helps to validate the work that I do in a predominantly white institution every day. To be in a space where you are the majority is impactful, and for many people of color, that does not happen very often,” Desiree said. “PoCC is really an occasion for people of color to come together and celebrate who we are.” 

For the first time, NAIS offered the PoCC Heads’ 
Summit as an extension of the conference. Created to offer independent school heads affinity, community, restoration, and renewal, the inaugural event featured inspiring speakers, leader-generated workshops and experiences in service of building increased capacity for the leadership challenges and opportunities heads of school face today. “Being a head of school can often be a very lonely job. To get together with other heads of school of color was by far one of the richest professional development opportunities I have ever had,” said Michael Gary, Friends Select head of school. “For a change, I was able to relish shared experiences with colleagues across the country.”

Concurrent to its diversity conference for educators, 
NAIS offers its Student Diversity Leadership Conference (SDLC)—a multiracial, multicultural gathering of upper school student leaders (grades 9-12) from independent schools across the country. SDLC focuses on self-reflecting, forming allies, and building community. It is led by a diverse team of trained adult and peer facilitators who help participants develop cross-cultural communication skills and effective strategies for social justice practice. In addition to large group sessions, SDLC family groups, home groups, and affinity groups allow for dialogue and sharing in smaller units.

Rohan Arjun, Friends Select’s director of enrollment management 
and financial aid, has been connected to SDLC since he was an upper school student at George School. “I remember attending SDLC and feeling not only that it was the first time I saw that many kids who looked like me in one space, but also students who identified across the board racially, ethnically, and socio-economically coming together with the common goal of doing diversity, equity, and inclusion work,” he recalled. “I believe that I’m a better person for being in that space, and it wasn’t until I attended SDLC that I realized I was really passionate about DEIJB (diversity, equity, inclusion, justice, and belonging) work.”

Rohan has experienced SDLC through a number of different roles including facilitator, leader for the Black affinity group, and member of the curriculum and search committees. Since his involvement began, the conference has expanded from 800 to over 1,700 students, and from 25 to 65 SDLC faculty. Due to the impact SDLC has had on him, Rohan is committed to ensuring the same experience for today’s students. “SDLC was a transformative experience in my life and the opportunity to create similar 
if not better experiences for students who are engaged or learning to do DEIJB work influences my role on SDLC faculty,” he said. “While professionally I am an enrollment manager who identifies as a diversity practitioner, DEIJB work is not my primary role at FSS. It shows up in the way that I approach the work that I do, and I consider myself a co-practitioner in this work and in the school community. SDLC provides me the opportunity to make this work the sole focus.”

PoCC and SDLC provide meaningful opportunities for Friends Select faculty, staff, and students to uphold the school’s Quaker mission and commitment to antiracism, as well as to strengthen their relationships with other FSS attendees. “The solidarity you feel with others who attended the conference is palpable. It is transformational in every sense of the word,” said Satoia. “It allows staff to become co-constructors of what antiracism looks like, feels like, and sounds like for our institution.”