Opening of School Meeting- All School Colleague Watch Color of Fear
August 2005

The impetus for the Diversity Committee’s presentation of the documentary, The Color of Fear, during our opening week was Luis Ottley’s (former Assistant Head of Lower School) recently completed doctoral study on the experience of African American students at Shipley. Many teachers, students, and alumni participated in this research over the course of a three year period. While Luis’ findings reflected an appreciation for superior academic preparation and faculty-student relationships, they also showed that our “culture of niceness” has the power to silence some people in the racial minority. In an effort to move to a new level of understanding about cultural differences, provide common ground for all members of the Shipley community, and create a safe space for our future consideration of difficult issues, we thought The Color of Fear was a worthy and timely vehicle. The abundance of thoughtful verbal reflections and verbal responses to the film suggest that many within the Shipley community did embrace this experience. For more information about The Color of Fear, check out http://www.stirfryseminars.com/pages/coloroffear.htm .