Land Acknowledgement
We acknowledge that the Detroit Waldorf School is located on the stolen lands of the Anishinaabe peoples, including the Ojibwe, Odawa, and Potawatomi Nations, whose ancestors were the original stewards of these lands and waters. We honor their enduring presence, connection, resilience, and cultural heritage, which continue to enrich the Detroit area.
We recognize the painful history of colonization that impacts Indigenous communities and displaces them from their ancestral lands, and we commit to working toward healing and living respectful relationships with Native communities. In the spirit of this commitment, we seek to educate our community about the history and contributions of the Anishinaabe people and other Indigenous nations, fostering a school culture of inclusivity, respect, and acknowledgment of all people who have called this land home.
We will work to create collaborative, accountable, continuous, and respectful relationships with Indigenous nations and communities and to care for this land, honoring the legacy of its original stewards.
DEIB Policy
Detroit Waldorf School strives to foster a diverse, equitable, and inclusive educational community and workplace for all members, including students, families, educators, administrators, volunteers, and partners. Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) are essential to that mission. All DWS community members are expected to respect, value, affirm, and honor each other. DWS is committed to a nondiscriminatory approach and provides equal opportunity for employment and advancement in all areas of our organization. DWS embraces different cultures, ethnicities, races, religions, family structures, socioeconomic statuses, sexual orientations, gender identities, physical abilities, and unique learning styles. We value this multiplicity in our students, families, employees, and leadership as we continue to collaborate with the diverse communities of Detroit and around the world to enrich our educational and social environment.
DWS aspires that every member of the school community contributes to a sense of belonging by being courteous and respectful towards others. While all students, families, and staff are welcome to their own individual, private views on any issues, DWS upholds that the school environment is based on each member’s ability to develop and foster intercultural competence.
DWS community members are expected to uphold DWS values for intercultural competence. Intercultural competence is defined as the ability to function effectively across cultures, to think and act appropriately and respectfully, and to communicate and work with people from different cultural backgrounds.
DWS seeks to create a school community where all students are able to fully engage in learning, all faculty in teaching, and all administrative staff in support of the school, without concern about being marginalized, hurt by intentional or careless comments, or treated as less important than others because of their personal identity.
DWS community members are expected to:
Refrain from direct statements to others that exhibit racism, religious intolerance, sexism, anti-LGBTQ+ sentiments, denigration of immigrants, political intolerance, body-shaming, judgments based on economic status or ability, or inability to embrace differences.
Refrain from jokes, humor or satire based on finding amusement or denigration of race, religion, gender, gender identity, gender orientation, immigration status, political orientation, body image, or other social and personal identities.
Refrain from discussing the above-described types of sensitive topics on social media, texting, and other electronic platforms, as these technologies are not supportive of the nuanced and thoughtful conversations that these topics deserve.
Refrain from wearing clothing or the use of in-school materials that promote racist, sexist, anti-LGBTQ+, anti-religious, anti-immigrant or other exclusive attitudes.
Statement on Rudolf Steiner’s Work
The Detroit Waldorf School acknowledges the foundational influence of Rudolf Steiner in the development of Waldorf education. His pioneering vision offered an inspiring approach to nurturing the whole child, fostering curiosity, creativity, and a love of learning through a curriculum designed to cultivate intellectual and emotional development. Waldorf education owes much to Steiner’s dedication to each individual’s holistic growth, promoting values of compassion, reverence for nature, and respect for humanity.
However, our school firmly rejects any racist views that may be found in Steiner’s work and denounces all forms of racism, nationalism, and discrimination. We are committed to honoring each person’s unique, scared humanity, a principle that guides our educational mission. We recognize that some statements made by Steiner regarding race and other group identities—present in a subset of his early 20th-century lectures and writings—are offensive, harmful, and contrary to the core values we uphold. These views have no place in our educational philosophy or practice, nor do they represent the principles of modern Waldorf education.
As an evolving and diverse institution, the Detroit Waldorf School is actively committed to fostering an inclusive community where all individuals are valued and celebrated for their cultural, racial, and ethnic identities, as well as other aspects of their unique identities, including religion, family structure, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, gender identity, physical abilities, and learning styles. Our dedication to building a culturally responsive school environment includes an ongoing review of curricular content, teaching methods, and institutional policies to identify and address any biases.
We embrace the ideal of education as a powerful means to unite people across all differences. In alignment with valuing diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging, we are dedicated to preparing our students to engage with the world compassionately, respectfully, and with a commitment to social justice. As a proud, accredited member of the Association of Waldorf Schools of North America (AWSNA), we affirm AWSNA’s statement repudiating any racially biased content in Steiner’s work and reaffirm our commitment to a respectful, inclusive Waldorf education.