Celebrating DEI Initiatives
Is your school or department doing something to celebrate or highlight diversity, equity, inclusion, or belonging? We would love to hear about it and share with colleagues! If there is something you would like highlighted in our newsletter, please send information to Katie Ilijic at katie.ilijic@pccsk12.com.
Since the 1990s, Arab American Heritage Month has been celebrated across the country. April was chosen as it marks the beginning of the spring season - symbolizing hope, growth, and new beginnings. In 2017, the Arab America Foundation began a national initiative to honor National Arab American Heritage Month (NAAHM) across the country. In 2023, President Biden recognized April as NAAHM with an historic proclamation. In 2023, Congress, the U.S. Department of State, and 47 governors issued proclamations commemorating the initiative. Today, Illinois, Ohio, Virginia, Indiana, and California have each passed permanent legislation designating the month of April as NAAHM. This year, several states, including Michigan, are pursuing legislation.
The background for this month’s newsletter is artwork by Helen Zughaib entitled Stories My Father Told Me (2023). Zughaib is a Lebanese-American artist who used this work to bring life to the stories her father told her about living in Syria and Lebanon in the 1930s and 40s. Zughaib’s artwork is included in the collections of the White House, World Bank, Library of Congress, and the Arab American National Museum. Zughaib also authored a book called Stories My Father Told Me: Memories of a Childhood in Syria and Lebanon with her father in 2020. Their book was awarded the Evelyn Shakir Non-Fiction Award from the Arab American National Museum as part of the 2021 Arab American Book Awards.
Below, please find a list of resources that may be helpful as we observe this month.
April is Autism Acceptance Month! In 1970, the Autism Society started National Autistic Children’s week, which would later become Autism Awareness Month. In 2007, the United Nations General Assembly established April 2 as World Autism Awareness Day. This day aims to raise awareness about autism and improve the quality of life of people living with autism. In 2008, Autism Speaks launched Autism Awareness Month which is now a comprehensive initiative to raise awareness and promote acceptance and understanding of individuals with autism. In 2021, the Autism Society renamed the month Autism Acceptance Month to emphasize the importance of inclusion and acceptance of individuals with autism.
Autism refers to a broad range of conditions characterized by challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviors, speech, and nonverbal communication. According to the Centers for Disease Control, autism impacts an estimated 1 in 36 children in the United States today.
Below, please find a list of resources that may be helpful as we observe this month.
On April 9 through the evening of April 10, Muslims across the world will honor and celebrate Eid al-Fitr. This religious holiday is celebrated by Muslims worldwide, marking the end of Ramadan. Traditionally, Eid al-Fitr is a three-day holiday known as the “Festival of breaking fast.” Eid al-Fitr is typically celebrated through prayer, feasts, parades, gifts, and charitable giving. Eid may be celebrated by participating in prayer services that take place shortly after dawn. Students have shared that they have had to make the difficult decision not to participate in family celebrations because they must attend school. Please be mindful of this and do not schedule assessments, major projects, etc. on these days. In accordance with Policy 5200, students who miss school because of an excused absence, including absence for religious observance, should not be expected to complete homework, tests, or other school work during their absence.
Please see the resources below for additional information:
April 22, 2024 is Earth Day. Earth Day was established in 1970 as a day to remind ourselves of the importance of clean air, fresh water, and unlittered land. It is a day to learn green strategies to preserve the environment and conserve natural resources. The theme for Earth Day 2024 is Planet vs. Plastics, which emphasizes the collective commitment to reduce plastic production by 60% by 2040 in an attempt to forge a plastic-free future.
Please see the resources below for additional information:
Students, staff, and families around the world will celebrate and honor Passover beginning at sundown on Monday, April 22 and ending at sundown on Tuesday, April 30.
What is Passover?
Passover, or Pesach in Hebrew, is one of the Jewish religion’s most sacred and widely observed holidays. In Judaism, Passover commemorates the story of the Israelites’ departure from ancient Egypt.
When is Passover?
Like Easter in Christianity and Ramadan in Islam, the date of Passover changes each year. Passover begins on the 15th day of the Hebrew month of Nissan. That means that Passover 2024 takes place at sundown on Monday, April 22 and ends on the evening of Tuesday, April 30.
How is Passover Celebrated?
Although traditions may vary from family-to-family, typically during Passover all leavened food products are removed from the home before Passover begins and throughout the duration. On the first two nights of Passover, families and friends traditionally gather for a religious meal known as the seder. There are certain objects that are always part of a Passover seder, including:
The seder plate: a large round plate with 6 indentations containing a roasted egg to symbolize new life; bitter herbs to remind everyone of the ancient Jews’ hard lives; parsley to represent spring; charoset (a sweet mixture of apples and honey) to symbolize the mortar used by slaves; a shank bone to remind everyone of the slaughtered lambs; and lettuce or horseradish to represent the slaves’ bitter lives.
The Haggadah: the Passover book that everyone follows along featuring the story of the exodus of the Jews along with prayers and songs.
The kiddush cup: representing the prophet Elijah’s empty spot.
Passover foods: typically consisting of gefilte fish, chopped liver, brisket, and matzo ball soup, among others.
For more information, please visit the links below:
P-CCS Hate and Bias Reporting Form
This is a safe online reporting platform for P-CCS students/families to document incidents of hate and bias in our schools or at school-related events.
What are Microaggressions and Racism?
P-CCS is committed to the success of every student in each of our schools and achieving our mission of developing capable, involved citizens who recognize that they are citizens of a global community, who use critical thinking skills, and are lifelong learners.
To effectuate this, we must be committed to recognizing and stopping microaggressions and racism in our school communities. The P-CCS Educational and Racial Equity Policy (Policy 2260.03) defines microaggressions and racism in the following ways:
- Microaggressions: a comment or action that subtly and often unconsciously or unintentionally expresses a prejudiced attitude toward a member of a marginalized group.
- Racism: systematic mistreatment of certain groups of people on the basis of skin color or other physical characteristics. This mistreatment is carried out by societal institutions, or by people who have been conditioned by the society to act, consciously or unconsciously, in harmful ways toward people of color.
Please click here to read the entire Educational and Racial Equity Policy (Policy 2260.03) for Plymouth-Canton Community Schools.
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Katie Ilijic (She/Her/Hers)
Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Email: katie.ilijic@pccsk12.com
Website: https://www.pccsk12.com/about-p-ccs/departments/diversity-equity-and-inclusion
Location: 454 South Harvey Street, Plymouth, MI, USA