At Walker’s, we create and sustain communities where every student experiences belonging. Students are a crucial voice who shape and drive our work forward. We center student experience with their multiple social identities in order to prepare them for full and intentional lives within and beyond Walker’s.
Through student affinity groups and regular dialogue across differences, Walker’s develops critically engaged students committed to social change and transformative impact. We develop community through empathy, culturally responsive teaching and reciprocal learning. We acknowledge the value of diversity within our community and weave Social Justice and Inclusion into the fabric of who we are and what we do. This work lives in our classrooms, our dorms, on our fields, and it is central to our identity as a school.
The Ward and Williams Center for Equity and Justice
The Ward and Williams Center for Equity and Justice provides a space for students and adults to gather in a wide variety of ways, both formally and informally. As part of our Social Justice programming, it houses resources, archival information, and the offices of our Assistant Head for Student Life and Director of Social Justice. In honor of their 50th Reunion, the Class of 1971 made a collective gift to support the work of this Center in perpetuity to sustain a lasting impact on their alma mater.
Click below to learn more about our events and happenings through The Ward and Williams Center for Equity and Justice!
Elisa serves as the Assistant Head for Student Life and Director of Social Justice and Inclusion. Prior to her arrival at Walker's in 2016, she spent 12 years working in higher education in residential life, student activities, leadership development, and new student orientation at Mount Holyoke College and Wesleyan University. While at Mount Holyoke, Elisa utilized her passion and graduate degree in Social Justice Education to design a more inclusive curriculum for the residential student experience.
Middle School Social Justice Seminar is rooted in building communities of belonging as students work to understand identity and stereotypes through introspection and perspective. Students explore the many ways identity is formed by reflecting on their own identities, assumptions, stereotypes, and prejudices.
9th Grade Seminar
In the 9th Grade Social Justice seminar, students explore their own identities and think about the ways identity impacts their perspective and interactions with others. Students examine social systems and concepts that provide advantages to some social identity groups and restrict access and opportunity to others. Specifically, students look at the ways that stereotypes, discrimination, prejudice, and socialization affect individuals in the pursuit of justice and communities of belonging. The term concludes with students addressing the ways that they can individually take action within their own spheres of influence to create positive social change.
Inequality in the United States
This history course introduces juniors and seniors to systems of social inequality in the United States. Students investigate the structural, interpersonal, and social dimensions of oppression. Course materials explores the ways that sexism, heterosexism, and racism have developed over time as well as the ways they impact each of us every day. Students will develop language, tools, and skills to create positive social change.
International Human Rights
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights was conceived in the aftermath of Nazi crimes against six million Jews, Roma people, LGBTQ people, and people with disabilities during the Holocaust. In this history course, juniors and seniors investigate both the historical development of a human rights philosophy, genocide in the 20th century, and contemporary human rights issues. They also learn about the role that international courts play in our understanding and commitment to protecting human rights around the world. This course is designed to examine the terrible crimes of modern world history, but also, importantly, at the resistance and cultivation of justice in their aftermath.
Student Affinity Groups
Student voice and belonging is critical in identity development. Student affinity groups serve as affirmative and educational spaces for students to get involved. At Walker’s there is an institutional commitment to student affinity groups which are supported by faculty advisors, the Dean of Students Office, and the Director of Social Justice and Inclusion.
Asian Student Collective
The Asian Student Collective works to build unity amongst students who identify as Asian. It serves as a social network to connect self-identified Asian students in the Walker’s community and to promote cross-cultural understanding within the group itself. It also hosts campus-wide events that share the culture and heritage of Asian students in an effort to encourage and promote community-wide awareness.
Black Student Union (BSU)
The Black Student Union (BSU) is a social network that is open to all students with its main priority of creating affinity space for self-identified Black students. BSU serves as a vehicle to help students create authentic connections and harness unique perspectives while learning how to appreciate and value the various dimensions of diversity each student brings to the campus. BSU offers unique cultural learning sessions to its members and accomplices, peer-to-peer mentoring, and community engagement.
Equity Team
The Ethel Walker Equity Team is a group with representatives from The School community. They gather information on policies, procedures, and practices that may be inequitable and work alongside the community and administration to advocate for change.
Justice League
The Justice League is an affinity group that aims to create an equal and equitable environment at Walker’s. It also assists in cultivating a safe space for students to discuss issues relating to injustice and bias. It facilitates discussions to promote awareness of events occurring both on-campus and off-campus.
Latine ASO (LASO)
LASO aims to create a space for self-identified Latinx/Hispanic students at Walker’s to collectively make our community aware of current events affecting the global latinx/hispanic community through discussion. We run school organized dances and activities with the ultimate goal of incorporating respect for different cultures into our everyday lives here at Walker’s.
WINGS
Wings (Gender and Sexuality Alliance) provides a forum for students to talk about issues related to sexual orientation, gender identity, heterosexism and homophobia.
Jewish Student Union (JSU)
The JSU is a student group that serves as a place where students are able to discuss, teach, and learn about historic and current events that have and are affecting the Jewish Community. The group values sharing and celebrating Jewish Holidays with one another and the community to build its awareness through programming and events. These events allow everyone to get involved and learn something new about Jewish traditions. All students who self-identify as Jewish and even folks who just want to learn about Jewish culture and traditions are encouraged to join JSU.
In Their Words
At Walker’s, the affinity groups help to cultivate a sense of belonging amongst all students. Thanks to the inclusion here, I feel supported regardless of my various intersecting identities.
—Brianna M. '26
Conferences and Events
As a commitment to learning and growing in Justice and Equity work, Walker’s students and faculty are encouraged and supported in their attendance at conferences, community gatherings and training. This attendance contributes to and complements the work of course materials, affinity groups, and is critical in our work with students towards their growth and solidarity with others in Justice and Equity work.
Student Conferences
NAIS Student Diversity Leadership Conference
SPHERE Student of Color Summit
Jumoke’s Middle School Annual Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Oratory Contest
CAIS Student Diversity Leadership Conference
Community GAYme Nights
The Young Women of Color Conference (Walker’s, Choate, Miss Porter’s School and Loomis Chaffee)
SPHERE Consortium
The Ethel Walker School is a member of SPHERE, a consortium of 13 independent schools from the greater Hartford area whose mission is to encourage and assist member schools in collaboration to sustain diverse, inclusive, and culturally responsive environments for teaching and learning. Member schools seek to foster respect for difference and an understanding of multicultural perspectives in curricular and extracurricular programs.
On Wednesday, October 4, 2023, LGBTQIA+ author and activist Sarah Prager ’04 addressed The Ethel Walker School community during an assembly hosted by Walker’s Ward and Williams Center for Equity…
Chenxi "Rita" Xiang '24 has been published in the upcoming fall issue of The Concord Review for her history paper titled “Suffrage in Chinatown: Mabel Lee and the Female Chinese…