Georgia Tuckerman’18 Interviews Maggie McCann’17

What is SDLC?

SDLC (Student Diversity Leadership Conference) is an event held every year for independent school students, who want to make their communities safer for minorities.

How did you first get involved with it?

I got involved with SDLC around last year when I had heard so many positive things about it from students who had gone in the past. I’ve always been interested in social justice, and I thought that this conference would help me find better ways to fight against instances of injustice and discrimination.

Was this your first time attending?

Yes.

Where was the conference held?

Tampa, Florida

Who else attended?

KJ Boyce, Camila Jones, Bri Dragin, Rebecca Amonor, Dorian Lacey-Garita.

What were the events?

The two main conferences were SDLC and the People of Color Conference (POCC). SDLC was for the students, and we spent the day addressing issues involved with the core cultural indentifiers, which are gender, sexuality, socio-economic status, race/ethnicity, family structure, religion, age, and ability. This happened in what we called “family groups” of about 70 students, and the “home groups” of about 10 students. The POCC was where the adults could listen to speakers and try to figure out how they could make a better place for diversity in their schools.

Which of these were the most memorable or valuable to you?

The most memorable moment was at the beginning when one of the head facilitators of the conference, Rodney Glasgow, gave a speech comparing the conference to the Wizard of Oz. He talked about it as a safe, technicolor world, where we could feel empowered and proud of who we are. Specifically, he touched on how Dorothy’s shoes gave her the power to get home, and that we all had power in us. We just had to recognize it.

How were students selected?

There was an essay prompt sent out by Dr. Broh about why they want to go to SDLC and what they would do with what they learned when they got back. Students were chosen based on their responses to those questions.

Which US faculty attended?

Ms. Garita, Ms. Chahal, Dr. Broh, Ms. Stout, Ms. Scott, and Mrs. Decree.

Would you recommend SDLC to other students? Why or why not?

I do. I think it’s incredibly important to understand how diverse not just our school is, not just the U.S. is, but the world and how so many different stories and things can play a part into making a person who they are. SDLC helped me see that and helped me to realize that we have a lot of changes to make, and now I know how help make them.