On Sunday, April 12^th, a group of Kent students, chaperoned by Ms. Cathy You, attended the 13^th Annual Student Diversity Leadership Conference of Commission On Diversity In Independent Schools (CAIS) at Kingswood-Oxford School. Students, adults, and faculty members from all over Connecticut gathered for a day of networking and dialogue, introducing a deeper cross-cultural understanding and calling our school communities to action.

The conference commenced with an uplifting and empowering music played by the Kingswood-Oxford School’s small group band. Guest speaker Omekongo Dibinga, motivational speaker, trilingual poet, talk show host, and rapper then spoke about the struggles of his daily life as an African American Man living in our modern world and addressed the tragic cases of Trayvon Martin and Eric Harris.

Two students at Kingswood High School also spoke about their strategies and personal experience in an emotional speech and personal poem. These two girls also shared the principles to become effective leaders, including overcoming fears and standing up for personal beliefs.

The participants themselves shared their own beliefs on prejudice, racism, class, wealth, and gender by breaking into randomly mixed groups. Group leaders kept the event interesting by integrating multiple games, such as Pin the Wheel.

Another intriguing activity that took place was the Privilege Checklist. The group leaders read out lout a list of 25 statements, allowing each member to determine whether he or she possesses certain privileges and to be thankful.

At the end of the day, participants not only became more aware of the world they stood on, but also were more grateful to have built connections with like-minded individuals.

Especially Kent students left the conference, knowing that it has opened conversations on subjects that are rarely discussed in a classroom setting. Emily Krupka ’15 remembers the conference as having “a huge impact on my life.” She says, “The level of honesty in discussions was astounding.” Although she grew up in a very diverse classroom before, she had witnessed some problems “with the way people act towards other.” The conference was especially helpful in putting these “real issues into perspective.”