This week on Tuesday, February 14th, a few Dakota students attended the 2023 Macomb Student Diversity Summit. The goal of the Summit is to bring Macomb schools together and educate students on how to be leaders who can bring inclusion and diversity to their schools. Hosted by the Macomb Intermediate School District, all 21 high schools in Macomb County were present, their students representing a population of over 130,000 Macomb students who are impacted every day by the amount (or lack) of diversity present in their schools. 

The theme of the 2023 Summit was “The Power of Your Story”. Sharing our stories and diversity go hand in hand, because sharing our stories shows what makes individuals different. It is important to know others’ stories so you can understand them and help create a safe space for them. Listening to others and learning about who they are and what they have experienced is a key part of inclusivity. 

A keynote speaker was featured for the introduction of the Summit to give a speech and tell her story. Satori Shakoor, a professional storyteller, spoke about the time she was hate-crimed in a CVS. She told her story in an emotional, impacting, and performative way, speaking of struggling with racism, white supremacy, discrimination, and even touched on the issue of climate change. Her overall goal was to inform about the importance of listening to other people and caring about things that might not directly impact you- because in the end, we will all have the same consequences. She was a talented performer and elegant speaker in how she spoke about such important topics in a way that tugged at the crowd’s heartstrings. Her message “How do I end hate in my lifetime? How do I use my life as a service?” was inspirational to anyone lucky enough to hear it. 

“Until we begin to value all bodies and the earth, we will be gone like the bison. Extinct. But, the land will be free… that sounds about right.” -Satori Shakoor, story telling 

During their time there, students were also able to attend two breakout sessions from a variety of options. These sessions included things like LGBT stories of courage, a poetry session, a mixed media collage class, a panel of immigrants sharing their stories, a story telling session, and many more. The goal of the breakout rooms is to help educate Macomb students on how to be leaders of diversity throughout their schools. The Mixed Media Collage room gave students an opportunity to make a piece of art that reflected their story. The Anton Art Center and its lovely employees joined Macomb schools at the Summit, and supplied many various materials so the students could have complete creative freedom with their work. They also spoke about the importance of art, how to create, and how it can tell the story of the artist.  Where the panel, “Why Do People Leave Their Countries?” gave students the opportunity to learn more about immigrants. A young woman from Ukraine, a young woman from Iraq, and a young man from Albania shared their stories of moving to the United States from their home countries. They talked about the reasons they moved, their cultural experiences, and overall, how they felt about moving to America. Their perspectives helped students have a better understanding of the fact that we never know what someone else is going through, and we should always be willing to listen. 

Some Dakota students lead a breakout room by speaking on the panel of LGBT stories. They were able to share their stories and experiences with others, and it was extremely educational for those who attended. Krystyna Kijewski, a senior, was one of the three inspirational students who went, and she said, “It went really well- people were engaged, listening, respectful, and had questions. The Summit was well put together and I am so glad I got to share my story and help others”. 

Afterwards, schools of the same district and neighboring districts met up to discuss what they learned and create an action plan on how they hope to implement more diversity in their schools. 

During closing remarks, the story tellers were able to come up and tell stories about their passions and share what they had worked on during break out rooms, and schools were able to share their action plans. Important officials like the County Commissioner, County Sheriff, and Super Intendant of the Macomb Intermediate School District shared a few words of wisdom as well. 

The MISD Diversity Summit was a fun and educational event, and hopefully Dakota, Chippewa, and IAM students will be able to bring forward new knowledge to help make Chippewa Valley Schools a better place!