A Commitment to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging

In This Section

Statement on Diversity & Inclusion

Lincoln School values difference and honors a multiplicity of perspectives that includes, but is not limited to, age, religion, ethnicity, race, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, gender, physical ability, and family structure. We are committed to the Quaker values of equity, justice, peace, and community. These ideals are driven by an understanding that a socially conscious learner is an empowered one, one who engages in critical self reflection and honest action.

All members of the Lincoln School community—students, alumnae, faculty, staff, administrators, parents, and trustees—will honor, embrace, and empower difference and individuality as sources of strength.

October 2017

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging

Lincoln School was founded in 1884 to provide a space for a girl’s education—addressing marginalization was built into our mission from the very beginning.

Now, more than 130 years past our founding, we remain committed to adapting to the demands of our changing world while still honoring our school’s core values and traditions. These values and traditions are rooted in our Quaker identity, where creating the time and space to foster an inclusive, informed, and just community is a critical component of a Friends education.

Our commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging at Lincoln means that we are actively working to uphold both our mission and our statement on diversity and inclusion. We are dedicated to critical conversations, interculturalism, and transparency with one another.

This means that we cannot be a school that is afraid of change. Working toward our commitment to antiracism means that we are intentionally addressing barriers that have historically prevented the full participation of people in our community. We are examining all spaces—from our classrooms, to our curriculum, to the sports field, in our student groups, and around the Board table—at Lincoln with a consistent lens of being equitable to, and inclusive of, the many different backgrounds, cultures, races, and identities that make Lincoln who we are.

Our commitment means that we are all individuals who are part of a bigger community, and all share a responsibility for living out our mission each day.

Learn more about some of the ways in which diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging is lived and learned at Lincoln:

Our Commitment

In the summer of 2020 Lincoln School issued the following statement:

As a Quaker school that has equity built into our mission and foundation, it is time to see antiracist policies and practices adopted and implemented throughout all areas of the school. It is time to come together as a community to reflect, yes, but also to act.

In light of these words and the Lincoln community’s desire for tangible change, we moved forward with the most robust anti-racism plan in Lincoln’s history. We have used the suggestions that the Association of Independent School’s of New England’s (AISNE) Diversity Practitioners issued in June 2020, student petitions and community insights from community forums, and the data garnered from the Assessment of Inclusion and Multiculturalism (AIM) Survey to inform the following action steps.

Intentionally create more equitable hiring and appointment practices across all Lincoln constituencies.
Prioritizing a school-wide curriculum to support anti-racist teaching and stewardship across all divisions.
Intentionally create and support a more inclusive and just environment for BIPOC students and adults.
Increasing accountability with regard to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging efforts amongst all Lincoln constituencies.
Establishing sustainable and positive community partnerships that inform our ongoing work and raise up Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) voices.

The Center

The Center for Justice, Peace, and Global Citizenship

The Center for Justice, Peace, and Global Citizenship (The Center) drives critical reflection and engagement on all matters pertaining to diversity, inclusion, justice, multiculturalism, and global citizenship at Lincoln. The Center empowers the Lincoln School community to make positive and sustainable change, to ask the difficult questions, to address implicit and explicit bias, and to do so with respect, regardless of ability, age, ethnicity, gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, or socioeconomic status.

The Center’s interconnected web of student clubs and programs address topics like racial justice, environmental sustainability, feminism, and intersectionality across all divisions. Moreover, the Center functions as a resource for faculty and staff in their curricular and program development supporting equity, inclusion, and belonging practices.

L.I.F.E. (Lincoln’s Identity Framework for Empowerment)

L.I.F.E. honors the lived experiences of our school community. In honoring diversity, we highlight joy, and foster empowerment, while raising awareness to individual and collective struggle. Rooted in the Quaker Testimonies, otherwise known as the SPICES (Simplicity, Peace, Integrity, Community, Equality, Stewardship), LIFE is a scope and sequence that aids teachers in their curricular development while also supporting families in addressing these necessary topics at home.

Informed by the Friends Council on Education’s Quakerism Resource Manual for Small Friends Schools, the American Friends Service Committee's An Introduction to Quaker Testimonies, Learning for Justice’s Anti Bias Framework and Social Justice Standards, the Sexuality Information and Education Council of the United States’ Guidelines for Comprehensive Sexuality Education: Kindergarten-12th Grade, and The National Sexuality Education Standards, LIFE is a comprehensive framework that lives out our mission as a girls Quaker School that is rooted in DEIB.

Global Citizenship

Lower School:

Understanding the interconnectedness of our community is critical at Lincoln. Students in Lower School explore the intrinsic value of each individual based upon units of study that examine identity, family and community, geography, and history. From our partnerships with the two other girls Quaker schools in Japan and England, to exploring how Cape Verdean, Portuguese, and Dominican communities have and continue to shape our local community, students build relationships and honor diversity.

Middle School:

Grade 8 Human Rights Program—New York City

The Grade 8 Human Rights curriculum takes a critical approach to the role that citizens, governments, organizations, and communities play in upholding human rights. If human rights are threatened or attacked, how have people responded, and how should communities respond? Do we have a moral obligation to recognize our collective humanity and then stand in solidarity with others? What is an activist? What is a human rights defender? These are just some of the questions that students address over the course of the year, culminating with the annual New York City Program.

In New York, students explore the inner workings of the United Nations, investigate the social justice movements that emerged in New York, and learn about sustainable city planning, among other topics. And of course, they learn to navigate the city, enjoy delicious food, and take in a Broadway show!

Upper School:

While the Quaker values of community and stewardship are integrated throughout the Lincoln curriculum, the Upper School travel programs are unique in their focus. Partnering with World Leadership School, an organization with decades of experience around innovative, critical educational practices in diverse global environments, students travel to have opportunities to engage with local NGOs, learn from local leaders, and make meaningful, sustained connections with the people from around the world. Lincoln also supports students in applying to semester programs with other partnered organizations and schools.

Our Practices

Social Justice Programming

Lincoln students organize three separate programs throughout the school year that focus on racial, environmental, and gender/sexuality justice (Morgan Stone ’00, LEAP, and The Future is Feminist). These programs are led by our three US social justice clubs:

● 2B1

● L.E.A.G.(Lincoln’s Environmental Action Group)

● Lincoln Feminists

These programs function as a commitment to living out Lincoln School’s Quaker ideals of equity, justice, peace, and community. The programs create space for courageous conversations around culture, identity, oppression, and community transformation and recognizes the privilege and responsibility that Lincoln students have to speak truth to power. Through their work, these clubs work to foster an honest and caring community, inviting community organizers, activists, thought leaders, and politicians.

Affinity Groups

Lincoln School’s statement of diversity and inclusion emphasizes our commitment to the Quaker values of equity, justice, peace, and community. To foster such an inclusive, informed, and just community, Lincoln believes that creating time and space for identity development through discourse is essential. At Lincoln, we celebrate the multiple worlds that students, faculty, staff, parents, and alumni live in and help them to navigate their complexity.

Lincoln Affinity Groups are open to students, faculty/staff, and parents who can speak from the “I” perspective, and who can reflect and discuss the unique experiences of this shared identity. As identity is both a fixed and fluid process, students are allowed to explore different affinity groups, but are not required to attend any affinity group space.

UPPER SCHOOL

● Black Student Union

● Latinx

● Multiracial

● Asian, Pacific Islander, Desi-American (APIDA)

● Alliance of White Anti-Racist Kids in Education (AWAKE)

● BIPOC Student Union

● LGBTQIA+

● Gender Non-Conforming

● First Generation

● Children of Divorce/Separation

● Single Parents

● Neurodiverse Students

MIDDLE SCHOOL

The CAFE Collective (Community Awareness for Everyone) drives the Middle School’s work on DEIB. CAFE provides Middle School students the opportunity to address their own identity and work towards thoughtful community action. CAFE Collective Curriculum has three core components: support, education, and advocacy. All meetings lend themselves to at least one of these areas, and faculty support is always provided. There are four CAFE Collective Clubs:

● BIPOC: BIPOC is the only affinity group in the CAFE Collective.

● GSA: The Middle School GSA is an alliance space. Students, regardless of gender and sexuality identity, are encouraged to enter the space if they want to be in solidarity with the LGBTQIA+ community.

● Quaker: Quaker Club focuses on learning, sharing, and organizing Quaker ideas and practices for the Middle School. They are also responsible for running Silent Meeting.

● Environmental Justice (EJ): EJ Club embodies the Quaker value of stewardship as students work to support environmental causes both inside and outside of the school.

LOWER SCHOOL

The Lower School Families of Students of Color group meet throughout the year outside of school hours. Lower School students have the opportunity to engage in unscripted play with their Middle and Upper School BIPOC peers as parents engage in meaningful dialogue.