THE OJCL TORCH: FALL EDITION 8
By: President Jenny Hu
DEI in the JCL World
1. What will this DEI initiative consist of?
Rather than one individual action, this initiative consists of projects led by various board members, connected by a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion within the field of classics. It mobilizes the board and the OJCL to do our parts in dismantling white-centered narratives about classics, as well as condemning the instances in which classics have been weaponized as a tool of oppression.
2. What have you planned so far with the DEI initiative?
I can’t discuss every single project, unfortunately, since some are still very much in the works. But a couple exciting ones are a rewrite of the OJCL Constitution (done in the vein of the NJCL rewrite), a history of the OJCL (which recognizes problematic JCL practices in our past and how we’ve moved forward), and a compilation of resources and recommendations for educators. Some board members have also been working with SCLers to plan a certamen with an “expanded” notion of classics--looking beyond Greece and Rome to Africa, Persia, Egypt, China, etc.