On Thursday, November 11, Silvia Morales from the Recourse Center for Nonviolence of Santa Cruz was invited to speak for NDB’s recently launched Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) program. The DEI program was developed to promote diversity and educate about other cultures in the community. The presentation was held in the Moore Pavilion during Collaboration, and was given as an informative and interactive discussion.
The event opened when sophomore Annette Henderson gave a short speech about her Peruvian heritage and her belonging to the Latina community before introducing Morales to the students and teachers who attended the assembly.
“I introduced Ms. Morales who was our diversity speaker and talked about her background and the impact she has and her goals. I introduced myself and my Peruvian background, and she is very determined in helping the Latinx community, so that is why I talked about my connection to the community,” said Henderson.
Morales began her speech by explaining what makes up a person’s identity such as race, nationality, gender, disabilities and learning capabilities. She included details about her struggle with her identity as a Latina woman, and taught the importance of not only embracing identity, but learning to accept those with differences.
The second half of her presentation allowed students the opportunity to use their voice and share their personal experiences and thoughts on the topics mentioned in Morales’ speech. Students encouraged those of the school community to stay true to themselves and to take care of one another.
“I love to create space for the freedom to speak our truths,” Morales said.
Silvia Morales is extremely passionate about her work and finds speaking to students, especially high school females, very empowering.
“My goal is to inspire them and to tell them that it begins and ends with them, how they integrate equity and justice into their lives,” she said.
NDB students are very grateful for speakers like Morales because of the impact they have on each individual and the lessons they can learn from them.
“From listening to Silvia’s presentation, I learned how to embrace my differences and the importance of being accepting towards everyone,” said junior Sienna Loar.
Morales’ presentation inspired students to celebrate diversity, which is essential in building an inclusive community at NDB.