Native American Heritage Month
As Native American Heritage Month concludes, we can continue to honor and recognize the voices of our neighbors, community and the generations who came before us and acknowledge the discriminatory policy and violence towards indigenous peoples as part of our national history. We can continue to elevate stories of people often excluded from written and prioritized histories. The National Women’s History Museum has a toolkit to recognize the history and story of Indigenous women. You can view their toolkit online: WomensHistory.org
Racial Justice in America
Last week marked the 7th anniversary of the shooting of Tamir Rice, a 12-year old Black boy who was shot by police while carrying a toy gun. Two weeks ago, Kyle Rittenhouse, a 17-year old white male who shot, killed and injured Black Lives Matter rally protestors with an assault weapon in Kenosha, Wisconsin, was acquitted of all charges and released. Though sadly unsurprising for many reasons, the trial result was troubling and disappointing. And then, a few days later in Brunswick, Georgia, three white men were convicted in the killing of 25-year old Ahmaud Arbery, a Black man who was running through the neighborhood. Though one of the murderers shared a recording of the killing, the conviction in our courts was not a sure thing.
Recognizing the pain, fear, and trauma brought on by continued racism within the justice system, there is clearly still work to be done to fight racism and violence against and within our communities.
Our friends from the Bigelow Middle School Chapter of FORJ shared some resources for people at all levels in the work of racial justice education, understanding and practice:
Talking to children after racial incidents | Penn GSE (upenn.edu)
Anti-racism resources for white people (google.com)
Dr. Ibram X. Kendi’s Picks: Anti-Racist Books for Kids (commonsensemedia.org)
Beyond the KKK: Understanding White Supremacy as a System of Power | Pocket (getpocket.com)
Educate Yourself: Virtual Racial Equity Workshops | Eventbrite
Mental Health Resources | City of Newton, MA (newtonma.gov)
If you’d like to have a discussion to debrief on the news, talk about anti-racist resources, or discuss how we can educate ourselves and our families about racial justice, please contact L-E FORJ PTO Liaison Lanni Isenberg, lanni_harris@yahoo.com
FAMILIES ORGANIZING FOR RACIAL JUSTICE (FORJ) is a group of diverse Newton families helping our children learn about issues of power and inequality and how to stand up for racial justice. We seek to generate understanding and curiosity about differences in our society, and to work together towards racial equity.