The Times Herald (Norristown, PA)
EXPANDING HORIZONS
Diversity.
It happens — or doesn’t — in multiple, often perplexing ways.
Take the current film awards season. Pundits have repeatedly criticized the absence of women directors among the honorees at last week’s Golden Globe presentations and this week’s announcement of 2020’s Academy
Award nominees. That, despite an upward swing in the number of notable (and nominated) female-directed movies.
On the other hand, certain dramas and comedies wouldn’t have seemed possible mere years ago. One example: “Pose.” FX Network’s ongoing series about New York’s 1980s ball culture, revolves around the largest-ever cast of LGBTQ actors in a scripted TV show.
“Pose” star and Broadway veteran Billy Porter became the first openly gay man to be named Best Lead Actor in a drama at last year’s Emmy Awards and was a 2019 and 2020 Golden Globe nominee for Best Actor in a Television Series Drama.
During a Jan. 9 appearance on TV’s “The View,” actor Michael B. Jordan added to the diversity conversation when he alluded to the “in
clusion rider” — a contractual clause that requires diversity in hiring — his production company had adopted.
Inclusion…a “step-bystep” process, noted View host Whoopi Goldberg.
West Chester University students Teresa Lee and Tyshawn Hinton hope their efforts with WCU’s Undivided organization play a role in that process. To that end, the two approached Central Montco Technical High School officials with a proposal designed to heighten CMTHS students’ awareness of the various “isms” that separate us. The result was CMTHS’s Jan. 7 Diversity and Inclusion Festival, held at the school’s Plymouth Road campus.
“Lee and Hinton’s work for their Honors College Capstone Project focuses on the benefits of implementing diversity/inclusion workshops on college campuses,”
CMTHS Director Seth Schram addressed participants during the Privilege Walk segment of the Plymouth Meeting-based school’s recent event.
explained CMTHS Assistant Director Angela King. “Through their research, they found that students generally stick to their identity groups and rarely attend events where multiple perspectives are represented. This finding led them to develop an outreach initiative that aims to bring diversity and inclusion workshops to teens at
the high school level.”
The WCU students worked with teens in CMTHS’s new Teacher Academy Program to develop the festival’s offerings. The local students, all 12th graders interested in teaching careers, helped organize the day’s sessions, serving as “honorary Undivided Junior” members.
“Special thanks goes out to our Teacher Academy students and their instructor, Dr. Debora Broderick, and (WCU’s) Undivided Organization (for) this amazing event,” King said. “The four sessions — Current Events Town Hall, Privilege Walk, Who Am I? and Diversity/Inclusion Scenarios in the Workplace — allowed our students to find strengths in their differences
Students participated in a discussion of current events during the CMTHS festival’s Town Hall. and to realize their Plymouth Whitemarsh similarities.” High School senior Briahna
The event “provided a Beasley, a student in window to open minds to CMTHS’s Teacher Academy, all perspectives, no matter saw the festival as “a fun how different,” King continued. and creative way to learn about myself and others.”
She points to CMTHS’s “It really showed me how “very diverse” enrollment area in the Colonial, Norristown Area,
Upper Merion Area and
Lower Merion school districts, including the several private schools and
“many unique communities” located within those districts.
“We are the center for diversity and inclusion that can provide this experience as a template for professional development for all of our districts and communities,” King observed. the world has changed when it comes to race, gender and ethnicity,” Beasley said.
Michaela Craig, an 11th grader at Lower Merion High School, said the event “definitely got students’ minds thinking.”
“We all come from various schools and different backgrounds, and it was inspiring to see so many unique types of people and learn more about my classmates,” Craig added. “I can definitely see this becoming better and better in the years to come … very motivational.”
WCU’s Hinton agreed. “The Diversity and Inclusion Festival was a great start in implementing diversity education in an engaging platform,” the Undivided representative said. “We were able to see the climate of diversity at CMTHS and found the students were already aware and
conscious of the importance of having diversity everywhere.”
As facilitator of the festival’s
Current Events Town Hall session, Hinton found “if you tailor the info to the interest of the audience, everyone can get engaged with diversity, no matter the age.”
“I know CMTHS will build upon this festival, and
I look forward to seeing the growth of (West Chester University’s) relationship with CMTHS,” he said.
Hinton gets no argument from fellow Undivided member Lee.
“While some of these conversations were difficult
to have, they remain important, nonetheless, and encouraged students to embrace diversity in all facets,” she said. “I am grateful for the opportunity to have worked with CMTHS to execute the festival and hope both (West Chester University)
and Undivided can expand upon our partnership with them in the coming years.”
Twelfth-grader Jowlsu Phongpachone, who attends CMTHS’s culinary arts program from Norristown Area High School, described
the experience:
“The festival was amazing…very interesting. My favorite activity was the Privilege Walk. Seeing everyone have the same problems as you do doesn’t make you feel alone after all.”