"The Difference" Affinity Group Creates Space for Equitable Conversations
House Hall is bustling with activity—students are gathering around the space, lunches in tow, eager to hear from Jesse, a student who needs no introduction in the Upper School community. The junior confidently makes his way to the podium as he has done so many times before. Jesse is widely known for his participation in all things—he’s involved and busy with a myriad of academic and extracurricular activities. Serving as co-chair of the student affinity group—The Difference—however, is something he’s most passionate about.
Today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and as a powerful prelude to Black History Month, The Difference is hosting today’s lunch and talk session, igniting discussion around how to incite change as both individuals and a collective community, following in the footsteps of Dr. King. Students chat amongst themselves first, then pose questions to the larger group on topics such as social media advocacy, noticing injustice, impactful introspection, and the effects of cancel culture. This is one of the many opportunities that students have for what the group calls “critical conversations.”
“There’s so much diversity at our school,” says Jesse. “I want The Difference to be a place where people can come together and be safe, vulnerable, and talk about issues they may face. It’s also about raising awareness—this is a space where we can call out our school and the world for little things that we may not realize that need to be overcome.”
Jesse smiles and says “I may be getting ahead of myself,” but the statement speaks volumes to his commitment and understanding that even as upper school students, young people have the power to use their voice for positive change; to disrupt the system.
So what is The Difference? Jesse explains the group’s mission and impact in his own words.
The Difference hosts regular meetings and events throughout the year. Their goal and purpose are two-fold. The group aims to one: create a safe space for the POC (people of color) community to develop a better understanding of how their own identity shapes their experiences while celebrating shared culture and traditions, and two: to act as an incubator for sharing ideas and igniting change surrounding injustice. There are opportunities for all of Upper School to get together as well as weekly meetings specifically for POC students. And as we’ve seen from the highly attended lunch talks, The Difference creates invaluable opportunities for leadership and authentic community building.
“The students have really taken the lead on everything we’ve done this past year,” says group sponsor Dante Lewis (US’09). “They know how important it is for us to hold events for our different cultures represented at Principia [and] that in itself is showing great leadership from our student body.”
Some past events include Hispanic Heritage Day where students celebrated Hispanic culture and brought to light all the Hispanic community has done for the U.S., movie screenings, potlucks, and impromptu Panther Block talks to get people comfortable talking about the uncomfortable.
“The Difference has made a positive impact on our community,” said Dean of Students Melanie Duffy. “It has provided an atmosphere that is ripe for sharing, learning, and developing ideas to share with the community. Students are tremendous advocates, and our school is filled with students who love and care for one another.”