On Tuesday of this week, the Colorado Academy Upper School devoted a full day to conversations on all sorts of real-world issues, including discussions on friendships, gender stereotypes, race relations, Native American team names, interactive storytelling, women in science, and religious diversity at school, just to name a few. This program, which we have called PlatFORUM for the past five years, generally takes place in the spring, but because of the pandemic we delayed it from last April until now. Many of the informative and interactive workshops are student-led, as we open up opportunities for students in all grades to facilitate these lively dialogues.

 

Guest speaker Theo Wilson opened up the day with a dynamic and thought-provoking keynote speech. Mr. Wilson is a slam poet, social activist, author, and TED speaker. He went undercover online posing as a member of the alt-right and learned things about white supremacy that horrified him, but also, remarkably, increased his compassion for people whose views are not only antithetical to his, but dangerous to him personally. He recognized that there was deep-seated suffering and ignorance within these groups that stemmed from their lack of exposure to others and also from the echo chamber the internet creates for them. There was fear beneath the hatred, he noted, and that fear was based in the fact that these white supremacists had lost connection to history. Without an understanding of the history you are inheriting, Wilson argues, you lose the context for the present.  

 

Among his many other observations, he noted his own personal experiences with white supremacy and police brutality. Despite the challenges, he affirms that he has emerged stronger as a person and has found his purpose in using his voice and artistry to promote change. 

 

I have been involved in this sort of programming for more than thirty years—throughout my entire career in independent schools.  While the specific current events we are responding to may change, the goals of a full-day initiative like PlatFORUM are always threefold:

These kinds of “Diversity Days” have evolved into explorations of identity, social justice, equity, and inclusion. They are not just a forum to talk about black and white issues but have expanded well beyond that, and now cover a host of topics.

 

Many thanks to Sarah Wright, our Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, along with Emily Perez, club advisor to the FACES group, for their faculty oversight of this important day. Jennie Kies also handled many logistical aspects. Overall, this is truly one of the most collaborative efforts in the Upper School all year, which helps bring about the positive results we are seeking.