SKANEATELES — Students at Skaneateles High School are leading the dialogue around diversity, equity and inclusion in Skaneateles.

In the summer of 2020, recent Skaneateles High School alumni organized a Black Lives Matter march, formed the Skaneateles for Social Justice activist group, and issued a call to action for our district and our community to take deliberate and concrete steps to improve the school culture, embrace diversity, and provide a safe and inclusive environment.

To help share the student voices and to raise awareness to the school community, juniors and seniors on the SEF Student Advisory Council created and produced a seven-part Speaker Series of candid discussions about diversity, equity, inclusion, and other pressing issues affecting our community.

Their fourth session, “Practicing Anti-Racism in a White Community,” will be released on April 7 — the same day as a community book chat.

To learn more about the SEF-SAC Speaker Series, visit SEF’s website or YouTube channel.

Supporting our students’ efforts

As a component of this program the Skaneateles Education Foundation [SEF] will be hosting a Community Book Chat focused on this issue.

The SEF has always supported the needs of teachers and students in the Skaneateles community, whether it is improving art resources for elementary students, increasing technology and science opportunities for secondary students, or supporting a cross-schools positivity and character development program.

SEF is a Skaneateles community 501(c)(3) non-profit organization operating independently through private donations.

The SEF is very proud of the students’ efforts to raise awareness and engage our community in the dialogue around Diversity, Equity and Inclusion [DEI]. It is hoped that the Community Book Chat will rally community support and inspire others to help participate in providing a safe and inclusive environment for the students in the broader Skaneateles community.

An invitation to the broader community

The Skaneateles Education Foundation [SEF] will be hosting a Community Book Chat via Zoom on April 7 at 7 p.m.

In collaboration with the SEF Student Advisory Council [SEF-SAC], Skaneateles for Social Justice [SFSJ], and the Skaneateles Library, the SEF will have an informal discussion of Debby Irving’s book, “Waking Up White–and Finding Myself in the Story of Race.”

The goal of this forum is to encourage participants to engage in candid conversation about this issue identified by our students as an important topic affecting our community.

Copies of the book are available at the Skaneateles Library, as well as digital copies via OCPL’s hoopla. This event is free and open to the entire community. No previous experience with Irving’s book is required.

Register at skanedfoundation.org/events/ and a Zoom link will be sent prior to the program.

“Take responsibility for noticing our impact on other people and embrace the unbelievable human potential for us all to bring out the best in each other,” Irving wrote.

For more information about Irving and her work as a racial justice educator, visit debbyirving.com.

To learn about other ways the Skaneateles Education Foundation, through its partnership with the community, seeks to enrich the educational experience of every student in Skaneateles Central School District, go to skanedfoundation.org.

Contact Information: Skaneateles Education Foundation, Heather Carroll, Executive Director, [email protected] or 315-350-9405.