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Following the open conversations that took place during Newark Academy’s Equity and Inclusion Summit of July 2020, Newark Academy identified key action steps for creating greater equity and inclusion at NA. Among these commitments was the addition of two part-time Equity and Inclusion Coordinators in both the Upper School and Middle School.

The new positions, made possible by the Annual Fund, were added to assist the Director of Equity and Inclusion in fulfilling the Academy’s strategic diversity initiatives and moving forward the key action steps for creating greater equity and inclusion at NA that were identified following the Summit.

In addition, new affinity groups for students, faculty and staff were created during the 2020-21 school year. Newark Academy Parent Association (NAPA) formed new parent affinity groups – the LGBTQ+ Parents and Allies Group and the Immigrant Parents Network. These affinity groups were developed using the Black and Latino Families Network as an example, and blossomed over the course of the 2020-21 school year. The success of these groups made way for the creation of the Diverse Abilities Group in Spring 2021, a new affinity group for parents aimed at supporting families with members of varied physical, mental and emotional abilities.

“As an NA parent of color, I am pleased with the direction that NA is going in as it relates to equity and inclusion,” says NAPA Vice President Leigh Slaton Mumford. “NA has been supporting the Black and Latino Families Network for a number of years. The increase of full-time NA faculty and staff of color as well as accepted families is noticed among the parent community.”

At the beginning of the 2020-21 school year, the Newark Academy Equity and Inclusion Team partnered with several student clubs to offer a series of Open Equity and Inclusion meetings in the Upper School to address a variety of topics. In addition to these conversations, the Upper School affinity groups – NA LGBTQ Students, NA Students of Color, Young Men of NA, and Young Women of NA – offered greater opportunities and space for students identifying within those identity groups to come together and exchange notes on their shared experiences. By the end of the fall term, students of color in the Middle School and Upper School met separately with Head of School Donald M. Austin and NA administrators to discuss E&I at NA.

NA faculty and staff have continued throughout the year to participate in professional development on E&I issues in order to be effective facilitators of discussions and act as models of NA’s Community Commitments for Belonging. Many are also taking part in a thorough review of existing administrative policies at NA through a lens of equity and inclusion. 

To view NA’s Equity and Inclusion Progress Report, click here.