The Peddie community celebrated its third and final Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Day of the year on April 18, 2023, focusing on religion, spirituality and belief systems. Despite Peddie’s Baptist origins, today the school is secular and Peddie’s students, employees and alumni represent many faiths and traditions. A combination of affinity spaces and open-to-all workshops created an incredible opportunity for students to connect with community members who share their beliefs, hear new perspectives and collectively navigate the complexities of being part of a multi-faith community. 

The workshops covered such topics as the philosophy of religion, sleep as a spiritual practice, the role of food in spiritual practices, meditative yoga, guided meditation and the concepts of free will and destiny.

To facilitate these conversations, Peddie’s DEI Team invited a group of wonderful guest speakers, including social worker Alice Wang, master of theology (and faculty partner) Mx. Jeremy Lambson, astrologer and tarot reader Brenda Garcia Jaramillo and our keynote speaker, Rana Abdelhamid. Abdelhamid is an internationally acclaimed human rights organizer, first degree black belt, public speaker and social entrepreneur focused on the empowerment of marginalized communities. In 2022, she ran for election to the U.S. House of Representatives in New York’s 12th congressional district. She’s also the executive director of Malikah, a nonprofit organization empowering women around the globe through self-defense training, healing justice, economic empowerment and community organizing for safety and power. In her keynote speech, “Being and Believing: Finding Your Voice, Healing and Power,” Abdelhamid described her experience as a Muslim woman and community organizer in Queens, N.Y.

“No matter your personal experience with or thoughts about religion,” said director of DEI Diku Rogers ’12 from the podium of Ayer Memorial Chapel, “we welcome you into this day of reflection with empathy, open-mindedness and care. Today is not about having to defend or justify your identities. It’s not about passing judgment or shame. It’s not about you versus me or us versus them. Today, as always, is about learning reflection and community.”