By Abbey Zhu ’18, Feature Editor

The Equity and Inclusion Team, or the EIT, was founded by former math teacher and Director of Equity and Inclusion Ms. Addison in 2014. At first, the group started with two to three grade representatives, no exec board, and six or seven faculty members. Now, the EIT is headed by Mrs. Powell-Caldwell. It has expanded to having a four-member exec board and at least two grade representatives, and several more faculty members have been added as well.

The mission of the Equity and Inclusion team is to promote equity, inclusion, and diversity throughout the Newark Academy community; the team wants everybody to feel included and safe. The EIT carries out its mission by hosting multiple activities throughout the school year, such as DiversiTEAs, morning meeting presentations, and activities like the recent Senior-Faculty Basketball game. Mrs. Powell-Caldwell wants the EIT’s ultimate goal this year to be community building. This was demonstrated by the EIT’s presentation introducing the itself at the beginning of the school year, where the team emphasized listening to each other and showing empathy above all else. The main message from that presentation was this: Look at the people next to you. Do you know their stories? Open yourself to perspectives and opinions that make you uncomfortable, because only when you are uncomfortable do you know that you are truly listening to someone else and are on your way to bringing about change in the world.

The first DiversiTEA this year embodied this message of community building. The EIT screened Zootopia, an animated movie that encapsulates many of the themes of diversity and inclusion that the EIT brought to light through a group discussion. EIT member Cosimo Fabrizio ’18 helped organize the event and also attended it. He said, “I thought it [the DiversiTEA] was very successful. We had at least 100 people come, so I think the EIT’s message for diversity and acceptance resonated well with the community. I thought the ultimate message of the movie that we agreed on was for people to break out of societal stereotypes.” The EIT is planning another DiversiTEA this spring! It will provide a space for people to discuss relevant issues (as a result of President Donald Trump’s executive orders and his cabinet nominations) like immigration, women’s rights, and the LGBTQ+ community’s rights.

The EIT works not only in the upper school, but in the middle school as well. A few weeks ago, a few members of the EIT gave a presentation to the eighth grade about microaggressions, identifiers (like race, socioeconomic status, gender, etc.), intent versus impact, and showing empathy, especially when the current eighth graders meet the new freshmen. Melody Xiao ’18 was one of the members of the EIT who presented to the middle school. I asked her why the EIT starts presentations in the middle school, and she said, “It’s important to start instilling values into people as early as possible for them to internalize and understand those concepts.”

Most recently, the EIT and the GSA cohosted the Senior-Faculty Basketball game. The game raised money for the organization “You Can Play,” which is an organization that ensures that all children have the right to play regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, etc. Anne Ruble ’17, a member of the EIT and president of the GSA, said, “It was an important experience because we were all unified for the cause of LGBT inclusion in athletics.” Clearly, the basketball game was a great opportunity for the NA community to come together, have fun, and help make the world a better place.

But why does the EIT exist at Newark Academy when our community is already extremely diverse and accepting? I asked Ezra Lebovitz ’18, a member of the exec board, why he decided to join EIT. He said, “I joined because to me, community is the most important thing, and I think it’s vital to ensure that everyone can participate and feel welcome within the NA community.” It’s important to recognize that Newark Academy is in its own little bubble. Though our community is very welcoming, the issues that the EIT spotlights are extremely prevalent throughout the rest of the United States. Stay open minded. Don’t be afraid to let your voice be heard because the world needs it.