"We prepare students to engage in the world that is and to help bring about a world that ought to be."

Students Explore Identity During Day of Concern

Upper School students and faculty explored identity, privilege, and power, and how these social constructs relate to challenges within their lives during Day of Concern on January 21.
 
Upper School students and faculty explored identity, privilege, and power, and how these social constructs relate to challenges within their lives during Friends Seminary's Day of Concern on January 21. The day, supported by Friends' diversity and service learning offices, featured 25 workshops led by some of the most influential educational consultants and thought leaders — regionally and nationally. In addition, participants learned about a range of socialpoliticaleconomic, and environmental issues.

Derrick Gay, a leading educational and diversity consultant, opened the Day of Concern with an engaging examination of identity, as it relates to equity and inclusion. Participants were challenged to think critically about the ways in which they construct notions about their own identity, how they learn and form opinions about others, and how these perceptions inform actions and word choice. Participants were challenged to be conscientious producers, rather than passive consumers, of culture in ways that cultivate a more inclusive school and society.

Following the plenary speaker session, students participated in a rotation of workshops, which are listed below. The day culminated with an extended Meeting for Worship.
 
IDENTITY, PRIVILEGE, AND POWER SERIES
 
Sticks and Stones: The Power of Language
 
Black Lives Matter: An Interactive Dialogue 
Darnell Moore | YouBelongThe Feminist Wire
 
Poetry: A Vehicle for Social Change
 
Transgender (His)Stories: Learning About Gender Identity
NYSAIS Diversity Facilitator

GLOBAL CHALLENGES SERIES

Hunger in America and the No Kid Hungry Campaign
Josh Wachs ‘89 | Share our Strength
 
Immigrant Challenges & Solutions 
Veyom Bahl, Survival Grants-Program Officer | The Robin Hood Foundation 
 
Educational Equity: Friend’s Partnership with the GO Project
Olivia Nunez | The GO Project
 
Global Relief in a Time of Ebola
Save the Children Field Representatives

Social Change Through Revolution : The Ukrainian Revolution of Dignity
Stefan & Petro Stanwnychy

Journalism a Tool for Social Change-Then & Now
Lest We Forget, Remembering the Holocaust
 
 
Solitary Confinement: Torture in Our Own Backyard
Five Mualimm-ak The Incarcerated Nation Campaign 

Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children
Girls Educational & Mentoring Services (GEMS)

Mass Incarceration: The Caging of America
Stephen Chinlund ‘51

Hip Hop: Rhythm, Rhymes, Social Change
Reggie Ossé

ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY SERIES

NYC Sewer System and the Urban Water Cycle
Dan Taino | Lower East Side Ecology Center 
 
Fracking
 
Green Map System - Application to Energy Generation and Waste Reduction
Wendy E. Brawer
 
Organic Waste Community Initiatives
Marisa DeDominicis, Founding Director of Earth Matter and Antonia Daly, Friends Sustainability Coordinator

Nature Deficit Disorder
Patricia Wood | Grassroots Environmental Education
 
A Growing Crisis: Keeping Children Healthy in a Toxic World??
 
QUAKER IN ACTION SERIES
 
Quaker Action Against Torture- Solitary Confinement Abuses
Pam Wood and Tyrrell Mohammed

Facing Global Challenges: Clean Water, Education and AIDS   
 
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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
222 East 16th Street
New York, NY 10003
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Friends Seminary — the oldest continuously operated, coeducational school in NYC — serves college-bound day students in Kindergarten-Grade 12.