Unity Alliance (formally known as SEID) is a club that celebrates different cultures in the Southeast Polk school district and the community.
Unity Alliance meets every Wednesday morning at nine. Every meeting varies from week to week. Some weeks Unity Alliance puts up decorations related to cultures and some weeks they learn or teach each other about different cultures.
Last year, Unity Alliance put on an event called Culture Day. It was in the Multipurpose room during school. They are hosting it this year as well. It’ll be some time in April, however more details are still to come.
There are multiple students who come from different cultures who participate in Unity Alliance. There are students from Latin America, different parts of Africa, and Europe. English teacher, Emily House, helps advise the club, however, she is just the adult in the room. The club is mostly student-led.
House previously worked in another school district and she gained a lot of experience with Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) from that.
“We really worked to make sure staff understood the different cultures within the building including their own so that students can feel safe. That wasn’t well received by everyone in the community,” said House.
President Donald Trump has stood against diversity, equity, and inclusion. He is planning on ending all DEI programs.
According to CNN Politics, “Dozens of employees at the Education Department were placed on paid administrative leave Friday as part of the Trump administration’s larger effort to rid the federal workforce of employees associated with diversity, equity, and inclusion.”
House explains that DEI is mostly about people knowing themselves to know their neighbor. . Whoever that neighbor may be, people are able to work better together if they understand DEI.
Part of House’s plan in keeping her students feeling safe and from feeling scared and nervous is to make sure everyone in her classroom is included and feels comfortable.
“My goal here as a teacher is to always feel safe and to understand that I am not here to judge them,” said House. “I just hope everyone feels safe in my room. Change is always scary.”
House says that inclusion programming has benefited her positively.
“I think the stronger connections I have with my ancestry are the more fun I have and the easier it is to understand other cultures. Like I know who I am and it’s fun to learn who other people are. To celebrate both the similarities and the differences,” said House.
Some people don’t celebrate differences and they end up in bad places, but the people who are celebrating differences can work better with others and can understand each other better.
Celebrating similarities is also important. People’s similarities help us connect with each other. Clubs, for example, are a perfect way to celebrate differences and similarities in each other.
House teaches American Experience. She says there are a lot of cultures represented in poems and literature. She says not every story is told in the same way.
“Culture and literature come together in a way that expands what literature is. And I think stories are the most powerful way in connecting with both people like us and people different from us,” said House.
House says her favorite thing about Unity Alliance is the energy. She says the students are focused and are really engaged in the club. It is an inspiring place to be according to House.
The one thing House wants students to know about Unity Alliance is that a student can come to a meeting, but they don’t have to feel obligated to come to every meeting.
“… all of us will be willing to walk you through and help you connect with your own culture … culture doesn’t mean only your ancestors. Like there’s band culture, football culture, there’s Carhart culture…,” said House.
Sophomores Jennifer and Patricia Nimely are a part of Unity Alliance. They presented at Culture Day about Indian, Liberian, and Sudanese culture last year. This is their second year in the club.
They joined Unity Alliance because they wanted to help spread diversity around the school and help educate people about culture. They say their favorite part of Unity Alliance is mostly Culture Day and also decorating the school and experiencing new things within the club.
If someone wants to learn more about their culture or someone else’s culture, go to a meeting and every person there in Mrs. House’s classroom will be happy to tell you more.
