Martin Luther King Jr Day of Service
Monday, January 17th is the Martin Luther King, Jr Day Observance for all of Newton. The City of Newton is hosting a webinar community book discussion of MLK’s “Where do we go from here: Chaos or Community?” See the link for information to prepare for the event and for details on a community food drive: https://www.newtonma.gov/government/mayor-fuller/special-projects-and-initiatives/newton-mlk-day
Each year, Cambridge organizations gather for a day of service to honor the memory of MLK. On January 17th, Many Helping Hands 365 will host virtual activities for families. And, they are offering a community walk from Starlight in Central Square through The Port Neighborhood to learn about Cambridge’s Black and Brown History. https://manyhelpinghands365.org/
January 19th CityWide FORJ Meeting via Zoom, 6:30PM
The January Citywide FORJ meeting will take place on Wednesday, January 19th at 6:30PM via zoom. This month, we will be celebrating the life and impact of Dr. Martin Luther King. This meeting is called “Building a Beloved Community in Newton”. In this meeting, we will focus on the idea of Dr. King’s Beloved Community.
With the start of the new year and the significance of January (MLK day and birthday), it is important that we use this time to reflect on Dr. King’s words and life as we look towards our anti-racism aspirations for 2022. Please join us for this important conversation and help us contribute to building a Beloved Community throughout Newton.
We also are looking for individuals to share a quote from Dr. King that has some relevance to this idea of the Beloved Community and to the Newton community during the meeting. If you are interested in reading this quote during the event, please indicate in the registration form.
The Heller School at Brandeis University is hosting a 7-Day Anti-racism Challenge
Check out these daily learning and reflection resources to make thinking about (and acting on) anti-racism a part of your everyday life: https://heller.brandeis.edu/diversity/learning/antiracism-challenge.html Features readings, videos, web resources and reflection activities.
While you’re on the site, feel free to check out last year’s 21-Day Racial Equity Challenge.
Racial Justice in America
In November, 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. All were sentenced to life in prison this week.
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 conversation, coordinate a book or article discussion or other virtual event for families and/or our kids to address racial justice in our community, let’s chat. Please contact L-E FORJ PTO Liaison Lanni Isenberg, lanni_harris@yahoo.com