Martin Luther King Jr Day of Service Observed

The Newton Martin Luther King Day Observance (webinar) on Monday, January 17th featured music, poetry and community leader voices inspired by the book “Where do we go from here: Chaos or Community?” There were inspiring student poets and activists who artfully and powerfully shared their experiences as people of color attending school in Newton, beautiful choirs, moving songs by Katani Sumner, a Newton Public Schools teacher and singer/musician, and words by Mayor Fuller, faith leaders and city representatives.

Citywide FORJ Meeting Recap –King’s Beloved Community & 6 Steps to Nonviolent Action

The opportunity to celebrate the life and impact of Dr. Martin Luther King continued this week at the Citywide FORJ meeting with a discussion of Rev. King’s “Beloved Community.” Among the discussion leaders were Newton Public Schools folks and officers from the Newton Police Department who spoke to us about the difference between bias incidents and hate crimes and how all are handled in Newton. We heard many Dr. King quotes that may be lesser known and discussed the legacy of the six steps to nonviolent action. If you haven’t heard of the Beloved Community before, please have a look and listen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IeCzzRY_RI8

L-E FORJ PTO Liaison Lanni Isenberg has been receiving lots of notes from folks interested in learning more. Drop a line if you’d like to, too! 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.