EQUITY

What we believe

American society is full of inequities that are harmful to everyone. Differences in wealth, race, ethnicity, gender, physical ability, sexual orientation, religion, and body type – to name a few – are too often something more than simply differences. They are often barriers to access and opportunity – barriers to inclusion, resources and power.

Inequity in access, opportunity, inclusion and resource is a significant obstacle for us individually, communally – and it is an obstacle for us as a collective human race. Simply put, difference should not be a barrier of any kind, ever.

At Open School we are committed to facing and addressing the inequity caused by systemic oppression. Specifically, we are committed to eliminating race and poverty as predictors of student achievement and success in community, college, and career.

We commit ourselves personally and professionally by working to keep dominant culture from being the basis of how we relate to one another, operate as an organization, and educate and engage the students, families, and communities we are charged to serve. We are committed to supporting historically underserved populations through our work, through our organizational practice and culture, and through our mission and vision. We are committed to doing our part in creating a community and world that is welcoming and supportive of all people, no matter the difference.

This work is on-going. It is tiring and difficult. It is also wildly creative, fun, and unifying. We commit to the change and evolution that it brings, personally and professionally. We commit to paying attention, to being open to the voices that speak to inequity – and to acting on what they tell us, now and into the future.

Equity Statement 
Drafted by staff on October 17, 2014 in Corbett, Oregon