"We prepare students to engage in the world that is and to help bring about a world that ought to be."
About
Center for Peace, Equity & Justice
Mission
Friends Seminary’s Center for Peace, Equity & Justice* supports student and faculty development of the core values of equality, diversity, and community engagement, which reflects Quaker testimonies and their accompanying legacy of activism. The Center brings together academic, social, and cultural programs that contribute to wider movements for social change. By connecting theory to real-world practice, the Center stresses learning through action, and equips students and faculty with global competencies that allow them to realize their human capacity to bring about the world that ought to be. Through its programs and course offerings, grounded in Quaker philosophy and practice, the Center seeks to connect ideas, resources, and people to advance social justice, build inclusive and sustainable communities, and foster lifelong commitments to public service.
CPEJ Purview & Programming includes:
- Diversity and Inclusion
- Environmental Sustainability
- Global Education
- Public Purpose Partnerships
- Quaker Education
- Service Learning
* The Center for Peace, Equity & Justice was first named in the School’s 2008-2012 strategic plan: We will establish a center to promote peace, equity, and justice. All current Quaker values-based programs at Friends, such as Diversity, Service and Peace Week, will be brought under the care of the Center so that the work of these programs will gain synergy, strength and focus.
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Contact Us
Director of the Center for Peace, Equity & Justice
(646) 979-5103
(646) 979-5103
Director of Diversity, Equity & Belonging
(646) 979-5126
(646) 979-5126
CPEJ Specialist for Service Learning and Civic Engagement
(646) 979-5106
Vicky Orozco
Specialist for Diversity, Equity & Belonging
(646) 979-8140
(646) 979-5106
Vicky Orozco
Specialist for Diversity, Equity & Belonging
(646) 979-8140
The Center is led by a team of diversity, equity, and belonging practitioners who are committed to a service-learning approach to teaching and learning that promotes peace, justice, and equity. The Assistant Head of School for Co-Curricular Programs oversees the Center and the leadership team works collaboratively at the intersections of their distinctive programs.
The Center’s staff serve as the lead facilitators in instituting academic, social, and cultural programming, as well as professional growth and development strategies in these areas. However, Friends Seminary believes it is everyone’s responsibility to serve as an advocate for underrepresented groups and to help foster an inclusive climate that promotes a more peaceful world through civic engagement. Toward that end, the Center staff will work collaboratively with all constituencies: students, faculty, administrators, parents, alums, the Board of Trustees, and NYQM members.
Friends Seminary actively promotes diversity, equity, inclusion, and anti-racism in all its programs and operations, including admissions, financial aid, hiring, and all facets of the educational experience. To form a community which strives to reflect the world’s diversity, we do not discriminate on the basis of race or color, religion, nationality, ethnicity, economic background, physical ability, sex, gender identity or expression, or sexual orientation. Friends Seminary is an equal opportunity employer.
Friends Seminary — the oldest continuously operated, coeducational school in NYC — serves college-bound day students in Kindergarten-Grade 12.