What if a student who identifies as white would like to participate?

While the SOCA groups are only open to students of color, through direct, intentional programming within the curriculum in the Lower and Intermediate Schools, all students have the opportunity to consider their own racial identity and how it plays into their greater sense of self. Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum is the author of a previous summer reading book, Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? Dr. Tatum describes racial identity development as “the process of defining for oneself the personal significance and social meaning of belonging to a particular racial group.” Research shows that “children internalize aspects of racial identity from the adults and peers around them. For students of color in predominantly white independent schools, resisting negative stereotypes and affirming carefully considered definitions of themselves are critical to counterbalance the limited number of role models who mirror them racially.” While white identity development is absolutely important to a child’s development, we know there are a number of factors in the racial identity development process of young children of color that can benefit from direct programming in a way that differs from that of white students.