Though the South Asian Affinity group has been around for only 5 years, on Thursday, February 2, Fieldston had its first-ever South Asian Assembly. This assembly was organized by some incredible members of our very own upper school community, Yadna Prasad (‘24) and Arshie-Amelie Chaudry (‘23). The affinity group is run and organized by Avita Bordia from the fundraising office due to the fact that there is no faculty in our high school who identify as South Asian. The South Asian Affinity Group incorporated their personal experiences and spoke about their backgrounds. The members spoke about the microaggressions as well as assumptions that they face on a day-to-day basis. They shared some of their favorite foods with us and gave us a bit of what culture looks like for them by some of them wearing traditional outfits. At the end of the assembly, we got to enjoy an educational yet very fun Kahoot!
For many years, Fieldston has been working on becoming a more inclusive place for people of different backgrounds and identifiers. As a progressive private school, we learn that we must always be aware of what we say, what we learn in class, and how we can be more conscious of our surroundings. “South Asian” is both an umbrella term and at the same time so much more than just a label for the countries that these students are from. It represents their family lines that date back centuries as well as some of their favorite foods, traditions, music and so much more. A prominent theme that they spoke about throughout the duration of the assembly was that many people struggle to see the differences in certain ethnicities. There is a difference between being Indian and being Bangladeshi, Nepalese, Sri Lankan and Pakistani. Many of the students who spoke shared that due to this they are not able to fully connect with their culture because they feel discriminated against and not seen. We could see how much the members love where they’re from because they spoke from the heart and let us into some of the rawest, most challenging, and heartfelt times/stories of their lives.
I was able to speak with Yadna Prasad who shared this with me, “This assembly was really monumental for a community within Fieldston that often gets pushed to the sidelines. Just hearing our music play in the auditorium was a really emotional experience, and I hope that we’ll be able to continue to celebrate our cultures within Fieldston in the future!”
Yadna’s statement demonstrated just how important it is for us to recognize what we can continue to do as a community in order to make everyone feel included and recognized. The smallest things can make such a huge impact.
Kevin Varol (‘24) stated that “there were many eye-opening facts presented that I was not informed about prior to the assembly. It puts a lot in perspective for me.” Varol said that only after the assembly did he realize that Fieldston has no South Asian faculty. Though there are faculty members who identify with being from one of the countries in the South Asian family, here in the upper school more specifically no teachers are of South Asian descent.
As much as it was an informative and educational assembly, every great assembly raises questions. Here was a specific one, How are students supposed to feel a connection to the adults around them when they cannot even fully understand each other? Opinions such as, Students should have affinity ground leaders that share some of the same identifiers as them to make it a more safe environment. Many might think how could one assembly change one’s views by so much? How can it shift the way our minds work when it comes to stereotypes and microaggressions? Well, it cannot, but, it is a step in the right direction. In conclusion, the assembly was fast, efficient, and straight to the point when displaying the information and it pushed for change in the Fieldston community. Overall, it was a heartfelt, well-thought-out presentation and a moving, unforgettable assembly.
