St. Joseph’s Prep seeks to produce graduates who are intellectually competent, open to growth, religious, loving and committed to doing justice.
In pursuit of this goal, a diverse student body becomes part of the educational experience, better preparing students to work in an increasingly multicultural world, one in which local, national and international challenges are often grounded in cultural, religious or linguistic differences.
The Prep's diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and programs enhance the life of the school, contributing to an environment that reflects and nurtures the recognition and appreciation of human dignity and multiple perspectives while embracing and celebrating our shared experiences. The Prep is also committed to attracting diverse talent among its colleagues with the motivation to reach out to people of every part of the world as fundamental to the Society of Jesus.
Bakari is a Swahili word meaning “of a noble promise”; it was adapted by HL Ratliff ’78 and serves as a motto of the African American Alumni Association (A4), which provides mentorship to students of color at the Prep.
The Bakari Awards is an annual awards ceremony recognizing the academic and leadership achievements of our Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) students of the Prep. Each year we recognize outstanding students and alumni who have demonstrated academic excellence and leadership in their fields.
The ceremony is also a time to honor our BIPOC seniors with the ceremonial multicultural graduation stole which symbolizes their transition from Prep students to distinguished alumni of the Prep. It invites these alumni into the fold of the A4 to continue serving our students and fulfilling that noble promise.
The Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) will be piloting our “For All” initiative that will anchor our DEI efforts in the 2020-21 school year. The purpose of this initiative is to invite community members of St. Joseph’s Preparatory School to investigate their understanding of what it means to be “with and for others” and ask us to reimagine this phrase in our efforts to become “with and for all.”
Its purpose is to capture experiences around bias within our Prep community, investigate, and bring resolution to reported cases. We will use this information to repair harm, foster continuous learning around DEI topics, create impactful training sessions, make data driven decisions, and educate our members with the overall goal of creating positive change.
Used to celebrate any community member whose efforts aid the Prep in actualizing its vision of inclusive excellence, foster innovation, justice, and propel us forward with our Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Justice & Belonging efforts.
The African-American & Latino Alumni Association--also know as A4--is an active and dedicated group of Prep alums whose mission is to advance, promote and exemplify a commitment to diversity at St. Joseph’s Prep through inclusion, advocacy and its ongoing engagement with A4 alumni and current students.