The Piedmont Affinity Mentors and the Tri-School Parent DEIB Committee hosted New York Times bestselling author Kate Schatz on March 31 in the Ellen Driscoll Playhouse. Schatz is known for co-authoring “Do the Work: An Antiracist Activity Book” with W. Kamau Bell and for the “Rad Women” series with Miriam Klein Stahl.
The evening opened with remarks from Piedmont’s Director of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging Jean Takazawa, who grounded the gathering in Martin Luther King Jr.’s vision of the “Beloved Community.” She emphasized that this vision is built not through singular moments but through everyday acts of care, listening, and creating spaces where identity is honored, and young people feel a deep sense of belonging.
That vision carried through the evening, which featured a student-led fireside chat with the Affinity Mentors who engaged Schatz in a thoughtful dialogue on writing, activism, and the power of storytelling. The student panelists engaged in a robust conversation with Kate about books that changed their lives, remembering the authors as we read those books, and how to collectively take responsibility for shaping the future.
A community Q&A followed the dialogue and the evening closed with a student-led call to action: meaningful change happens not only in large gatherings, but in everyday conversations at home and in school. Families were encouraged to keep the conversation going and to look for ways to build a community where everyone belongs.