This year, there are many great options to choose from when deciding how to spend the DEIB period. At Poly, there are a variety of different groups to make sure everyone feels welcome.
The options for this year’s affinity and alliance groups include (but are not limited to) Asia Society, Christian Affinity, Foreign Heritage, GSA (Gender Sexuality Alliance), Jewish Affinity, Lemonade, Male Allies, Masala, MENA, Multiracial Affinity, Neurodivergent, QBIPOC, SDS , Umoja Males, Unidad, WARA, Women’s Affinity, and Asian American Pacific Islander Unity (AAPI).
To begin, MENA is a group for students from or who want to learn more about Middle Eastern and North African culture. Next, there is the Masala club, which invites students to learn and embrace South Asian culture. The Foreign Heritage group allows students to share about their own foreign heritage, or learn about others’ experiences. In addition to MENA and Masala club, Asia Society focuses more on the southeastern part of Asia and allows students to bond over their shared heritage as well as similar or new experiences they’re hearing about from other students in the group.
Unidad invites students of Latino origin to join together and celebrate their backgrounds to learn more about the different Latino nations around the world. WARA, or white anti-racist alliance, is a space for white-identifying students to come together and discuss what they can do to become more of an ally for people facing racism, in addition to how they can become more anti-racist.
Transitioning to religious affinity groups, there is Christian Affinity and Jewish Affinity, both of which offer a space for students of their respective religion to come together and learn more about their faith.
The Male Allies Affinity group focuses on how men can become better allies for marginalized groups in the world. In addition, Women’s Affinity invites female identifying students to come together and share their experiences as females. GSA, or Gender Sexuality Alliance, is a space for both members and allies of the LGBTQ+ community to discuss how we as a collective community can be better allies for people who feel like outsiders due to their gender and or sexuality. QBIPOC is a group for indigenous, black and people of color who are queer to come together and reflect on their shared experiences as members of the QBIPOC community. Multiracial Affinity invites students who have a multiracial background to discuss their experiences as members of the multiracial community.
SD Separated, Divorced, or Single parents Affinity Group), is a safe space for people with parents who are separated, divorced, or single to come together and find relatability in their family situations. In addition, Lemonade serves as a space for black Poly women and girls to unite and discuss issues that plague their community, relate to each other, celebrate each other, and have fun together. Similar to Lemonade, Umoja Males is a space for black men to come together and partake in very similar practices as Lemonade but for men instead. Next, the Neurodivergent group invites all people part of the neurodivergent community to come together and make themselves feel more welcome in the Poly community.
Asian American Pacific Islander Unity (AAPI) aims to provide a supportive space for individuals of Asian American and Pacific Islander descent to connect, share experiences, and advocate for their collective interests and cultural identity within a broader community or organization. Lastly, there is Indigenous American Awareness Alliance, which works to raise awareness, promote understanding, and support the rights, history, and cultural heritage of Indigenous American communities.
In addition, there is a DEIB film discussion group that is very similar to the discussion groups from last year, that focus on presenting global issues relating to DEIB in film, and reflect on how the world can be more inclusive and embrace diversity.
