An affinity group, as defined by Fieldston’s DEI website, is “a group of people who share a similar identity… a place for reflection, dialogue, and support.” Affinity groups are a vital action towards an equitable future. Equity, according to the DEI department, “is when everyone gets what they need, rather than giving everyone the same thing. It is promoting justice by meeting the needs of all people, recognizing that treating all people ‘the same’ generally favors those people who are in the majority.” These spaces help students to better understand their identities, equip students to take action against injustice and provide a stronger sense of community.
I sat down with Mx. Wild, the Upper School DEI Coordinator, to learn more about affinity groups at Fieldston. They are a leader of several affinity groups, including Womxn of Color Coalition, ACTIVE and the LGBTQ+ affinity group.
In addition to faculty leaders for each group, there are also student leaders. Meetings are always student-led, but faculty help provide feedback for programming and ensure that meetings are safe spaces. All leaders are required to attend a training session, which took place on Wednesday, October 6. In the training, leaders were introduced to different activities that facilitate and establish norms for how to create safe spaces. Throughout the year, groups meet bi-weekly during lunch.
Many critics of affinity spaces argue that they further divide us as a society and are not productive. But the DEI Department believes that affinity groups do quite the opposite; by helping us process our experiences and develop a stronger understanding of our own selves, we are better equipped to talk to people with different identifiers.
Juan Botella, leader of the Latinx Affinity Group, along with Lorena Rodas-Ramirez and Vicky Orcozo, believes that “Fieldston has become a very binary place when talking about racism and oppression.” His goal is to make Latinx students at Fieldston feel seen and supported, and help them “realize that they can be an asset to our community when they feel proud of their heritage and are willing to take risks to share their different lens in how they see and approach issues.” The Latinx Affinity Group meets every other Wednesday, and members typically talk about their experiences as Latinx at Fieldston, which is a predominantly white institution, as well as outside of Fieldston. They also discuss questions such as: “What are your concerns around the way people treat you once they identify you as Latinx? What positive difference do you experience by identifying as Latinx?” Overall, “[the leaders] try to balance the hardships that Latinx people suffer as well as the joy that comes from identifying as Latinx.” Being in an affinity group has helped faculty to “see how difficult it can be for some of [their] students to find their place and identity in Fieldston.”
If we want an equitable future, we need to have spaces for individual groups to be able to talk about their shared experiences. For marginalized groups, having a community of people who share the same identity is important for self-acceptance and self-reflection. In addition to serving as spaces for discussion, they are also spaces for celebration and pride. Affinity groups are vital to Fieldston and society at large, and they have the potential to change the narratives around dominant and subjugated groups.
