News Category: DEI

A Poetic Storyteller

To hear a noted, contemporary writer read aloud and discuss his own work is a rare opportunity – one that the Middlesex community was treated to on October 4, when English Professor Tomás Morín addressed the School. As a featured speaker during the celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, Professor Morín shared four of his poems and the inspiration behind them,…

Respecting Gender Identity

To continue the effort to discern and address the ways in which Middlesex could be a more welcoming, inclusive place for all students and adults, this year’s Community Life Symposium focused on the topic of gender identity, giving special consideration to how assumptions about gender are often built into everyday language, practices, and policies. Invited to guide the morning program…

A Journey of Identity

As she addressed the school community on April 2, 2022, Pua-Noa Higginson ’09 found it a bit strange to be back at Middlesex, giving a formal speech in front of teachers who “once taught me and helped me navigate what was ultimately a transformational high school experience.” Now a graduate student pursuing a career in biotechnology, she admitted that the…

In Praise of Fannie Lou Hamer

As Gabby Dixon ’22 noted while introducing Dr. Keisha Blain on February 11, it was fitting that the inaugural lecturer for the Kenneth E. Whitlock, Jr. Black History Month Speaker Series should be an educator and American historian. Since 1986, when he became Middlesex’s first Black faculty member, Ken Whitlock has readily shared his passion for history with his students;…

From Access to Inclusion

In remembering and honoring the life and legacy of the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. on January 17, the Middlesex community welcomed to campus Professor Anthony Jack, holder of the Shutzer Assistant Professorship at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. A sociologist and the author of The Privileged Poor: How Elite Colleges…

Leading in Finance and Philanthropy

In recognizing inspirational individuals during Hispanic and Latinx Heritage Month, Middlesex welcomed State Street’s Yvonne Garcia to campus on October 5, 2021.  Currently the chief of staff to State Street’s CEO, Ms. Garcia recently served as senior vice president and global head of client solutions there and previously held executive posts at Liberty Mutual and Bank of America. An active…

Uniting Against Hate

As part of celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) Heritage Month, Middlesex welcomed award-winning journalist Juju Chang to speak via Zoom during Assembly on May 7, 2021. A co-anchor of ABC News’ Nightline, Ms. Chang has covered major breaking news for decades and has been recognized with numerous honors, including multiple Emmys and Gracies, as well as DuPont, Murrow,…

A Quilt of Commitment

Last December, Middlesex’s original theatre production, the Racial Equity Project (REP), thoughtfully showed how racism can be pervasive in many everyday conversations. At the end of the play, audience members on Zoom were asked to consider and then type in an action they intended to take to combat racism, completing the phrase, “I will….” In February, as part of the…