Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging
The Atlanta Speech School's Mission, to bring deep reading to each and every child so they can find their voice and make the greatest difference in the lives of others, and our vision, "literacy and justice for all" demand that we pursue equity in everything we do. For that purpose, we:
Proactively build a culture and experience of diversity, equity and belonging among staff, students in our care and within our work in the community, and beyond.
Deepen awareness of others through an increased consideration of and emphasis on strengthening cultural competencies and growing emotional intelligence.
Endeavor to embrace change and scrutiny, ever perfecting our craft and refining our strategies to be increasingly effective in meeting the needs of students, clients and every child outside our walls. The deep reading brain is one that is prepared to embrace differences and to think empathetically about the plight of others. Because you are here, you belong here.- Ashley Ellis, Director of DEIB
Our Initiatives
Staff
- DEIB Departmental Sessions
- Working To Be Better Allies
- DEIB Council
students
In particular, I loved the TedTalk by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. The topic was relevant and important, and I really enjoyed being in a group discussion with people cross-departmentally. It felt like a great way to fight the 'single story' narrative by having a wide variety of employees in a small group together. I also loved the Penned Stories event.
-Speech School Staff Member
Meet the DEIB Council
The Diversity Equity Inclusion and Belonging Council is a cross-departmental collaborative of 16 Speech School staff members who represent their areas of practice and expertise and use their knowledge, experience and skill to further the work of DEIB within the Speech School community.
Members of the DEIB council are as follows: Angelia Kingsberry, Miranda Carroll, Anne Bell, Jane Wilkinson, Ramona Brown, Candace Hogan, Meagan Gordon, Maggie Deaton, Angela Musille, Emily Kleinberg, Robert Spiotta, and Katrina Henley.
DEIB Resource Hub
The Danger of a Single Story
Our lives, our cultures, are composed of many overlapping stories. Novelist Chimamanda Adichie tells the story of how she found her authentic cultural voice - and warns that if we hear only a single story about another person or country, we risk a critical misunderstanding.
Microaggressions in the Classroom
Directed by Carla LynDale Carter, Lecturer at the University of North Texas in the Department of Media Arts
Produced by Dr. Yolanda Flores Niemann
How racial bias works - and how to disrupt it
Our brains create categories to make sense of the world, recognize patterns and make quick decisions. But this ability to categorize also exacts a heavy toll in the form of unconscious bias. In this powerful talk, psychologist Jennifer L. Eberhardt explores how our biases unfairly target Black people at all levels of society - from schools and social media to policing and criminal justice - and discusses how creating points of friction can help us actively interrupt and address this troubling problem.