Renee Green '01

The first handful of people trickled into the common space in front of a blazing fire in Ephraim Williams on Super Bowl Sunday. The fire ablaze, we settled in for the first meeting of Project HOPE. The designated topic was to be the effectiveness of the Martin L. King, Jr. celebration with its theme of "Transforming Silence into Language and Action." Though the group started out with this topic in mind, it later led the discussion of the events of the fall in Louis Marx, role models on campus, and the role of faculty in helping students to start to address issues.

This is what Project HOPE is all about, stripping away established titles of administrators, teachers and students, and having meaningful conversations about the things that are important to us as individuals and as a community.

HOPE, an acronym for Honest Open Passionate Engagement, was developed after I attended the NAIS People of Color Conference in Tennessee. It dawned on me that Deerfield is ahead of other private schools when considering the dynamics of diversity. Deerfield is unique in the sense that, while we have the diversity among students, we do not really have an integrated community (even among those who consider themselves the "same").

In thinking about what could be done to promote a greater sense of diversity in the community without preaching to the converted, it became clear to me that one of Deerfield's greatest problems among its residents is communication. While Deerfield is supposed to become your home and a safety net of sorts, there are still people here who feel that a part of their identity has to be concealed, whether it be because of their economic status, race, backgrounds, religion, or sexual preference; people are forced into hiding who they really are.

While, as an institution, Deerfield does provide support groups and the allocation of clubs and groups to serve as an outlet to facilitate these differences, Deerfield as a community promotes a sense of silence by breeding conformity. Project HOPE seeks to bridge the existing gap between the institutional perception and the communal reality of Deerfield life by creating a safe space for discussion about issues that are consequential to the community with the help of administrators, faculty and students.

While the topics of the meetings range from follow-up discussions of school wide events, student activism, or spirituality, the appeal of these conversations is that they are inclusive to all. We often have difficulty rallying behind a cause unless it affects us directly, but in a forum such as this, we all have an attachment to the central topic; we are residents of the DA community. Thus, no matter what the designated topic, all voices have a place to be heard and all ideas a place to be shared.

Since the first meeting, HOPE has evolved beyond all expectations. Considering nothing like this had ever been tried, HOPE has been fairly successful in consistently attracting an array of people and getting attention drawn to important issues like diversity, student leadership, spirituality, and notions of privilege. By working with clubs like the Diversity Task Force, the Deerfield Environmental Action Group, the Deerfield Black Student Coalition and the Christian Fellowship, HOPE has managed to generate progressive discussions. As the last meeting scheduled for February 25th looms closer on the horizon, I only hope these small Sunday meetings have created precedence for the Deerfield community to promote and continue provocative dialogue among all its residents.