FORJ SCHOOL CHAPTER MEETING
Thursday, April 29th 7:30pm- 9pm
RSVP HERE to receive the Zoom Link

School-based FORJ groups will come together (Zoom) after a long while since they last met to learn about the work happening at the different chapters.  Please join us on April 29th to discuss the new FORJ Chapter “Playbook”, which provides additional details on how to run a successful FORJ Chapter.  The group will also meet with grade level cohorts (elementary/middle/high schools) to discuss ideas and connect.  This meeting is open to anyone interested in running a FORJ Chapter, all welcome and definitely bring a friend 😉

Mark your calendars for upcoming FORJ City-Wide Meetings:

Tuesday May 25th 7:30pm-9pm – Looking at the how and why of advocacy and how to avoid common pitfalls. More information to follow.
Wednesday June 16th 7:30-9pm – End of the year celebration
May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month.

Neurodiversity and Race: April is Autism Acceptance Month (also called Autism Awareness Month)

Brandeis University’s Heller School for Social Policy & Management hosted a 7-day Neurodiversity Inclusion Challenge, providing curated readings and other materials to inspire discussion, learning and ultimately, influence policy for our neurodiverse community.  See Day 3 Readings on the topic of Neurodiversity, Race & Ethnicity: https://heller.brandeis.edu/diversity/learning/nd-challenge.html

Here are two of the voices raised: Kayla Smith, “Disability Rights in Black 2020” (Video, 2:09 mins) and Morénike Giwa Onaiwu, “Autistics of Color: We Exist…We Matter” (Reprinted February 19, 2020)

L-E FORJ Kids’ Book Club
Please watch for a scheduling message for the June edition of the Lincoln-Eliot FORJ Kids’ Book Club.  We’ll circulate info on the book to read and kids and their families can have a Zoom chat to discuss!

Books we’ve read include graphic novels New Kid by Jerry Craft and When Stars Are Scattered by Omar Mohamed and Victoria Jamieson and the novel Front Desk by Kelly Yang.

JOIN A FORJ SCHOOL CHAPTER!
The Bigelow Middle School FORJ chapter is looking for more members.  If you’d like to join their chapter this summer or in the fall OR the Lincoln-Eliot FORJ chapter, please contact L-E FORJ Coordinator Lanni Isenberg: lanni_harris@yahoo.com!

FORJ (Families Organizing for Racial Justice) is a coalition of school-aged families in Newton coming together to teach our children – and ourselves – how to stand up for racial equality.