Equity & Inclusion Newsletter

Monday, January 17 marks Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, which was first declared a federal holiday in 1983. With Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day approaching, we'd like to share a read aloud video of the text Pies from Nowhere: How Georgia Gilmore Sustained the Montgomery Bus Boycott. This book shares the true story of Georgia Gilmore and the Club from Nowhere, a grassroots project to provide food and funds for the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Dr. King appears in the text as a secondary character. We chose this book not only to honor Dr. King's legacy, but also to draw attention to the the many important contributions of changemakers and organizers working towards liberty and justice for all alongside Dr. King during the Civil Rights Movement, and even still today.

Educators, please consider sharing this read aloud video featuring Region 15 students with your classes! There are questions for discussions included in the video throughout so that you may pause to talk with one another to make meaning as you read together.

Interested in learning more about Georgia Gilmore?

• Transcript of interview with Georgia Gilmore
• The Club from Nowhere: Cooking for Civil Rights
• Georgia Gilmore: Overlooked Activist of the Montgomery Bus Boycott

At Pomperaug High School, two student-run organizations, the Asian Student Union and the LatinX Club recently collaborated to plan and host a potluck event!

According to Asian Student Union President Amanda Victoriano, the goals of the Asian Student Union are "to educate others about the cultural variety within Asia and address the racial difficulties that Asian Americans face, as well as find voices and allies that can talk about experiences and overall have fun and educate themselves with other people’s cultures and how we can learn to embrace this." Mrs. Yamira Raimundi, faculty advisor of the LatinX Club, explained "the Latinx Club promotes understanding and celebration of Hispanic culture in the PHS school community. Being the club's advisor means the world to me; the club fills me with great pride as a Latina. Helping students in their activities and seeing how they share their cultures, customs and stories are what I enjoy most. Talking about our cultures and experiences is very important to create a school community environment of inclusion and diversity."

From tres leches cake to adobo to chao mi fen and so much more, students shared foods that were special to them, their families, and who they are. ASU Treasurer Gabby Leonardi said "The potluck event generated a great turnout. So many people contributed and we received so much good feedback from within the club and from others who attended. I think its significance as an event relies on the unity and sense of community that it created." "These types of events are important because they promote diversity and cultural exchange in the school," Mrs. Raimundi added. The LatinX Club and ASU are always open to new members at PHS!

Don't hesitate to reach out -- there are more where these came from!

Consider in this article the need to examine the civic engagement, liberation movements, creativity, and complex intersecting identities of Black people during Black history month, in addition to teaching hard history.

Why is this information important?

• The towns of Middlebury and Southbury are made up of families representing many different religious and cultural identities.

• The information below is offered as a resource to increase awareness of & respect for religious observations and ethnic and cultural festivities. These observances may affect students, colleagues and neighbors in our community.
  
  

What are some ways this information can be used?

Calendar planning by for use in scheduling and planning details, for example:

• workplace festivities

• community events

• school activities and exams

1/5 Guru Gobind Singh Ji’S Birthday: (Sikh) Guru Gobind Singh was the 10th Sikh guru of Nanak and founder of the Khalsa

1/6 Christmas (Armenian Orthodox Christian): Armenian Christians celebrate the birth of Jesus on Epiphany, except for Armenians living in Israel, who celebrate Christmas on January 19th

1/6 Epiphany/3 Kings Day: (Christian) Known as Theophany in Eastern Christianity, it celebrates the manifestation of Jesus as Christ. In addition, the Western Church associates Epiphany with the journey of the Magi to the infant Jesus, and the Eastern Church with the baptism of Jesus by John.

1/7 Christmas (Eastern Christian): Most Orthodox churches celebrate Christmas 13 days later than other Christian churches based on their use of the Julian rather than the Gregorian version of the Western calendar

1/14 Makar Sankranti: (Hindu) Seasonal celebration marking turning of the sun toward the north

1/17 Tu B’Shvat: (Jewish) New Year's Day for Trees, and traditionally the first of the year for tithing

1/18 Mahayana New Year: (Buddhist) In Mahayana countries the New Year starts on the first full moon day in January

(Source: Anti-Defamation League)

Because our intention in sharing this information is to increase awareness of and respect for religious observations and ethnic and cultural festivities that may affect students, colleagues and neighbors in our community, your input is important. Please email equity_inclusion@region15.org if there is something we missed!

Tribury Reads Together will soon be finalizing the next book choice for this communities-wide reading opportunity. Please click here to access Tribury Reads Together's website for more information.

Here are some upcoming, free events that students, families, staff members, and other stakeholders may be interested in:

• Thriving Teens: SEL for Adolescents & Secondary Education, 1/20, 2pm

  SEL for Adolescents & Secondary Education

• CT's 7th Annual Secondary Transition Symposium - #TransitionChallenge: Building Tomorrow’s Leaders Today!, (SERC), 1/25, 8:30am-12pm

• Teach the Black Freedom Struggle, variety of monthly online classes for 2022

The American School for the Deaf is enrolling for its Spring 2022 Community Sign Language Program. This course is virtual for 13 yr old+ American Sign Language (ASL) classes!

Instagram: r15equity_inclusion

The importance of listening to your lived experiences, insights, ideas, and perspectives cannot be overstated. Please feel free to reach out! We'd love to connect.

*Note: Quotation (c) 2019 CLC Collective and Dottir Press

Email: equity_inclusion@region15.org
Website: https://www.region15.org/community/equity-and-inclusion
Twitter: @r15equity