POCC & SDLC 2010!

At last, here we are at the 2010 People of Color Conference and Student Diversity Leadership Conference, sponsored by NAIS (The National Association of Independent Schools). The theme this year is Catching the tides of change, Riding the waves of opportunity, Coast 2 Coast, Seek to see, Anchoring ourselves in the community harbor. The feeling this year is bright and energetic - full of optimism and hope!

We are staying next to the San Diego Convention Center at the beautiful Marriott Hotel and Marina so we have spectacular water views which serve as reminders of our wavy ocean theme. We immediately got swept away in the excitement during the opening session when we were welcomed by mariachis to his grand event. The opening keynote speaker was author Phoebe Eng who spoke to us about the evolution of The United States and about how the American dream has evolved beyond a dream that one has to accomplish alone - now we know that teamwork and collaboration are also admirable paths to a bright future. I was struck by Ms. Eng's focus on the skill of fluency which she describes as a person who can understand different cultures and can serve as a bridge between people of different cultures. She was dynamic!!

Since the opening session, the students and adults have separated into the 2 different conferences and we will all come together again for the closing session tomorrow. One speaker who both groups were privileged to hear was Mr. Ernest Green, a member of the now famous "Little Rock Nine" students who were the first students to integrate Central High School in 1957. It was a tremendous honor to hear Mr. Green and to learn more about his experience as one of the major figures of the US Civil Rights Movement. I was particularly struck by his humility and about how he knew at a very early age that education and excellence would serve to combat racism. It was an emotional moment for so many educators of color to be in the presence of Mr. Green, knowing that we were able to attend schools and now lead schools today because of what he and other brave people accomplished for us decades ago.

Other highlights of our time at POCC have included networking with our colleagues from Dallas as well as all over the USA. Additionally, we are bringing back ideas for future school assemblies and readings. One person who we hope will visit us at UA is Ms. Sarah Culberson. Sarah's story is a fascinating tale of discovery and identity... Sarah was a multiracial child adopted by a loving family from West Virginia. Unbeknownst to Sarah, her biological father was from a royal family in Sierra Leone and she is actually considered a princess in Sierra Leone. Since making this remarkable discovery, she has traveled to Africa to meet her extensive family and is today helping to rebuild a school in her father's country. She is today an actress, an educator and an author. We were lucky to have the opportunity to chat with Sarah today (she was so kind and gracious to us!) and we told her that we hope she'll consider coming to Ursuline to meet and inspire our students.

Well, there have been numerous other impactful sessions and discussions over the past two days - and it's not over yet! We are looking forward to another wonderful day of conversation and the closing ceremonies tomorrow!