In affinity we find kinship. Our shared interests bring us closer to each other and provide us with opportunities for connection, deep empathy, and shared experiences. Our worldviews collide and we are no longer alone; We are in a community.
One of the first times I felt like I was in community I was in my high school jazz band as a teenager. I auditioned to be part of the Ravinia Scholarsjoining a group of teenage musicians from high schools across Chicago. We were each assigned a mentor who played our respective instruments and were welcomed as artists and musicians. While my other peers were listening to Tyga and Usher, we bonded over the love of jazz standards and gathered to listen to the masterful solos of Sonny Rollins, Art Blakey, and McCoy Tyner. I felt like I was right where I was supposed to be. My mentor was the late Willie Pickens and he never let me forget how special this community was.
I believe this is an experience that every child deserves: to be seen, heard, and affirmed in their full identity. That's why, as a Black early childhood educator and counselor, I find it necessary to provide these same safe spaces for young children.
At our school, we define affinity groups as: A network of peers where people come together because they have an aspect of their identity in common. Our identity-based affinity groups begin in kindergarten and continue to exist in first grade, second grade, and beyond; our first group started in nursery four.
Speaking about her experiences with affinity groups, author Monita K. Bell contours:
“Students need to be able to be themselves at school, and that's where affinity groups come in. A group of students who share an identity relate to each other in ways that they cannot with their peers who cannot or do not understand their identity. experience. “This is about safety and, in some cases, fundamental issues of injustice.”
Schools are places where people don't always feel included. When we think more specifically about the experience of students of color in predominantly white schools, this exclusion becomes more prevalent. Students of color are in a constant state of proving that their experiences are real and matter, and constantly being in a state of proving can be stressful and anxiety-provoking. This type of stress can contribute to feelings of loneliness and “not being seen” at school.
Affinity groups have the power to mitigate these effects and create a strong foundation of identity and community that positively combats the unfair experiences that many of our children will face.
Affinity Groups Foster a Strong Foundation for Identity
We often think that the first years of childhood are too soon to discuss race, ethnicity, gender, neurodiversity and other aspects of identity. But systemic oppression can negatively affect child development, especially racism. Children notice differences at a very young age and will make inferences if we do not discuss the nuances and facets of identity. When schools ignore the opportunity to create spaces where shared identifiers are centered, they ultimately damage It's done.
In early childhood education, it is up to the adults in the young child's life to provide this experience. The basis of its development occurs in the first years of its life. They are shaped and molded by the adults around them. But what happens when the adults in their lives don't discuss and highlight all aspects of identity?
Affinity groups have the power to strengthen our students' voices and help them think critically about the world, their experiences, and their education. By practicing their critical thinking skills and learning to trust themselves, they can develop tools to help them combat the effects of internalized racial stress or bias.
Our educational systems are based on outdated systems that unfairly and incorrectly position whiteness and heterosexuality as the norm. To combat this, we must talk about identity and affirm the identities of our underrepresented populations.
Building a foundation for connection
Over the past five years, our affinity groups have expanded within our EC environment and we have outlined concrete goals:
- Affirmation: How do I enrich myself socially and emotionally through this group?
- Dignity: How is my/our human value celebrated?
- Visibility: How am I/are we seen as valuable members of the community?
Knowing how powerful affinity groups can be in the EC environment, with the support of my school, my colleagues and I decided to implement these groups for our students. Each of our five affinity groups focuses on specific identities and experiences, including:
- Blackspace (black students),
- Latinidad (Latino students),
- Desi Mangos (South Asian students),
- Infinity (students exploring LGBTQIA+ identity) and
- Great Minds (students who are learning about their learning styles)
From focusing on joy and gratitude to centering the role of community, each affinity group is meant to align our themes and activities. This expands our community and creates opportunities for our students to begin discussion and understanding. intersectionality.
As a lead affinity group facilitator, I lead my group every week with two of my other brilliant colleagues. Together, we created an organized, goal-oriented curriculum focused on affirming Blackness.
During Hispanic Heritage Month, our colleagues came together to support two of our affinity groups. They canceled gym classes, changed classroom schedules, and most of our 700 students joined us in the gym for a community celebration of identity, culture, and affinity.
After this celebration, our colleague commented: “The children seemed very happy parading with their flags, and I talked to many students throughout the day about how much joy and pride it gave them. I also spoke with children who are not in Latinidad or Blackspace and who learned from the video, and we were able to share and connect excited about that learning together.”
Our collaboration not only affirmed our children's identity within our affinity groups, but their peers were able to find connection in their shared experiences and bear witness to the affirmation of identity.
Affinity Groups Connect Us All
While I had the experience of feeling supported as an affinity group leader, it wasn't always that way. Even now, I encounter colleagues who worry about saying the wrong thing, talking about an affinity group that none of their students participate in, or dealing with the challenges we might receive from caregivers or parents. All of these concerns are valid, and I appreciate the opportunity to explore them further: by discussing things that make us uncomfortable, we can support each other as a community.
The rejection we receive doesn't mean we shouldn't be doing this important work. If anything, it's proof of why we should do it. There is a ripple effect of positivity when we have identity-based affinity groups in the early childhood setting. It starts with our students, extends to affinity group leaders, and continues to have positive effects that ripple throughout our school community.
There is power in starting early. It becomes part of the fabric of your daily work. Talking about identity becomes the norm and children do the same; they do not shy away from conversations about differences; instead, they celebrate similarities and newfound insights. We don't just teach them how to hold a pencil, play with the lines and curves of letters, and build structures using shapes. We are creating learning environments where the power of spaces of affinity is respected, where children can thrive in their full identity, where identity is valued as a daily goal and part of our curriculum.
