Chronology of DEIE Initiatives

The following list highlights many of the initiatives we've taken over nearly 25 years. They speak to the structure of our school; the ongoing education of our students, faculty/staff, parents/guardians, alumni, and greater community; and regular assessment, both internal and external.

1997 Established Office of Diversity and Multicultural Education.
1998 Established Board of Trustees Committee on Diversity.
1998 Began to host an annual year-end JBS African American family dinner.
1999 Held faculty-trustee retreat on diversity.
2000 Hosted NCCJ Building an Inclusive Community Workshop.
2001 Recognized by the Department of Justice for diversity efforts as aggressive, innovative and comprehensive.
2001 Sponsored a roundtable on diversity in corporate life.
2001 Hosted the "Lift Every Voice and Sing" exhibit, on loan from the University of Missouri-St. Louis.
2002 Reviewed policies and practices around religion.
2003 Hosted Frankie Muse Freeman, a civil rights leader, for a student assembly and a "fireside" chat with parents.
2004 Hosted Gene Batiste, NAIS vice president of equity and justice, who discussed the role of affinity groups.
2005 Participated in a pilot of NAIS's Assessment of Inclusivity and Multiculturalism.
2006 Completed first iteration of strategic plan for diversity.
2007 Hosted FOCUS St. Louis and KETC-Channel 9's "Black, White & Green: Community Conversations."
2008 Hosted a viewing and discussion of the PBS documentary, "Race: The Power of an Illusion."
2009 Hosted the Rev. Samuel "Billy" Kyles, a civil rights leader and a personal friend and witness to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s assassination, for a student assembly and an evening session open to the St. Louis community.
2011 Hosted Tim Wise, national anti-racist educator and author, for a student assembly, a faculty workshop and an evening session open to the St. Louis community.
2011 Hosted Senator Jack Danforth who led a discussion on the diversity of thought during a student assembly, several individual classes and an evening session open to the St. Louis community.
2011-2012 Engaged in a community-wide NAIS Assessment of Inclusivity and Multiculturalism.
2013 Hosted Eliachi Kimaro, Seattle-based filmmaker, who screened and discussed her documentary "A Lot Like You," which explores Kimaro's mixed-race heritage and situates her personal family history within a social, historical and political context of African decolonization, transnational relations, race, class and gender violence.
2013 Engaged Steven Jones, a national expert on leadership, diversity, equity and inclusion, for discussions with the faculty, staff and Board of Trustees.
2014 Received the NCCJ's Brotherhood Sisterhood Award for head of school's diversity initiatives.
2014 Facilitated student, faculty, alum and parent discussions/presentations around Ferguson.
2014 Hosted an evening program featuring a panel on religious pluralism for the greater St. Louis community.
2015 Screened I’m Not Racist ~ Am I? in a workshop with students from SLPS, McCleur and Ladue who viewed and processed the documentary with JBS students.
2015 Hosted Rohina Malik for an evening and an assembly presentation of her one-woman play, Unveiled, about Muslim women in a post-9/11 world.
2015 Launched The Equity Exchange, a think tank of public and private educational leaders sharing strategic solutions to their work around DEI and cultural competency.
2016 Hosted the Fargesn Project filmmaker for an evening program, assembly and several class discussions; area activists were also included.
2016 Sponsored a program on the intersection of religion and politics, featuring Mark Smith (JBS History Department), Marie Griffith (The Danforth Center for Religion and Politics), and a panel of area religious leaders.
2017 Began year-long, one-on-one cultural competency coaching with Daniel Harris and five faculty members who can, in turn, serve as coaches and facilitators for other faculty.
2017 Sponsored Songs in the Key of Life – a journey through African-American music, a concert featuring jazz musician/JBS parent Peter Martin and vocalist Anita Jackson—which became an annual part of the school's celebration of Black History Month.
2017 Sponsored a presentation on the history and significance of Confederate monuments made by Mark Smith (History Department).
2017 Sponsored Courageous Conversations, a program about white supremacy and white privilege, led by Dr. Eddie Moore Jr., director of the Privilege Institute and the National White Privilege Conference.
2017 Developed an inclusivity index that annually measures students' experiences.
2018 Sponsored MLK50: Bearing Witness, featuring an exhibit of Ernest C. Withers photographs of the Civil Rights Movement and a program featuring history teachers Mark Smith, John Merritt and Carrie Dodson-Ching and Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis executive director Lisa Melandri.
2018 Responded to a visit from the Westboro Baptist Church with stunning unity from students, faculty, staff, families and alumni.
2018 Awarded an E. E. Ford Foundation matching leadership grant to support and expand the work of The Equity Exchange.
2018 Sponsored a panel discussion outlining the state-wide ballot measures and their possible impact on St. Louisans.
2018 Sponsored a panel discussion giving clarity to the differences between sexual orientation and gender identity — and the challenges that face each community.
2019 Sponsored a student poverty simulation and lock-in in advance of the annual MLK Day of Service.
2019 Sponsored a panel discussion of equitable education in St. Louis, five years post-Ferguson. The panel featured Rev. Dr. Starsky Wilson, co-chair of the Ferguson Commission; Dr. Kelvin Adams, superintendent of St. Louis Public Schools; Andy Abbott, head of JBS; and Valerie Bell, board member of the National Network of Schools in Partnership.
2020 Sponsored a presentation on the history and significance of Confederate monuments made by Mark Smith (History Department).
2020 Hosted a panel discussion on the health disparities COVID-19 further revealed.
2020 Sponsored a Zoom conversation with Wash U faculty John Inazu and Sean Joe about how we must live together in spite of deep differences over politics, race and religion.
2021 Sponsored a Zoom social justice summit with students, parents/guardians, faculty/staff and alums, including activist, writer and educator Brittany Packnett Cunningham ‘02.