Intersectionality in Havergal: A Brief Reflection

Written by Mia Liang
Edited by Kristin Cho
Cover Image by Elena Chen

Recently, Havergal has been buzzing with this word “intersectionality”. It has been thrown around at multiple Prayers, and there is a new student initiative to create a magazine centred around intersectionality within our school. Thus, there has never been a better time to reflect on intersectional experiences within our school.

To begin, intersectionality is the idea that one’s identity is a combination of many facets including but not limited to race, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, and nationality. The idea is that no two people who belong to the same demographic will have identical experiences because the other facets of a person’s identity also considerably influence their experiences and worldviews. It is important to embrace a person as a whole, complex being as opposed to finding similarities and disregarding differences. Havergal should be a place where all students feel comfortable being their entire selves and do not have to cherry pick parts of themselves that they deem safe to nurture at school.

Below, three students have highlighted our strengths and weaknesses in our journey to embrace intersectionality and diversity at Havergal:

“I think that Prayers have gone a lot better in general for land acknowledgements and that every land acknowledgement is unique and written with care is so cool. Prayers are also handling cultural Prayers well, for example, Lunar New Year Prayers with the lions and the Havergal performers. I really had a sense of pride as a Chinese Canadian watching the whole prayers. 

“Things they need to improve on is definitely integrating intersectionality more into daily school life from accessibility to LGBTQ issues in sex-ed, like properly discussing the AIDS crisis. Because of the higher socioeconomic status, the school does kind of have an elitist mindset and that makes it harder for people to understand issues like systemic poverty in class.” -Linda Xu

“One feature I appreciate Havergal trying to bring to the school is being able to discuss issues present in racism, sexism, intersectionality, etc. through brave spaces and guest speakers while encouraging us to want to educate ourselves more on these matters. We also have a DEI, which is something a lot of other schools probably do not have, and a low tolerance for discrimination. Additionally, the land acknowledgements and the way they are done are just incredible at this school, and the fact that we always have one during Prayers shows how hard everyone is working to respect Indigenous communities and treaty relations.” 

“However, in terms of improvement, I think that there are several aspects Havergal should reevaluate. For example, exploring more opportunities to embrace intersectionality and talk about these important topics OUTSIDE of Prayers and lunch, as I feel it is all very limited to these times, and there is still so much to learn and discuss. More specifically, having a Diversity Week all year round and not just on designated days, as it is something that is all year round (if that makes sense..?). Finally, the ideas of feminism should be more openly talked about and taught to students. Most of the students who go to our school identify as female, and all of us have probably faced at least one or more forms of sexism in our lives––and yet I rarely hear this word spoken.”  -Dylan Adler

“I think that Havergal is doing really well with intersectionality in terms of what we are saying. In the form of land acknowledgements, cultural Prayers, and just the conversations that we are having within classrooms and spaces like GSA and Diversity Committee, I think that both students and teachers are speaking about and developing our understandings of justice and intersectionality in highly nuanced ways.”

“However, it sometimes feels like we are limited to just talk. We give land acknowledgements, but we do very little to support local Indigenous businesses and communities. We talk about the discrimination that queer and racialized students face, and yet many still experience regular misgendering or micro-aggressions that go unaddressed. Having these conversations is a vital first step, but if we don’t move on to making concrete, structural changes, then the words can end up feeling empty. “ - Emilia Emmrich 

Change is constant. Everything is always changing. Our school is no different. A lot has changed considerably for the better since I arrived in 2019, and of course there is much to be changed still. Havergal’s greatest strength is the resilience and brilliance of their students, and I am fortunate to be friends with people who get up and fix problems instead of simply complaining about them. Havergal encourages its students to take matters in their own hands and “be the change they wish to see in the world”. We already have the basis upon which we need to expand on intersectionality: a safe space for all identities and a platform to discuss our difference in experience. The next step will involve collaboration between these affinity groups and alliances. Inter-alliance activities and conferences, or perhaps a collaborative school event could increase engagement and understanding of all cultures, not just one’s own. Common problems can be identified and can be solved when working together. After all, an intersectional body is strongest when it is unified.