Jen’s Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Inclusion is one of the core pillars of Jen’s being. Jen believes she was an abolitionist in her past life (1808 -1836) financially supporting efforts on the Underground Railroad and holds strongly then and now the values of equality for race, gender and sexual orientation. Jen rejected the exclusive religious dogma of her childhood at a young age and advocates for inclusivity in all of her business and personal endeavors. Jen stands in solidarity with her friends of color and the Unitarian Universalist Association in support of the Black Lives Matter movement, and is committed to elevating the voices of Black, Indigenous, and other people of color in her board work and professional capacities. While serving on the board of Valley Waldorf City School from 2007-2009 she elevated voices of color on the finance committee regarding the school’s Accessible to All Tuition philosophy. From 2009 – 2011 Jen served on the board of the YWCA of North Orange County supporting programs focused on racial equity and women’s empowerment. From 2015 to 2020 Jen served as children’s program leader at Throop Unitarian Universalist church teaching principles of inheirent worth and dignity while holding space and modeling cooperation and collaboration for an inclusive and diverse gathering of children every Sunday morning. In 2016 she initiated the DEI committee at Pasadena Waldorf School where she worked as Director of Admissions. She attempted, unsuccessfully to re-write Pasadena Waldorf School’s tuition assistance program to encourage equity and diversity and ultimately resigned in protest when the school’s board voted to place a 50% cap on tuition assistance. For the 2018/19 school year she joined the work of the DEI committee at Westside Waldorf School and she is actively working to influence matters of diversity within Waldorf Education by elevating perspectives of color on the board of WISC, which provides Waldorf teacher training, where she has served since 2011. Jen fundamentally rejects any view which questions the equal value of every individual. She explicitly rejects any racial doctrine attributed to or inferred from the ideas of Rudolf Steiner or any other person. She recognizes the importance of continuously educating ourselves and remedying our shortcomings in order to embody the principles of inclusion in all that she does. Jen openly shares her journey as a parent combating racial bias with her own children and is an advocate for actively raising anti-racist children.
Jen Quintana’s Response to QAnon
Jen stands against the conspiracy theories and cult movement known as QAnon. She unequivocally denounces QAnon messages of hate, bigotry, and misinformation. QAnon supporters have targeted the mind-body-spirit industry in an attempt to gain credibility and grow their footprint specifically around the topic of Covid-19 and the health risks and guidelines associated with the pandemic. Mystical practioners and lighworkers who are aligned with this movement do not represent the values and vision of Jen Quintana.
