As a part of the 2017-2018 Diversity & Inclusion theme, Building Bridges, Not Walls, this year, the entire school community – students, staff, and faculty – read Jodi Picoult’s Small Great Things. The novel tells the story of Ruth Jefferson, an African-American labor and delivery nurse who is banned from caring for the baby of white supremacist parents. The novel tackles the profoundly challenging, yet essential concerns of prejudice, race, and justice in a manner which offers no easy answers. Dean of Students Dr. Lara Geronime was the first to suggest the novel. “When I read the book, it was the first time that I thought, ‘wow, there are things I am really naive about.’ I read academic books about race all the time, but I thought Small Great Things could help students who, like me, haven’t always related to those types of books to think about the issue in a different way,” said Dr. Geronime.

 

For many students, DSHA’s new approach to summer reading was a welcome addition to the curriculum. “I’ve always thought DSHA should implement a class or course that doesn’t just hit the surface of racism, but goes in depth a little more,” said senior Mahogany Billups. “People of color at DSHA can expound upon things that affect us.”

 

Diversity & Inclusion Coordinator Jim Wilkinson says the discussion that surrounded Small Great Things fits well within the current American political climate. “We are such a divided nation politically. We’re hoping this book will help us build bridges and create some understanding,” said Wilkinson, who leads the project.

 

The first day of the 2017-2018 school year, Monday, August 21, kicked off with an all-school assembly where Fr. Tim Kitze, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee lead the DSHA community in prayer to set the tone for the day reminding the community that “we in the Archdiocese of Milwaukee stand strong with our brothers and sisters too long oppressed not only in Virginia, but in our own urban center.” Fr. Kitze powerfully placed racism in the context of the Catholic Christian faith stating, “We have zero tolerance for any racist works or actions. They are not only incendiary, but are rooted in a hate that is diametrically oppsed to the love and light of Jesus Christ.”

 

Wilkinson followed with further introduction of the book.  “We wanted to get students thinking about building community right away as we started the school year,” said Mr. Wilkinson.

 

The morning assembly included a video message from author Jodi Picoult detailing her creative process for the book, as well as a personally crafted message for the DSHA community. In her message to DSHA, Ms. Picoult explained that she did not write Small Great Things as a message for people of color. “I was writing to people who look like me: people with light skin who can very easily point to a white supremacist and say, ‘oh, that’s a racist,’ but who have a much harder time pointing to themselves and saying the same thing,” said the author. As the day progressed, students met in small groups for further teacher-facilitated dialogue.

 

Cathy Loehr, a Science Department faculty member who facilitated student dialogue, said she believes Small Great Things will open doors at DSHA. “Race is something people avoid talking about because they’re afraid they’re going to say the wrong thing, and I think having this book as a common experience for everyone sets the tone that it’s more important to have the conversation and say the wrong thing than to not have the conversation at all. I was impressed by how evident it was that this book had truly caused several students to really reflect,” said Loehr.

 

Students agree. “We need to bring up the topic more and discuss the bigger, larger issues even though they’re difficult to talk about,” said senior Jordan Welch. “Even if you make a mistake, you have to acknowledge it and learn from it.”

 

 “I think reading the book helped a lot of people to understand the author’s message that passive racism exists, and helped make having conversations in which we realize that we have to respect each other’s opinions and be understanding more possible,” said Antonette Mastrogiovanni-Washington, DSHA ’18. “Reading the book as a community was very eye-opening.”

 

“I am hoping one of the ways we can drive this discussion is to see what we have in common, and to see humanity in all its forms and ideas and philosophies,” said Wilkinson. “Even though we think and experience very differently, at the core we are all the same.”

 

DSHA hopes this new approach will lay a foundation of understanding and acceptance for the school year and beyond. For Wilkinson, the goal of reading Small Great Things is to begin an open and respectful dialogue, and to be unafraid of respectful disagreement. “The Diversity and Inclusion program at DSHA strives to help the DSHA community look through the lens of love, respect, understanding, and openness in every single thing we do and every decision we make,” he said.