About > Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

DEI Councils

At Harvard-Westlake, DEI Councils work across constituencies to ensure a unified commitment to our school’s mission.

Under the leadership of 2020-2021 HWP President Susan Welsh, the inaugural HWP DEI Committee was organized. Originally led by HW parents Stacy Messaye P’22 ‘23 and Gabe Ramirez P’18 ‘22, the committee is responsible for events and activities for parents to engage with and become better informed and educated about social justice. The HWP DEI Committee is divided into three groups: Book Talk, Cinema and Courageous Conversations. The first Book Talk hosted three sessions of a discussion with the book, Caste, by Isabel Wilkerson. The Cinematic Committee hosted a discussion on an episode of “Why We Hate” led by one of the directors, Geeta Gandbhir, and HW's own Dror Yaron (Long-time History Teacher and Interdisciplinary Studies and Independent Research Teacher of Middle Eastern Studies). Additionally, Ava DuVernay’s film 13th was discussed with presenters Senator Cory Booker and Professor Laurie Levenson P ‘06 ’08 ‘17. Courageous Conversations hosted 2 events that engaged at least 50 families with robust conversations facilitated by dynamic parent volunteers including Sabina Lippman P’22 and Anita Dashiell-Sparks P’22 ’26 ’26. The committee is currently helmed by Stacy Messaye P’22 P’23, Anita Dashiell-Sparks P’22 ’26 ’26, Scarlet Sy P’24 ’27, and Shawn Landres P’26.

The Diversity Council at Harvard-Westlake is composed of current Faculty and Staff who strive, in partnership with the Office of DEI, to cultivate a diverse, inclusive, and unified collegial community. Diversity Council members are committed to personal growth and professional development, volunteering to regularly examine their own implicit biases, ensure HW policies remain thoughtful and inclusive, and research proven practices for implementing anti-racist curricula. The work of the council extends to both the middle and upper school campuses and across departments as a school-wide initiative to honor Harvard-Westlake’s mission.