B.E.L.O.N.G. at Harpeth Hall
B.E.L.O.N.G. is the upper school student diversity leadership group. B.E.L.O.N.G. is comprised of collaborative, thoughtful leaders from diverse social, religious, and cultural backgrounds who partner with the school's director of equity and inclusion to help plan, design, and implement ongoing DEIB initiatives and learning opportunities for the school community.
Boldly Showing Up
Engaging in Tough Conversations
Listening More than I Speak
Open to Learning
Noticing My Assumptions
Giving Second Chances
Read more from 10th grade students Miriam John and Bayona Fletcher '26 and senior Lauren Wynn '24.
What is B.E.L.O.N.G? What is the club’s mission?
Miriam: B.E.L.O.N.G. is a club dedicated to DEI, which means diversify, equity, and inclusion. We discuss how Harpeth Hall is promoting these ideas and try to find new ways to improve DEI at Harpeth Hall.
Bayona: B.E.L.O.N.G. is a club for students of all ethnicities, backgrounds, races, and cultures to come together to talk about issues regarding these identities and social issues. In B.E.L.O.N.G, student leaders embrace the club programming as an opportune space for innovation and bright ideas. B.E.L.O.N.G. has already started identifying issues and generating meaningful ways to address them, including how to bring together a community of Nashville educators and students.
Lauren: B.E.L.O.N.G is our student lead diversity, equity, and inclusion board that works within the school and the broader community to increase conversations about DEIB and representation. The mission is our acronym which stands for boldly showing up, engaging in tough conversations, listening more than I speak, open to learning, noticing my assumptions, and giving second chances.
What inspired you to be a part of B.E.L.O.N.G?
Miriam: I signed up for this club because the mission is very important to me. I had ideas about how Harpeth Hall could improve and B.E.L.O.N.G. was the best place for me to share them. I had also heard wonderful things about the club leaders and members, including how welcoming the environment they created was.
Bayona: I was inspired to join B.E.L.O.N.G. because I'm a person who values every part of my identity and the identities of others. One lesson I have learned since joining the club is that showing up and leadership are important because you want to be represented and heard, so that things can change and not be the way they always have been.
Lauren: I have always been interested in DEIB work, especially student lead DEIB work in our community. I have seen the ways our faculty and staff use DEIB work to better educate us and diversify our environment, so once I was aware there was an option to do the same in my own environment and with other girls I was immediately intrigued.
What is one lesson or insight you have learned since joining the club? How has it impacted you or changed the way you think about building community?
Miriam: B.E.L.O.N.G. has made me think about how inclusivity is essential to building a strong community. We have worked to educate our community and build a stronger one while doing so.
Bayona: B.E.L.O.N.G. has impacted the way I think about building community by showing how important it is to contribute and be there for those hard conversations on race, culture, and identity. You have to be willing to talk about it and open up about it, If you want other people to do the same.
Lauren: During my time as a member of the club and as the co-president, I have learned how to engage in those tough conversations and enter them with an open mind. I have also learned effective leadership skills and ways to implement DEIB work into my everyday life. This club also taught me that representation is often the basis of building community because everyone offers their own unique perspective to the table and this is expressed in every B.E.L.O.N.G. meeting.