The Essential

Happy May DDSD!

The DEI team would like to express our gratitude towards you all for the hard work that you have put in this year. Acknowledging that there are many challenging events happening in the word, not to mention any personal challenges, we appreciate that you have continuously showed up for our students day in and out. Hopefully we have seen the last of our Portland "fake springs" and we move to more sunshine in the last fourth of our school year. This month we highlight both Asian American/Pacific Islander Heritage Month and Jewish American Heritage Month. Check out the "May Cultural and Identity Celebrations" below to see more that is celebrated this month!

Every month, we will highlight the cultural and identity based celebrations that are celebrated nationally within each month. However, it is important to state that people who hold the identities that we are celebrating should not only be celebrated one month out of the year. We choose to celebrate the diversity of often marginalized groups because their histories and stories historically have been left out. There are many people who hold these identities within our community, students and staff, who deserve to see themselves in the work we do. We move forward with these celebrations encouraging a continuing visibility, representation, and celebration of the groups we highlight.

Lesson for Grades 3-7 from the Asian American Education Project

Jewish American Heritage Month (JAHM) is an annual recognition and celebration of American Jews' achievements and contributions to the United States of America during the month of May.[1]

President George W. Bush first proclaimed the month on April 20, 2006, as a result of cooperation with Sen. Arlen Specter (R-PA), as well as the Jewish Museum of Florida and the South Florida Jewish Community. Since then, annual proclamations have been made by Presidents Bush, Obama, Trump, and Biden.

In 2020 the National Museum of American Jewish History in Philadelphia repositioned Jewish American Heritage Month to empower communities across the country to celebrate the inspiring history of Jewish people in America; educate diverse public audiences about Jewish culture; and spark crucial conversations about the American Jewish present and future.

Lesson Plans for Grades K-5

“Dream a little before you think,” wrote the great Toni Morrison. Why? Because thinking is limited by the boundaries of what is currently possible. Instead, dreaming allows us to imagine worlds outside of those boundaries. On a sunny April afternoon, 20 BIPOC GYO participants and educators came together to do just that in the first gathering of a “Freedom Dreaming Collective” on BIPOC Educator Retention. The meeting was funded by a GYO program grant and convened current GYO participants and district staff of color. Over the course of a meal, a libation ceremony, and a whole lot of conversation and connection, participants reflected on the prompt: “What dreams do you have for yourself and other BIPOC educators to thrive in our district?”

Answers ranged from the visionary to the concrete:

• “Students see their education as POWER. Staff of Color feel connected across departments and schools. Students have MULTIPLE staff who look like them & share their experiences”

• “Continue but also ACHIEVE my parents work for equity and equality”

• “I hope that we are seen/heard and compensated for our work. We are important and beyond valuable”

• “A pay raise and a place where we can support each other as BIPOC staff & connect regularly”

Along with dreams, educators shared stories of being the go-to interpreter for families who see them as the most trusted person in the school, of advocating for Black & Brown students who connect with them more than other educators in the school, of experiencing micro and macro aggressions from colleagues who are uncertain how to interact with someone from a different racial and cultural background. And as the evening progressed a common through line emerged with regards to BIPOC educator retention: see us, value us, compensate us.

The Grow Your Own program is currently supporting dozens of BIPOC staff on their pathway to becoming teachers, counselors, and social workers. At the same time, it is crucial that we attend to how GYO participants will sustain through the challenges that they face as staff of color, even after completing their degrees. In other words, how can our district foster an environment that RETAINS diverse educators who reflect and uplift our student population? To answer this question, it is important that we turn to the people closest to the issue: GYO participants. Over the course of what remains of this year, GYO participants in the “Freedom Dreaming Collective” will gather, reflect, and brainstorm actions that the district can take to support BIPOC educator retention.

The Freedom Dreaming Collective is a continuation of the work that began when a number of district BIPOC educators came together in 2019 to ask, what do students, families, and staff of color need from our district? We used the concept of freedom dreaming found in the work of Dr. Bettina Love and other abolitionist educators. “Freedom Dreaming is an opportunity to visualize the future that we want to live in, and harness the necessary tools and resources to actively move that dream toward a reality. It begins with addressing inequalities within ours and others lives to build awareness and then taking steps to enact change” (CUNY Academic Commons). After a series of meetings, and in the context of the global pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement for racial justice, theStaff of Color group identified the following Freedom Dreams:

• Freedom Dream 1: We want the district to adopt a culturally responsive curriculum that affirms the identity of Black and Brown students.

• Freedom Dream 2: We want the district to rethink, reimagine, and reconstruct our professional development system to provide high quality training on equity and culturally responsive practices for all licensed and classified staff.

• Freedom Dream 3: We want to build a district culture that is unapologetic about hiring staff of color to increase representation of our student population.

While our district has a long way to go to fully achieve these freedom dreams, a lot of work was initiated and continues as a result of Staff of Color advocacy and efforts. This work includes our building equity teams, our district-wide equity PD, our new district curriculum adoption process, and our district’s Grow Your Own program. You can see our original Freedom Dream document here.

Now, as the GYO program supports and prepares a new generation of BIPOC educators, it is time to integrate and center their freedom dreams into the collective effort to build a district where all students, families, and staff, especially those who have historically been marginalized, can truly thrive.

If you are or you know a David Douglas student, family, or community member of color who is interested in pursuing a career in education, please contact Andreina Velasco (andreina_velasco@ddsd40.org), Grow Your Own Pathway Navigator.

Art selections from Fir Ridge students from their 2024 Art Showcase.

On April 18th, the Staff LGBTQ+ Affinity group got together and went bowling! It was a fun and supportive space (especially for those of us who hadn't bowled in years) where we got to socialize with coworkers and their partners. We are hoping to meet at least once more before the end of the year! If you're interested in joining, send an email to gabie_mbenza-ngoma@ddsd40.org to be added to the listserv.

During our DEI Site Visit with Cherry Park we learned that the admin at that building, Matt Soule and Kathleen Lower, had gone to every classroom (K-5) in the school to have conversations about oppressive racial language that students were using. This is something that other schools have been interested in doing but weren't sure what it looked like. Here is an interview we did with Matt to learn more about what the process looked like at Cherry Park:

What made you realize that you wanted/needed to do the lessons with students?

We had an increasing number of incidents where students were using racial slurs and racially charged language towards peers.

What did prep look like? For K-2? For 3-5?

You and your team did the heavy lifting by preparing accessible and relative lessons. We were able to take what you made and slightly tweak it for our population and grade levels. We created a K-1, 2nd, and 3rd-5th slide deck. There wasn't much prep other than coordinating the schedule and deciding which of us would talk about what content. It was fun because Kathleen and I were both able to be vulnerable with students and share times when we were put down or excluded by peers or adults in our lives.

How did students respond to the lessons?

Students and staff responded positively to our lessons. It was very sad to learn how many students were familiar with racial language. Students were relieved to know how to handle a situation with a peer, friend, or even family member when someone says something inappropriate. We modeled/roleplayed and provided practice time for the students to respond to racial slurs.

Has there been any change since you've done the lessons?

Yes, we have students quickly reporting when racial incidents happen. We saw an increase in the number of incidents reported because students feel safe reporting and talking to staff about it. Students know that adults and peers are holding them accountable.

Is there anything else you would like to share?

It took a lot of time to get into every class to teach these lessons, but it was well worth it. I think it helps set a tone with our whole community that any type of discrimination or hate will not be tolerated. I also want to give a huge thank you to you and your team for your help and guidance in putting our lessons together.

The resources that Matt is referencing can be found here. If you would like support on implementing these lessons in your classroom, please reach out to either Gabie Mbenza-Ngoma or Sabrina Sommer.

On Saturday, April 20th the Black Student Union from DDHS got the opportunity to attend different workshops, tabling with colleges and organizations, and, most importantly, taking time to make connects and build relationships with others. BSU advisor Ghermanie Allen shared, "We also got the chance to connect and exchange information with other BSU's from surrounding Portland High Schools."

May 1 - Beltane (Neo-Pagan)

May 1 - May Day (International

May 3 - Orthodox Good Friday (Christian Orthodox)

May 5 - Cinco de Mayo (United States/Mexico)

May 5 - Orthodox Easter ( Christian Orthodox)

May 5-6 - Yom HaSho'ah (Jewish)

May 12 - Mother's Day (United States)

May 15 - Buddha Day/ Visakha Puja/ Vesek (Buddhist)

May 19 - Pentecost (Christian)

May 22-23 - Declaration of the Báb (Bahá'i)

May 27-28 - Ascension of Baha’u’llah (Bahá'i)

May 29 - Memorial Day (United States/Mexican)

Are you doing something wonderful in your classroom, building, or in the wider community that has to do with Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion? Are you super proud of an engagement strategy, a lesson, or a community bulletin board that you’ve created? Do you see someone else doing something wonderful and want to shout them out? The equity departments want to hear from you! Every month, we’ll be highlighting a few educators and staff members who are doing wonderful work. We know that there is wonderful work being done out there, and we would love to hear from you and share! To submit something, or invite one of us to your classroom or space, please email gabie_mbenza-ngoma@ddsd40.org.