Student Experience

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

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Bellarmine Preparatory School fosters a commitment to embrace and celebrate the diversity of the school community. We have a commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion in accordance with the Jesuit tradition.
Bellarmine’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion sets the foundation for our vision and work, offering a way forward representative of our Jesuit, Catholic mission. It is just the beginning of very intentional, focused work.

List of 5 items.

  • USCBB Open Wide Our Hearts

    The document Open Wide Our Hearts: The Enduring Call to Love - A Pastoral Letter Against Racism was developed by the Committee on Cultural Diversity in the Church of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).

    In the letter, the Bishops call for "a genuine conversion of heart, a conversion that will compel change, and the reform of our institutions and society. Conversion is a long road to travel for the individual. Moving our nation to a full realization of the promise of liberty, equality, and justice for all is even more challenging. However, in Christ we can find the strength and the grace necessary to make that journey. In this regard, each of us should adopt the words of Pope Francis as our own: let no one 'think that this invitation is not meant for him or her.'” All of us are in need of personal, ongoing conversion. Our churches and our civic and social institutions are in need of ongoing reform. If racism is confronted by addressing its causes and the injustice it produces, then healing can occur. In that transformed reality, the headlines we see all too often today will become lessons from the past."
    Read the Full Pastoral Letter

  • Jesuits West C.O.R.E.

    The desire for a toolkit on work for racial justice grew out of the Faith Doing Justice Discernment Series (FDJDS), an experiment in community organizing across the Jesuits West province. After months of intentional encounters across different works and regions of the province, participants in the FDJDS asked for a toolkit. Then, we co-created it. In doing so we sought to ask a simple question of ourselves, our schools, our parishes, our universities, our spirituality centers, our social service and community works: do we own the joys and the hopes, the griefs and the anxieties of the excluded in our midst? Are we making enough progress as followers of Christ and the Ignatian tradition? Are we risking enough? What would help us to make greater progress in our personal and institutional lives? What would embolden us to risk even more for the sake of love and justice? We wanted for change. We began in encounter. We created this toolkit.
    Visit the Jesuits West CORE Website

  • Reading Resources



    Book Title
    Author
    Cover
    Between the World and Me
    Ta-Nehisi Coates
    Blind Spot
    Mahzarin Banaji and Anthony Greenwald
    The Color of Law: A Forgotten history of How Our Government Segregated America
    Richard Rothstein
    Eloquent Rage: A Black Feminist Discovers Her Superpower
    Brittney Cooper
    How to be an Antiracist
    Ibram Kendi
    In the Shadow of Statues: A White Southerner Confronts History
    Mitch Landrieu
    Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption
    Bryan Stevenson
    The Racial Healing Handbook: Practical Activities to Help You Challenge Privilege, Confront Systemic Racism & Engage in Collective Healing
    Anneliese Singh
    So You Want to Talk about Race
    Ijeoma Oluo 
    Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America
    Ibram Kendi
    Waking Up White: And Finding Myself in the Story of Race
    Debby Irving
    White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism
    Robin DiAngelo
    “Why are all the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?”
    Beverly Tatum
    Witnessing Whiteness: The Need to Talk About Race and How to Do It
    Shelly Tochluk

  • Programs and Events

    Parents of African American Students Association - PAASA

    PAASA-Parents of African American Student Association is a network of parents supporting the intellectual/academic, social/emotional, spiritual and cultural development of underrepresented students at Bellarmine Preparatory School.
     
    2021-2022 School Year PAASA Executive Committee:
    Co-President: Gabrielle Cleveland ( E’Maya Cleveland – Freshman)
    Co-President: Niko Stewart  (Khari and Priya Stewart - Freshmen)
    Secretary/ Co-chair: Carol Cochran ( Natalie Jones Freshman)
     
    Contact Information:
    Gabrielle Cleveland gabbydc20@gmail.com
    Carol Cochran ccochran@seattleu.edu
     
     

    AFFINITY GROUPS AND CLUBS

    Guided by our commitment to promote the dignity of all students, Bellarmine expanded its offerings of affinity groups on campus. Affinity groups are student-run spaces that allow them to discuss their experiences among peers who share a common identity. Through these organizations that celebrate diversity, students develop self-awareness, build communities of support, and work to promote inclusion.
     
    Asian Pacific Islanders
    Club Moderator: Mr. Peterson
     
    Black Student Union
    Moderator: Ms. Henderson and Ms. Wilson
     
    Breaking the Stigma
    Moderator: Ms. Keene
     
    Chinese Club
    Moderator: Ms. Shen
     
    Diversity Club
    Moderator: Ms. Rosario and Ms. Henderson
     
    Feminists of Bellarmine (FAB)
    Moderator: Ms. Irving
     
    Indian Unity Club 
    Moderator: Ms. Scanlin
     
    Japanese Club 
    Moderator: Ms. Torgerson
     
    Lion Pride 

  • Contact Us

    The Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Office helps foster a commitment from the Bellarmine community to embrace and celebrate the diversity of the school's family and the broader community by providing opportunities to experience cultural differences. This is accomplished through activities such as the African American Summit, the Asian American/ Pacific Islander Summit, The Latinx Summit, PAASA (Parents of African American Students Association), International Night and round table discussions.

    Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Director Barbara Henderson speaks in classrooms about cultural differences to raise our students' awareness and help them find a reverence for each person. The hope is that our students will grow in their understanding of the heterogeneous and multicultural world which they are called to transform. 

    For more information on the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Office, please contact our Director – Ms. Barbara Henderson at hendersonb@bellarmineprep.org or 253-761-3531.

Equity Statement

Bellarmine has a commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion in accordance with the Jesuit tradition. We promote an environment of understanding, respect and inclusion of students of all backgrounds. Bellarmine fosters the school’s commitment to the education of the whole person “cura personalis.”

Studies show that regardless of socio-cultural backgrounds, all students exposed to diversity benefit educationally. They have better cognitive skills including critical thinking and problem solving. Interaction with diverse workforce helps us to become effective and empathic leaders.

Through educational awareness and professional development, Bellarmine provides students, faculty and staff the opportunity to honor and understand the diverse world in which we live.
©2024 Bellarmine Preparatory School