Trustee Equity & Inclusion Committee: On Governance

The Board Committee on Equity and Inclusion, chaired by Dr. Sue Lin and Liane Randolph, continued to meet this summer to discuss the trustees’ ongoing commitment to centering racial equity across College Prep. We caught up with the co-chairs to ask about how they view the role of governance at the School at this critical moment.

Q: Can you tell us about the work the Board of Trustees has done around Equity and Inclusion this past summer?

LIANE: The Board Committee on Equity and Inclusion has been meeting weekly this summer to determine the best ways to listen to our school community and work with the Head of School, Monique DeVane, and Director of Equity and Inclusion, Jeremiah Jackson, to identify how to chart the course of a long lasting effort to bring racial equity to College Prep.
 
SUE: Smaller groups within our committee have met separately throughout the past eight weeks to work on particular projects. We have connected with our CPS community in one-on-one interviews, as well as in a larger community meeting on August 12, attended by about 130 current families.  We have spent many hours discussing the framework and charge for our committee work and for the School's Initiative for Change - Our commitment: Racial Equity and Belonging.

Q: What do you feel is the role of governance at the School at this moment?

SUE: To ensure our policies and resources support our racial equity strategies.
 
LIANE: The Head of School and Administration are working hard to strengthen a culture of racial equity at College Prep. Our role on the Board is to help set the tone and high level objectives for this work, but more importantly, it is about committing to provide necessary support to the Administration in implementing those goals with resources and consistent Board engagement.

Q: What inspires you to do this type of work with the school?

SUE: Children inspire me to work on behalf of equity, inclusion, and belonging. We are a part of this community because we want the best for our own children. I believe an important aspect of "the best" for our children would be an education which centers racial equity and celebrates cultural competency.
 
LIANE: The social movement in this country right now demands action. The killing of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery and many others has pushed us to recognize that we need to seize the opportunity to help with the work that so many people have done for so long with insufficient support. For me in my small part of the world, the moment I decided to get more directly engaged was seeing the comments of students on Black@CollegePrep and other instagram sites that reminded me that high school students today in the East Bay and around the country are dealing with the same B.S. I had to deal with in high school thirty-odd years ago. It's time to break the cycle and create a fully affirming experience for Black students.
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mens conscia recti

a mind aware of what is right