Dear Editor,

As a college student, one of my favorite parts of coming home to Clarkston is reading the Clarkston News.
However, when I came home last week, I was astonished to read that a school board candidate proudly said, “We can mostly agree there is no place for…DEI (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion) in our schools” (May 11, “Clarkston resident looking to be new voice on school board”). I, for one, do not agree. If anything, the district should include more about DEI, as I feel that Clarkston Community Schools failed to prepare me for the myriad of cultures I have experienced throughout the real world.
I was born and raised in Clarkston and proudly graduated from Clarkston High School in the Class of 2018. Last month, I graduated from the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor. Throughout my four years in Ann Arbor and two summer internships in Los Angeles, I realized how homogenous the culture of Clarkston truly is. Census data of Independence Township from census.gov confirms this, with the government reporting 84.6% White population, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 4.8% Black or African American, and 2.6% Asian.
When I arrived at Michigan, I realized that my whole perception of diversity was based around the incomplete perspectives of Clarkston. I had never been properly exposed to cultures vastly different than my own.
I struggled with how to properly interact with these other cultures in a way that celebrated them rather than trivialize them. I lived with Indian and Chinese roommates and discussed religion with Muslim and Jewish friends. I learned how these cultures differed, but also how we all share a common human experience of hope, justice, and love.
Clarkston, the city, and Clarkston Community Schools did not adequately prepare me for these experiences.
To hear Mrs. Love decry DEI as a “form of indoctrination” shows her naivety regarding the goal of education. CCS aims to prepare its students to enter the world as a whole. Many of my teachers did just that, teaching me math and science to enter a career in engineering, teaching me language arts to communicate effectively, and teaching me history to learn from the past.
In fact, many of my teachers tried to share diverse perspectives through books like “To Kill a Mockingbird” and “Their Eyes Were Watching God” and history class discussions about the civil rights movements.
However, this sentiment was not prioritized by CCS administration and the school board, which led to the failure to impart on myself and my peers ways to properly approach and celebrate those from diverse backgrounds.
I hope that the Clarkston voters recognize the importance of this fact.

Sincerely,
Justin Osborn
Clarkston