DEI Club Guest Speaker

Anastasia Koutsivitis '25

On March 7th, Fontbonne’s very own DEI Club welcomed Marilyn Joseph from Faith in New York to talk about her work. Marilyn is the Director of Organizing at Faith in New York (FINY), which is a movement that focuses on bringing people of various religions and ethnicities together in order to better their communities. 

By advocating for equity, justice, and solidarity, this organization strives to represent all people in New York City. FINY’s hope and aim is to involve more young people in their initiative, as age does not impact our ability to create change. 

In fact, this group was introduced to Fontbonne by our very own student; Ange Saucedo (‘25), who is a part of an affiliated branch of this organization called Faith in Action (FIA). 

Faith in Action is similar to FINY, but works to combat discrimination on a national level- not just in the state. Ange has been to Washington DC, California, and New Mexico along with other FIA rising youths from across the country; they are learning what it takes to be leaders in their communities, and how to lobby for change. 

After speaking with Ange, she emphasized how welcoming FIA has been to youths, “I have been presented with spaces where we can speak about current issues and fight for social justice.” Ange even stressed just how much Marliyn and her staff inspired and encouraged her, “so when the opportunity for Marilyn to speak at school was presented, I was eager to introduce her to Fontbonne students.”  

Something that both Ange and Marilyn focused on greatly, was that the power of the youth is severely overlooked, and is more crucial than we all realize. In her talk, Marilyn informed the DEI club about Faith in New York’s goals, then went on to say that as highschool students, we have the opportunity to take small steps that can make a huge difference; like registering early to vote. She ended her discussion by presenting an optional survey where people can share their thoughts and experiences about what's most important to them in regards to public safety and social justice. 

One glance around the room, and it was clear how much Marilyn’s words motivated and influenced the students in attendance, who have been working all year to educate others and get more people involved in promoting equity at Fontbonne. 

DEI club’s president, Anaya Qayyum (‘24), highlighted the importance of Marilyn’s visit; “Having Marilyn come and speak to us shows that this work can and should continue outside of Fontbonne. I hope it inspires people to see the change they want in our country!” 

Personally, having also been invited on a Zoom call with Faith in New York by Ange Saucedo, I can attest that the entirety of the organization is just as dedicated and inspiring as Marilyn. With a staff that is all women of color, and a compassion toward the community that knows no bounds, DEI was truly lucky to have met one of FINY’s incredible leading women.

On behalf of Fontbonne, we thank Marilyn and everyone at FINY who helped to inform the DEI club of their influential work, and they urge us to remember it is, “Our Faith. Our Voice. Our City.”