Overview of DEI

Diversity, equity, and inclusion are core values embedded within Fordham Prep’s Catholic Jesuit mission and tradition. These values flow from our faith in God, in whose own image and likeness each person is created and imbued with dignity. We are inspired by the vision of diversity, equity, and inclusion as articulated within the Apostolic Preferences of the Society of Jesus. These preferences invite us to walk with the excluded in a mission of reconciliation and justice, and to accompany young people in the creation of a hope-filled future. Beyond opportunities for service and expressions of charity, we believe sustained accompaniment and respectful encounters on a human level have the power to transform us and our community in radical and life-giving ways.

Message from the Director Mr. Randall Pedro:

The work of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Fordham Prep is rooted in justice. Justice has the potential to be a wide-ranging abstract construct. Many people equate justice with being a “good” or “fair” person. To conceptualize justice in a way that becomes the core of our experiences, I find reflecting on Fr. David Fleming’s S.J. modern-language version of the Principle and Foundation of Spiritual Exercises extremely helpful; “Our only desire and our one choice should be this: I want and I choose what better leads to God’s deepening his life in me”. Embracing this deepening transforms us and has the ability to transform our society. Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion are about transforming our society to see the dignity of every individual in every interaction. These encounters should promote the belonging of each person. If a person every feels on the peripheries of our community, we should be moved to action to promote belonging. This transformative justice allows God’s love to follow through us to help confront, address and remove the divisive nature of our society. To combat these divisions in our society, we hope to imbue our students with the ability to “truly see” one another as God’s loving creations. This is at the cornerstone of our mission to create “men for and with others”. To work toward this outcome, it is necessary to listen to each of our stories. We must create opportunities and environments for the different voices in our community to be the stakeholders of their experience. We cannot overlook the pain and anguish we cause when we look past a student’s story. The Fordham Prep Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion program is one of the many mission-centered initiatives in our school community where we can express “I see you, I value you and most importantly I love you as my brother or sister”.