Happy spring to all! Happy Nowruz to our Persian/Iranian neighbors and a Blessed Ramadan to our Muslim neighbors. Check out the read section for more information about Nowruz, the Persian holiday that’s celebrated by more than 300 million people around the globe.
If your child is on Ocean or Indigo, on Monday, April 3, ask about their Urban Improv experience and on Thursday, April 13, ask your kids about the fantastic Grooversity, Afro-Brazilian percussion, assembly.
Let’s all gather to eat, connect, and celebrate the vast array of cultures at Day at the Multicultural Potluck on April 27! And, please you scroll down for even more meaningful, educational, and entertaining experiences for you and your family to LISTEN, DO, READ, & WATCH.
-Your Day FORJ Committee
LISTEN:
Thanks to the recommendation from a fellow Day parent, Day FORJ learned about the NBC News SOUTHLAKE podcast. Click here to listen. “Southlake, Texas, seems to have it all: stately homes, intense civic pride, and above all, terrific schools. So when a video surfaced in 2018 showing Southlake high school students chanting the N-word — and when Black residents came forward to share stories of racist harassment and bullying — the school board vowed to make changes. But the unveiling of a Cultural Competence Action Plan set off a backlash that’s consumed Southlake, fueled by a growing national crusade against critical race theory. Hosted by NBC News national reporter Mike Hixenbaugh (host of the hit podcast “Do No Harm”) and NBC News correspondent Antonia Hylton, “Southlake” tells the story of how this idyllic city, and its local school board election, became the poster child for a new political strategy with national repercussions.”
DO:
Thursday, April 27, Day Middle School Cafeteria, 6:00-7:00m pm: Join the Day community for the Multicultural Potluck. This is a fantastically delicious and fun event for the entire day community.
READ:
Learn more about the Persian/Iranian holiday of Nowruz by clicking here. The United Nations says Nowruz “promotes values of peace and solidarity between generations and within families…contributing to cultural diversity and friendship among peoples and different communities.”
WATCH:
Storming Caesars Palace: Documentary based on the book Storming Caesars Palace: How Black Mothers Fought Their Own War on Poverty by Annelise Orleck, “the film challenges the pernicious lie of the “Welfare Queen,” and highlights the visionary leadership of low-income grassroots organizers whose courage, tenacity and dreams could not be quashed, against all odds.” Storming Caesars Palace was nominated for Best Documentary Feature and won the Shine Award for a first-time filmmaker at BlackStar Film Festival in 2022.
The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross with Henry Louis Gates, Jr.: Six-episode, 2013 documentary exploring African American history from 1500-2013, which earned was an Emmy, Peabody, Alfred I. duPont-Columbia baton, and the NAACP Image award.
If you are interested in getting involved with Day FORJ to help build an anti-racist community or if you’d like publicize any future events, recommend videos, movies, podcasts, or books, please email forj.faday@gmail.com.
FORJ Mission: To build an antiracist city through education, action, and systemic reform with Newton families, schools, community members, and civic leaders. Empowering residents to stand up for racial justice and build a network of support for racial equity.
Check out forj.org or www.facebook.com/FORJNewton to learn more about FORJ Newton. To receive the monthly, district-wide, FORJ email that includes information about lectures on race and diversity, discussion groups, community events, and Newton Public Schools updates, please email forjnewton@gmail.com.
