91̽��

The legal distinction of whiteness as a race did not exist anywhere in the world until 1681, when colonial American lawmakers sought to outlaw marriages between European people and others, sociologist Jacqueline Battalora told Upper School students.

This was, essentially, “the invention of white people,” said Dr. Battalora, who visited 91̽�� as the Henry R. Heyburn guest lecturer.

Previously, people were grouped by their nation of origin, Dr. Battalora explained. But once anti-miscegenation laws preventing marriage between white people and nonwhite people were established further, legal segregation drove division among racial groups, creating an atmosphere and legacy of racism and discrimination the effects of which still resonate today.

Viewing art “involves very close looking, but also being open to a variety of ideas,” author and art critic Jed Perl told students. Mr. Perl was on campus as the Melissa Dilworth Gold Visiting Artist. On Tuesday night, Mr. Perl spoke to faculty, parents and alumni at 91̽��’s “Evening with the Arts,” an event dedicated to Kay Herzog, former English department chair and a champion of the arts at 91̽��.

During the Visual Arts Assembly, Mr. Perl showed students various works by artists such as Picasso, Corot and Mondrian. He discussed the process of “looking at something with your eyes and then figuring out what you are looking at. There is a back and forth between looking at it and making sense of it.”

Students can make a difference even before they reach voting age, by committing to hold their representatives accountable, said Jill Ashton, executive director of the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women.

“Build a relationship with your elected officials,” she encouraged students. “Know who represents you at all levels of government. Your state representative may remember what it was like to be a high school student, but they have no idea what it’s like to be a high school student in 2018. Your experiences and perspective are unique and significant.”

Students who listen to others, instead of fighting to command the spotlight, are building critical leadership skills—sometimes without knowing it—Army Brigadier General Richard F. Johnson P’19 told 91̽�� students during the Veterans Day assembly.

“When I was your age, I didn’t realize that I had the potential to lead; I didn’t really understand how to model leadership,” Brig. Gen. Johnson said. “If you want to be a leader, you can do that by being a good follower: being a strong leader at times and a team member at others. Generally, the leader listens. They allow other people to express their opinions, they absorb those opinions, and that allows them to form their own.”

On Wednesday morning, Upper School students participated in The Defamation Experience, an interactive, theatrical performance and discussion centered around a fictional courtroom drama involving a civil defamation case. Using the context of a legal trial, the cast navigated issues including race, class, gender and religion, culminating in deliberation and a decision in which students participated as jurors. The post-show discussion, led by a trained facilitator, provided the opportunity to engage in civil discourse around issues of identity, inclusion, justice and our connection as people.

Understanding the differences between gender and sex is key to creating a more welcoming and inclusive world, said Jennifer Bryan, a nationally recognized expert in gender and sexuality diversity.

Sex is biological, assigned at birth according to a baby’s anatomy, while gender refers to certain cultural or social attributes, Dr. Bryan said. Both exist on spectrums: a person’s gender may be male, female, some combination of both, fluid, or neither; biologically, people are born with reproductive systems, hormones and genetics that indicate male or female sex, or some combination of both.