Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
The Harker School statement on Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Diversity, equity and inclusion is at the core of our mission and philosophy at The Harker School. We are firmly dedicated to building, sustaining and retaining a safe, loving and inclusive environment for all students, faculty, staff, families and alumni, and expect all members in the Harker community to participate and engage in this work collectively. Through our educational opportunities for students, and development opportunities for faculty, staff and parents, we embrace the conversations needed so that our students are equipped to be the changemakers needed in our country and throughout the world.
The Harker School stands against all forms of discrimination, harassment and violence, and we stand in solidarity with all communities and people who comprise our society. The Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion educates and guides all stakeholders at Harker to ensure Harker is an inclusive place for all.
We invite you to explore our current DEI activities below, and we welcome all suggestions and feedback. You can reach me at diversity@harker.org.
Patricia Lai Burrows, Director of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Muwekma Ohlone Tribe
The Harker School is situated on the ancestral land of the ethnohistoric Thamien Ohlone-speaking people, who were the direct ancestors of the present-day Muwekma Ohlone Tribe, who lived in the San Francisco Bay Area before the colonization of America and the missionization of California, and who still live in our greater Santa Clara Valley community. We recognize this region’s significance to the Indigenous people and extend our appreciation for the opportunity to gather, learn and work on this land since our school’s founding in 1893.
Our upper school Student Diversity Coalition and Harker Diversity Committee coordinated the school’s efforts in installing permanent land recognition monuments on our campuses, which included dedication ceremonies at each. These land acknowledgments represent one small step toward a true partnership with the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe, and we commit to uplifting the voices, experiences, histories and heritage of the Indigenous people of this land and beyond.
Our commitment to advancing awareness of the Muwekma Ohlone Tribe currently includes K-12 curriculum enhancements and partnering with the tribe’s recycling programs, which include The Green Education Foundation and Seventh Generation Recycling.
https://recyclingedu.org/about/
http://7grecycling.com/
Area drop-off bins near Harker campuses:
Capitol Light Rail Station parking lot: 3911 Narvaez Ave, San Jose
Westhope Presbyterian Church: 12850 Saratoga Ave, Saratoga