Dr. Bettina Love — a respected educational researcher, award-winning author, and the Athletic Association Endowed Professor at the University of
Georgia — will be the keynote speaker at “Climate of Belonging: Challenging our Past to Reimagine our Future,” a virtual Pollyanna Conference that Westover will host on Saturday, April 10.
The conference will address key Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) issues on how to build a high-functioning, diverse community in independent schools. Participants in the conference will seek to deepen dialogue on these complex issues, to involve a broader community in problem-solving, and to share best practices. The day-long conference will be attended by heads of school, DEI practitioners, faculty, administrators, students, parents, alum, and trustees from Westover and 14 other independent schools from Connecticut and New York.
“Each school is coming to the conference at a different point on their journey to advancing equity and belonging in their schools,” said Mary Taylor-Lewis, Westover’s Chief Strategic Inclusion Officer. “Our hope is that this day provides a springboard to amplify the current work being done, and elevate the collaborative approach that this work requires. There is a unique beauty of bringing all constituents together; everyone has their own perspective based on their affiliation to the school.”
“There are many pathways to amplifying DEI in each of our schools,” Mary said, “and at Westover while we are figuring out our pathway, the one truth is that we will continue on this journey together. Each school will decide their next actions, but we hope the day will be one to inspire what those actions might be, through an incredible keynote speech from Dr. Bettina Love and conversations with other conference participants.”
Dr. Love’s writing, research, teaching, and activism meet at the intersection of race, education, abolition, and Black joy. She is concerned with how educators, working with parents and communities, can build communal, civically engaged schools rooted in Abolitionist Teaching, with the goal of intersectional social justice for equitable classrooms that love and affirm Black and Brown children.
In 2020, Dr. Love co-founded the Abolitionist Teaching Network, whose mission is to develop and support teachers and parents to fight injustice within their schools and communities. In 2020, she also was named a member of the Old 4th Ward Economic Security Task Force with the Atlanta City Council.
Dr. Love is a sought-after public speaker on a range of topics, including Abolitionist Teaching, anti-racism, Hip Hop education, Black girlhood, queer youth, Hip Hop feminism, art-based education to foster youth civic engagement, and issues of diversity and inclusion. She is the creator of the Hip Hop civics curriculum GET FREE.
In 2014, Dr. Love was invited to the White House Research Conference on Girls to discuss her work focused on the lives of Black girls. For her work in the field of Hip Hop education, in 2016 she was named the Nasir Jones Hiphop Fellow at the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research at Harvard University. In 2017, Dr. Love participated in a one-on-one public lecture with bell hooks that focused on the liberatory education practices of Black and Brown children. In 2018, Georgia’s House of Representatives presented Dr. Love with a resolution for her impact on the field of education. She has also provided commentary for various news outlets including NPR, Education Week, The Guardian, and The Atlanta Journal Constitution.
Dr. Love is the author of the books We Want to Do More Than Survive: Abolitionist Teaching and the Pursuit of Educational Freedom and Hip Hop’s Li’l Sistas Speak: Negotiating Hip Hop Identities and Politics in the New South. Her work has appeared in numerous books and journals, including the English Journal, Urban Education, The Urban Review, and Journal of LGBT Youth.
The conference is being offered through Pollyanna, a national nonprofit helping academic and other institutions achieve their diversity, equity, and inclusion goals. Its mission “is to advance systemic change by developing stronger communities … through programs that enhance cultural competency, racial literacy, and equity practices.” Head of School Julie Faulstich initiated the School’s partnership with Pollyanna to host the conference.
With the support of Mary Taylor-Lewis, the Pollyanna Conference is being co-chaired by Tammara Gary, Associate Director of Admission, and Marla Truini, Director of Drama and Freshman Class Dean, with the assistance of planning committee members Kira DeSimone, Inclusion Program Coordinator and Dorm Faculty; Danny Alvord, Director of Auxiliary Programs and Financial Aid Coordinator; Alexandra McKnight, Director of Counseling and Wellness; and Carrie Loyd, Director of Alumnae Engagement.
“The goal of the Pollyanna Conference,” Marla said, “is to engage in creating a culture of respect for every member of the school community, where, as Pollyanna puts it, ‘every voice matters.’ Focusing on ‘A Climate of Belonging’ will give us all an opportunity to explore the essential question: What does it feel like to belong? To be part of a school where you feel seen, heard, and understood and where you can be free to express yourself in the breadth and depth of your identity: this is a goal for all schools to work toward.”
Tammara hopes “that this conference empowers and excites individuals to take action in their school communities. I want them to realize that no matter which constituency they’re in — student, faculty, alumni, or parent — they each wield a power that can create positive change. I hope they leave with an equity lens to critique systems and traditions in their schools and ensure and create new systems that are inclusive of all.”
“Together,” Marla added, “we will do the necessary work of challenging our past as institutions and this will likely include examining long-held traditions, practices, and procedures. This may mean upsetting the status quo, but now is the time to take a hard look at how we can do better, and begin to implement change on both an interpersonal and a systemic level. That means encouraging an authentic dialogue about diversity, equity, and inclusion goals and strategies and identifying action items for the future.”
“I hope that schools, and all of the participants, view this experience as a starting point,” Kira said, “and a way to begin to think critically about our schools and the structures and systems within them. Not all problems or challenges can be solved in one conversation; however, the ability to meet with other folks who hold similar positions as you in other schools is invaluable.”
“The sharing of perspectives, experiences, and ideas can always help provide a new lens through which we can examine ourselves and schools,” Kira added, “My hope is also that this conference is invigorating for all involved and encourages them to see the value and urgency of working to create schools that are welcoming and supportive of all who attend and work there.”
