The work of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging in Jesuit secondary schools is neither a novelty nor a reaction to recent shifts in society. D.E.I.B. has always been a component of our mission as Catholic institutions. But in the summer of 2020, there was a reckoning in the United States: Thousands of people took to the streets to protest police brutality and systemic racial inequality across the nation, sparked by the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery. Shortly after, the alarming rise of cases of discrimination and violence toward Asian Americans, derived from their wrongfully perceived connection to the Covid-19 pandemic, amplified the need to elevate D.E.I.B. work in all Jesuit school communities.
During this time, diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging practitioners across the Jesuit Schools Network began collaborating, sharing resources and supporting each other as we helped our respective schools navigate these challenging situations. A group of us has also continued our education and leadership formation as doctoral students in the Catholic Educational Leadership program at the University of San Francisco, where our research interests and commitment to this work are fortified.
A few months ago, America published an article by Christopher J. Devron, S.J., of Regis High School in New York City that suggested Catholic social teaching’s core values of “belonging, dignity and justice” could provide a valuable framework for doing D.E.I.B. work at Catholic and Jesuit schools. Father Devron’s article raised some important and thought-provoking questions. Our goal in this article is to respond to those questions, but also to affirm and empower the current work in our spaces as D.E.I.B. practitioners at Jesuit schools. As we considered the best ways of engaging a culture of encounter in this article, we recognized that there is strength in collaboration.
As active D.E.I.B. practitioners, we feel a call to convey to our schools and communities—and to Catholics on a global scale—how this work thrives in Catholic communities. We contend that D.E.I.B. is an integral part of the mission and identity of Catholic secondary education. Catholic social teaching reminds us of the importance of centering the “dignity of the human person,” which can be interpreted as a call for compassion. Pope Francis describes compassion as “the kind of regard needed when we find ourselves in front of a poor person, an outcast, or a sinner.” As D.E.I.B. practitioners, we approach our work as a call to compassion, love and deep care for our students, parents and colleagues. For many of us, it is our vocation.
D.E.I.B. and Catholic Values
At the heart of D.E.I.B. work are themes found in the stories of the Gospels. In Lk 15:1-7, Jesus tells the parable of the lost sheep as a reminder of the preferential option for those in our communities who feel isolated or ostracized and who seek inclusion and belonging. Mission and identity are core components of any faith-based institution, but in Catholic, Jesuit schools, they are the keystones that connect all aspects of campus life.
These institutions all consider and incorporate the tenets of Catholic social teaching, the Universal Apostiolic Preferences of the Society of Jesus, and biblical teachings (1 Cor 12:12-26) in order to bring those aspects to life, and the work of D.E.I.B. is no different. Without this foundation, our role as Catholic educators falls flat. As practitioners, we find that this grounding becomes the nucleus of how we see, hear and value our students, live out our mission, and deepen our calling as Catholic educators.
Though the concepts were expressed differently in many cases, Catholic schools in the United States were founded with an inclusion and equity mindset—one designed to meet the social, linguistic and cultural needs of Catholic European immigrants from Germany, Italy, Ireland or Poland. Amid a prevailing anti-Catholic sentiment across the country, Catholic schools not only served the needs of these communities but also became a safe haven for marginalized populations. Thus, it can be said that Catholic education pioneered culturally responsive pedagogy before the term existed.
Starting in the 20th century, Jesuit college preparatory institutions have primarily served students who are male, white and from high socioeconomic backgrounds. Still, motivated by shifts in local and national demographics, they have widened the definition of diversity and equity to address the signs of the times. As their students, faculty, staff and administrations have become more diverse, so too has the commitment to increasing diversity, equity and belonging.
Many years ago in the Woodstock Letters, Francis K. Drolet, S.J., tasked to respond to current events and how they connected to the Society of Jesus, reported the statistics of Black youth in Jesuit secondary schools for the 1946-47 school year. At the time, there were 26 Jesuit high schools in the United States, serving a total of 23,494 students; only 20 of these students were Black.
Black students continue to be underrepresented at most Jesuit high schools in North America. For example, Black students make up just 5 percent of those educated in traditional Jesuit schools on the West Coast. Of the 11,652 students enrolled for the 2022-23 school year in the 11 traditional high schools in the Jesuits USA West Province, 482 were Black. Compared with other traditionally underrepresented demographic groups, Black students remain one of the smallest communities at these schools.
A Call to Diversify and a Change in Language
Amid the civil rights movement and in the aftermath of the Second Vatican Council, the Jesuit superior general, Pedro Arrupe, advocated for the diversification of Jesuit schools in the late 1960s. This diversification entailed addressing the racial, ethnic and socioeconomic representations to ensure that schools would not become isolated spaces designed for the elite. A number of schools created outreach programs to reach marginalized populations, increased tuition assistance funds to allow for greater access, and charged adults on campus with accompanying students from underrepresented backgrounds to help them navigate predominantly white spaces.
Other efforts that later grew out of that call to serve a larger and more diverse population included the establishment of Cristo Rey high schools and of Nativity schools, whose objective is to provide Catholic education to underserved students from grades six through 12. Of the 62 Jesuit high schools in the United States, 48 are traditional models and 14 are Cristo Rey schools, a model that includes a work component and exclusively serves families with limited financial resources. Almost 99 percent of Cristo Rey students come from Black, Indigenous and other people of color (BIPOC) populations.
The call to radical kinship in Jesuit education is deeply intertwined with its mission, and the work of D.E.I.B. has become a part of the effort to remain true to this identity. The work of addressing inequality in the United States is not new, but we have seen the scope and terminology shift over generations. Starting during the post-civil-rights era of the 1970s, this work became centered on racial justice and on working to change laws that target people based on skin color and racial identity. With an emphasis on avoiding any form of prejudice, being “colorblind” and simply regarding people as being “the same” became the predominant ideology.
A shift occurred in the 1980s, when the focus in efforts to address inequality expanded to include inequities related to gender, religion, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status and those with physical disabilities and neurodivergences. Scholars and institutions began using the terms multiculturalism and minority access to address the multifaceted manifestations of inequality that affected minoritized communities, particularly in education. The 1990s and 2000s saw the emergence of terms such as valuing diversity and a new emphasis on the importance of representation as a call to shift away from predominantly Western/Eurocentric values and to include previously overlooked perspectives. This development coincided with the advent of the internet and the growth of globalization, which created new avenues for trade, communication and the exchange of ideas worldwide.
During the presidency of Barack Obama, the focus expanded to examine the impact that whiteness and heteronormativity have on Bipoc and L.G.B.T.Q. communities. Terms such as privilege, intersectionality and identity development became mainstream; educators began to examine more rigorously how an individual’s social and political identities result in differing levels of discrimination and privilege. Finally, the racial reckoning of 2020 as well as the #MeToo movement brought a stronger focus to examining systems of power and oppression. These cultural shifts elevated the nation’s understanding of systemic racism, anti-racism, equity, inclusion and belonging.
When considering the many ways in which Catholic schools can assist our students and families, one may ask, “Why D.E.I.B.?” Although in our American political climate there are some who suggest divisiveness is a common product of D.E.I.B. work, the ever-evolving nature of this program in Catholic schools demonstrates how it builds community and helps to foster belonging.
Tarik Roberts, a parent of a Black freshman at a traditional Jesuit high school, says this about the intentionality of equity and inclusion initiatives at school: “The benefit and comfort my son receives from being surrounded by a population that looks like his city is immediate and obvious. It allows him to focus on the task at hand, the character of his classmates, and relieves the anxiety that comes with real or perceived isolation.”
Mr. Roberts describes the importance of representation on campus, which ideally should mirror that of the surrounding city, a common practice of several Jesuit high schools. Students seeing themselves reflected among their peers and educators at school leads the way for true belonging and engagement among Bipoc students; it can also foster greater connections between Bipoc faculty and staff.
A Culture of Encounter
In October 2023, the Jesuit Schools Network of North America published its first-ever framework on the work of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging in Catholic, Jesuit schools: “What Great Love! An Ignatian Framework for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging.” It mentions the importance of approaching D.E.I.B. as a culture of encounter: “The people we encounter each day are diverse windows through which the living God enters our lives. With open hands we help, with open minds we listen, with open hearts we welcome.”
This is a testament to our approach to D.E.I.B. work. Such work involves seeing God in all things, finding love in it all and placing that love into action. As children of God, we are called to walk humbly in God’s path, creating space for truth, testimony and accompaniment, as the Holy Spirit graces us with the gift and ability to speak (Acts 2:4). The work of D.E.I.B. also calls us in this way, but encourages us to bear witness, act as companions, and be active participants in the lives of our students and each other. This creates a powerful way to promote a conversion of heart, where the minds and spirits of all constituents may reflect and heal with courage.
William Muller, S.J., is the vice president for mission and identity at Brophy College Preparatory in Phoenix and a former principal and president of Jesuit high schools. He is also the former executive director of the Jesuit Schools Network in Washington, D.C. “Implicit and explicit D.E.I.B. work challenges all community members to engage equitably and authentically in the life of the school,” he told America. “Everyone—students and adults—is called to be companions in a mission of reconciliation and justice.”
This affirmation sets a clear path for the work of D.E.I.B. to happen at our schools—while celebrating what is already happening on Jesuit school campuses across the country.
Why Is This Important Today?
Since 2023, 23 states have introduced 85 bills to limit D.E.I.B. efforts on college campuses. These bills seek to disallow D.E.I. offices and staff; ban mandatory D.E.I. training; forbid diversity statements for hiring or promotions; and prevent colleges from considering race, sex, ethnicity or national origin in hiring or admissions. While this impact is primarily on higher education, the bills indicate that there could be further implications for our secondary educational institutions in the years to come.
Given the legislative landscape, it is critical to clearly articulate how Catholicity enhances the work of D.E.I.B. and how these initiatives are actualized on our campuses. In Jesuit secondary schools, D.E.I.B. initiatives often focus on student formation, faculty professional development, family support and formation for members of the board of trustees and the board of regents.
The outcome of a focus of D.E.I.B. on accompanying and empowering students who are part of underserved communities can include, but are not limited to: affinity clubs and celebrations, tuition assistance, support for first-generation college-bound students, summer opportunities focused on belonging, and restorative justice practices.
For D.E.I.B. practitioners in Catholic, Jesuit spaces, it is well understood that Catholic social teaching does provide a framework for anti-racism initiatives in our schools. D.E.I.B. work is particularly rooted in three core precepts of Catholic social teaching: the dignity of the human person, the rights and responsibilities of every individual, and the preferential option for the poor and vulnerable. Catholic social teaching also enriches D.E.I.B. initiatives and provides us all with a central theoretical framework to form and inform the work of D.E.I.B. To do anything less would be ineffective and detrimental to our commitment as Catholic educators.
Grounded in our Catholicity, we are called to listen to the current needs of our students, understand the signs of the times, and adjust our culture to cultivate a community of companionship that resembles the Kingdom of God. Benji Ahana, a recent graduate of a Jesuit high school, calls us in an interview with America to welcome the Jesuit charism of the magis as we reflect on D.E.I.B. efforts:
During my time in Jesuit education, I have learned and embraced the concept of magis. This constant search to understand, love, and serve more fully, is directly aligned with our school’s D.E.I.B. office. Participating in conversations of critical thinking and learning from the voices of historically marginalized people is an essential component of being a “man/woman for and with others”—someone willing to sit with their neighbor and learn how they can love them more deeply.
It is clear that this student sees the deep relationship between the work of anti-racism, service and justice, faith formation, and D.E.I.B., which creates a strong relationship with the mission and identity of Catholic, Jesuit schools. D.E.I.B. offices are not stand-alone initiatives but are thoughtfully woven together with other mission-critical works in Jesuit secondary schools.
Although no institution has yet to achieve perfect equity and inclusion, we believe firmly that we as Catholic, Jesuit educators and D.E.I.B. practitioners are called to the magis, the more and deeper, continuing to imagine a society where all students feel that they authentically belong.
