Our Identity and Equity program creates student-led spaces that celebrate and affirm identity, ranging from closed affinity meetings to whole-community events.
Student leaders take a visible leadership role for the organization they identify with and share their passion for building community, dialogue, and connection.
MA launched its Identity and Equity (IDEQ) program in 2004. While the number and configurations of groups have changed over time in response to our student body, all groups remained oriented around strengthening our multicultural community through celebrating and affirming our identities. The program works in tandem with other DEIB initiatives at MA.
MA’s IDEQ program creates student-led spaces that celebrate and affirm identity, ranging from closed affinity meetings to whole-community events. The program collaborates with and/or complements other DEIB initiatives at Marin Academy.
IDEQ leaders are students who take a visible leadership role for the identity of their organization and are passionate about building community, dialogue, and connection around this identity. Read more.
IDEQ advisors are adults in the MA community who take a visible role for the identity of the student organization and who are dedicated to supporting student identity affirmation and leadership development. They encourage students to grow as leaders within the student-led spaces, they advise students on the facilitation of identity-based dialogue, and they also model, themselves, leadership in cultivating an inclusive school community where students and adults feel a sense of belonging.
Asian Student Organization is dedicated to informing and educating the entire MA community about Asian and Asian American cultures. We strive to provide both affinity spaces as well as open environments for discussion in order to promote awareness around these issues and build community.
Black Student Union is an organization dedicated primarily to addressing the political and social needs of Black people at MA. We provide a forum to discuss issues that are prevalent within the Black community in and outside of MA, and a structure for organizing positive cultural and educational activities and events. We want to educate others while educating ourselves. Most importantly, BSU strives to create a real sense of unity and support for students of African descent on campus.
Financial Aid Affinity Group is an organization dedicated to providing a space for students on Financial Aid to talk about their experiences at MA, including issues they have encountered and things they would like to change. Our goal is to address the discompfort of talking about socioeconomic status and class, and ultimately decrease the stigma of being on Financial Aid at MA.
Our mission is to build community and connection amongst students who are genderqueer, nonbinary, trans, genderfluid, or questioning, in a private affinity space.
Jewish Student Organization hosts meetings and events for the whole MA community. We welcome Jews and non-Jews alike to explore, learn about, and participate in Jewish life, culture, and identity. We also strive to create a safe space for Jewish students to connect with their community.
Latine Student Organization was created to bring a cultural, social, and educational awareness about Latine heritage. The group serves the MA community by introducing the richness of Latine cultures and encouraging students to look at the issues that affect the Latine community in the world and the U.S. By raising awareness about these widespread issues, we intend to unite Latine and non-Latine students towards a common understanding.
We create a safe place for people with learning profiles to connect with each other and share the strengths we have and challenges we face. We also share with the community about neurodiversity and ableism through events like panels, speakers, and sharing the Learning Lab space!
Mental Health Awareness is a safe and educational space on campus for students to talk and learn about Mental Health. We as leaders aim to create a space for any and all students to come and share their experiences, gain a wider perspective, and also talk through important issues in order to de-stigmatize and normalize Mental Illnesses.
Middle Eastern Student Organization strives to create a space for students to take ownership of their own ethnic identity, explore cultural expression, and establish visibility within the greater MA community. This is an open space for students who hold different identities and share an interest in Middle Eastern culture.
Mixed provides a safe environment for members of the MA community to explore the intersection of different identity markers, specifically race and ethnicity. We want to create a way for students to better understand their own identities and the identities of others through constructive group discussion.
Queer Affinity Group aims to create a safe space and community for queer and questioning students to discuss topics relevant to their lives as queer members both of the Marin Academy community and of the world. Such a support network offers people the ability to be understood by others who share similar experiences, struggles, and joys.
Women of Color Affinity Group seeks to foster an environment that empowers, supports, and encourages young women of color at MA. The Women of Color Affinity Group will offer a safe space for students to dialogue about their personal experiences as women of color, and to create space for vital conversations about the MA community and beyond.
Young Brothers (YB) offers a safe space for all self-identifying men of color (MOC) to talk about their personal experiences, celebrations, and challenges as MOC in the MA community and other communities we may be a part of. We encourage each one of our members to think about their roles in and out of the MA community. Through our various meetings, we present space for open conversation and brotherhood. YB aims to provide an environment that empowers, supports and encourages young men of color in their authentic selves to thrive in their development as a member of society.
MA is a place where I felt comfortable learning to be me and accepted for the me I chose to become.
Taylor Tan '06, Math Teacher and Track and Field Coach
Community Time
Community Time is designated time within the school day for co-curricular programming beyond the usual formats of Advisory, Assembly, and Class Meetings. Read more.
Belonging Spaces
Why these spaces? It is a human need to be in conversation with people who have similar experiences and affinities, whether those be affinities related to some aspect of social identity or our experiences and contexts. Read more.
If you have questions about any of our Identity and Equity Groups, please contact Dean of Equity and Inclusion, Piya Kashyap, or Co-Director of Student Inclusion and Belonging, Juliet Dana.
The Student Diversity Leadership Conference
The Student Diversity Leadership Conference (SDLC) is an inclusive, multiracial, multicultural gathering of Independent upper school student leaders (grades 9-12) from around the country. Each year up to 6 MA students are selected to attend SDLC. Read more.
