Members of the middle school affinity group, Students of Color at King (SOCK), enjoyed food, games, and bonding with upper school students from the Black Student Union (BSU), Hispanic and Latin American Affinity Group, and the Asian American and Pacific Islander Affinity Group (AAPI) over lunch on Wednesday, April 13. Led by faculty advisors, the cross-divisional gathering inspired conversation and camaraderie in a welcoming setting.
“I was glad to meet and spend time with some of the middle schoolers because I feel it's important to connect with the people that will be the future members and leaders of our affinity groups,” said AAPI member Jacob Silver ’24. “I believe it's important for affinity groups to meet at all levels because we're able to get different perspectives from them, and they get to see how high school members act.”
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Staff Coordinator and advisor to SOCK, Lakeya Graves, kicked off the meeting by asking the students and other advisors to stand in a circle and pass a ball to each other.
“When you catch the ball, I want you to share what you love about your people,” instructed Graves. “It’s up to you to define for yourself who ‘your people’ are.”
Many members shared common themes of love, including food, culture, and fashion, while others highlighted resilience, community, and being able to find joy even in times of struggle.
During the activity, Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Dr. Clyde Beverly underlined the importance of respect. He explained that you can’t tell a person’s racial background by their appearance.
After the opening exercise, students enjoyed a pizza lunch, played sports, and conversed with each other. As students left for afternoon classes, they exited with excited energy and anticipation for future cross-curricular events.
"I hope to do more collaboration not just with middle school but also with the lower school and also bring together all the various affinity groups, not just students of color," said Kioja Duff '25.