SPOTLIGHT ON DEI

To Our CCUSD Community:

Thriving in spite of Adversity

We are in the month of celebrations, the start of new chapters, and in a period of time of which we can acknowledge our progress as a community & self-growth. June is mostly noted for its significance of the culmination of the school year, graduation ceremonies, stepping up, LGBTQIA+ PRIDE celebrations, cultural commemorations and activities, and several health and wellness-related awareness days. As the middle of 2024 approaches us, it seems appropriate to use the summer slow days as a time to step into a pensive time of reflection.

We think about the plights of various groups, Caribbean American families seeking refuge in America for a better life, the LGBTQIA+ community striving for equal opportunity & acknowledgment of existence, and some of the individual economic, social, and cultural obstacles our young students have had to overcome to get to the finish line of the next grade, school year, or culmination of their academic career. The thread of adversity is what binds us, but what makes us more powerful is the richness in the patterns of success in our journeys. Our communities are quilted with the squares of stories of which we first came from and the growth of where we are today.

Let us celebrate our resilience!

- DEI Executive Assistant, Antoinette Stewart-Eneh

Sharon Kerry-Harlan, Portrait of Resilience, from the Flag Series, 2020, dye discharge fabric, antique quilt fabric, vinyl, flag fabric, and African print fabric, overall: 86 1⁄2 × 73 1⁄2 in. (219.7 × 186.7 cm), Smithsonian American Art Museum, Museum purchase through the Kenneth R. Trapp Acquisition Fund, 2021.35, © 2021, Sharon Kerry-Harlan

Commemorative Holidays of June

• Pride Month
  

• Eid al-Adha: Evening of Sat, Jun 15, 2024 – Sun, Jun 16, 2024

• Caribbean-American Heritage Month
  

• Alzheimer’s & Brain Awareness Month

• Men’s Health Month

• National Post-Traumatic Stress Awareness Month/ National PTSD Awareness Month

• National Safety Month

• Graduation Commemorations!

Commemorative Days

• Global Day of Parents: June 1

• International Children’s Day: June 1

• Korean Memorial Day: June 6

• Father's Day: June 16

• Juneteenth: June 19

Click on the image to read more about the cause.

The talented Celia Cruz, also deemed as an LGBTQ+ Latinxs icon, as she has inspired the queer community over the years with her talent, elaborate stage outfits, and freedom of expression.

Graduation season is amongst us! And crossing across that stage for many of our students, isn't just about receiving the diploma, or the significance of moving on up - it's the story of their adversity and triumph! Our CCUSD graduates illustrate a diverse background of students, and at the high school level, this diversity is championed in the form of intimate graduation celebrations. Culver City High School students who have found community either with cultural connections, identity, or through life experiences, have joined Affinity Groups, and in turn, these groups are now getting a chance to celebrate their graduates who have left their mark & worked through their own personal & societal challenges to get to where they are today.

This speech & poem titled, "Lift Off" provided by Donovan Livingston, a master's candidate at Harvard University, was noted as one of the most influential & powerful graduation speeches. Cited by several news outlets and magazines for it's emotion-evoking imagery and connection to overcoming adversities.

This excerpt is from LGBTQhistory.org

This timeline is organized in units that are typically taught in middle school and high school U.S. History classrooms and is consistent with the people and events listed in the new California History-Social Science Framework (2016). Our Family Coalition will be updating the timeline over time.

It is important to note that there existed lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals, communities, and relationships long before these terms became commonplace. Gay and lesbian relationships existed in ancient Rome and Greece communities and are shown in a variety of art from that time. The years when common terms began to be used are listed first followed by important LGBTQ history events:

• Lesbian – 1732 – the term lesbian first used by William King in his book, The Toast, published in England which meant women who loved women.
• Homosexual – 1869 – Hungarian journalist Karl-Maria Kertheny first used the term homosexual.
  
• Bisexual – 1894/1967. 1872 – the pamphlet, “Psychopathia Sexualis” was translated from German and one of the first times the term bisexual is used. 1967: Sexual Freedom League formed in San Francisco in support of bisexual people.
  
• Gay – 1955 – the term gay was used throughout Europe earlier, but this is the year most agree that gay came to mean same-sex relationships between men.
  
• Transgender – 1965 – John Oliven, in his book, Sexual Hygiene and Pathology, used the term transgender to mean a person who identifies with a gender other than the one they were assigned at birth.

Read more here

Curriculum Resources

Community Resources

If you are in a life threatening situation, Please use these resources for immediate help.

• Trans Lifeline: 877-565-8860

• The Trevor Project: 866-488-7386

• LGBT National Hotline: 888-843-4564

• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 800-273-8255

• National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs: 212-714-1141

• GLBT National Youth Talkline: 800-246-7743

• DeHQ: LGBTQ Helpline for South Asians: 908-367-3374

Community Events to check out....

February 14, 2006, the US Senate passed the Concurrent Resolution establishing June as National Caribbean American Heritage Month. June 16, 2006 the Los Angeles City Council presented a proclamation establishing June as Caribbean American Heritage Month in Los Angeles in perpetuity.

An excerpt from the Proclamation on National Caribbean-American Heritage from the White House,

"There is no single Caribbean American identity. The mix of cultures, languages, and religions alive across the United States and the islands reflects the diversity of spirit that defines the American story. Meanwhile, our countries are bound by common values and a shared history — overcoming the yoke of colonialism, confronting the original sin of slavery, and charting new opportunities across borders and generations."

Read/Listen about the challenges Caribbean Immigrants face coming to the US:

• NPR article, Caribbean Immigrants Face Challenges in the US by Ed Gordon
• Northeastern Global News Piece, The Hard Story of Caribbean Immigrants and the American Dream

Are you surprised to see any there or any islands that are missing from this list? Islands from Latin America, such as Belize and Panama share very similar cultural influences as the ones aforementioned.

Watch an ABC News special about the origins of reggae and dancehall, and it's influence on the American music scene. Audience: Suggested 13+

Want to celebrate Caribbean Heritage Month? One of the threads that tie Caribbean culture together is the love for community and the richness of flavors in food! Take your family to enjoy a meal from one of the islands of the Caribbean Sea. We curated a list of high-quality Caribbean restaurants to enjoy!

If you have any professional development or learning opportunities that you would like to share with the CCUSD community, please click the submission button below: