Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
Beliefs
Inclusion and diversity actively support the school’s mission of “building character and integrity.” FBRA is accountable to the larger community and will continue to partner with individuals and organizations outside the school to fulfill its mission.
FBRA is strengthening its role as an institution that shapes leaders who are prepared for a diverse world. A culture of inclusion, empowerment, equity, and justice is essential to all of the school’s endeavors. Central to this are the abilities of our students to identify, analyze, and act on issues of equity, justice, and inclusion.
Practices
As an institution we:
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Work to increase awareness of diversity, equity, and anti-racism in curriculum, systems, and our institution as a whole.
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Participate in conferences and a variety of in-house professional development opportunities around equity and inclusion.
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Strive to use inclusive language in all written, electronic, and oral communication.
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Continue to be an inclusive, safe, and welcoming community for all students, staff, and families.
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Normalize the practice of sharing pronouns as one step to create a more welcoming space for people of all genders.
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Provide students with access to, knowledge of, and opportunity for civil and respectful discourse about different perspectives and backgrounds in ways that are meaningful and that clearly demonstrate commitment to the values of equity, justice, and open inquiry.
Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion in Admission
Curriculum Standards
Land Acknowledgement
French Broad River Academy (FBRA) respectfully acknowledges that our programs enjoy the privilege of inhabiting and operating on the ancestral land of the ᎠᏂᎩᏚᏩᎩ, also known as the Cherokee. FBRA additionally acknowledges these are the ancestral lands of a number of indigenous tribes native to Southern Appalachia.
This privilege exists through the historical suppression of indigenous tribes on whose land our organization teaches and operates. This land was originally taken from the Cherokee people through means of violence, exploitation, systemic oppression, and genocide. FBRA hopes this statement serves to uplift and acknowledge the experience of historically and currently oppressed groups of people within the greater Asheville and Southern Appalachian community.
Our institution is named after the French Broad River, which was so named by English colonists to reflect French territory claims. ᏙᎩᏯᏍᏗ is the Cherokee name for this river, which may be translated to “where they race''. This name references the significance of the river as a community gathering site. We respectfully acknowledge that the Cherokee people are the indigenous stewards of this river and watershed. We continuously strive to care for these places and respect the people in them through our educational mission of service, learning, and leadership.
As a means to build organizational integrity and as a demonstration of our commitment to this place and the communities in it, FBRA works to build and sustain meaningful relationships with the Cherokee people. FBRA understands that while we have a meaningful connection with this land and river, we are not the first.
*The FBRA land acknowledgement statement was crafted with the collaboration of Dylan Lossiah, a member of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Indians.
** This land acknowledgement statement utilizes symbols of the Cherokee syllabary. The decisions to use these symbols and to not include phonetic spellings of Cherokee words are intentional. As non Cherokee speakers, FBRA feels that the best way to show due respect to the language of the Cherokee diaspora is to minimize the opportunity to incorrectly use it.
