What a wonderfully delicious and fantastic night at the 4th annual Day Multicultural Potluck. Great to see so many families coming out to celebrate the diversity of our Day community. May is Asian American & Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month. Click here for ways to celebrate and deepen your understanding of AAPI culture and history through readings, exhibits, and audio & video programs.
Ask your Cobalt or Sky student about their Urban Improv assembly on Monday, May 1. Day FORJ is proud to sponsor this event for all 6th graders at Day. Day FORJ collaborated with Brown, Bigelow, and Oak Hill FORJ chapters to sponsor Urban Improv for all NPS 6th graders.
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 goes out to another Day parent for recommending the Anti-Racism School Is In Session podcast with episodes exploring: Is DEI dead? Are You Too Nice To Be Racist? Is Reverse Racism Real? And, The Problem with Anti-Woke Culture.
DO:
- May 4: NO PLACE FOR HATE walk & rally. Thursday, May 4, 2:30 pm. Parents, caregivers, students, and staff are invited to join the 2nd annual walk & rally to “stand in unity and solidarity against all acts of hate and discrimination.” Those choosing to participate will gather in front of Day and walk from Day to North for the rally at North. Families can also meet up with the Day group at North. Click here to sign up.
- May 6: Andromeda Belly Dance presents The Spring Hafla: Saturday, May 6, 7:00 pm. The Andromeda Belly Dance troupe, which embraces cultural dance, body positivity, and empowerment of women and minorities in the community, presents The Spring Hafla (Arabic word for party), a bi-annual multicultural showcase of dance ranging from MENAHT (Middle Eastern, North African, Hellenic, Turkish) to Asian, Balkan, and Eastern European styles.” Click here for tickets.
- May 6: Annual Indigenous Dinner Celebration: Saturday, May 6, 6:30 pm, Eliot Church of Newton. “Enjoy a five-course dinner by notable Ho-Chunk chef, Elena Terry, to support Newton’s 2023 Indigenous Peoples Day Ceremonial Celebration…Chef Elena is a member of the Ho-Chunk Nation of Wisconsin. She is the executive chef and founder of Wild Bearies, an educational, community outreach nonprofit that strives to bring ancestral foods to communities in a nurturing and nourishing way.“ Suggested donation $150 for single ticket, $250 for couples, large groups and "Pay What You Can" options available. "Pay What You Can" is listed as "Other" when you checkout. Purchase Tickets Here.
- May 9: Discovery Museum 2023 Speaker Series: A Family Revealed: From Slavery to Hope. Tuesday, May 9, 7:00-8:30 pm, Nashoba Brooks School, 200 Strawberry Hill Road, Concord. In an evening of engaging music and conversation with the audience, two descendants of a Confederate enslaver, one Black and one white, share their story and discuss what it was like to discover each other’s deeply held feelings, pain, and hope. Presenting are folk singer and social activist Reggie Harris and longtime educator Wallis Wickham Raemer. To underscore their messages and experience, Harris, a prominent interpreter of the use of music in historical movements for social change, sings his stirring, original songs accompanied by guitar. Click Here for registration for the free, in-person event.
- May 24: 49th Annual Mayor’s Community Breakfast. “Embracing CommUNITY.” Wednesday, May 24, 7:30a.m., Shaw Hall Courtyard at UMASS Amherst Mt Ida campus. This annual gathering brings together residents, clergy, business leaders, public officials, and community organizations with the keynote address by Dr. Adrian Mims, Founder and CEO of The Calculus Project. Purchase Tickets Here.
READ:
WATCH:
- Watch former Newton School Committee member, Angela Pitter, and Tufts University Professor of Sociology, Natasha Warikoo, on the WCVB5/ABC CityLine Culture Clash program discussing the recent advisory committee petition, and national anti-Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion (DEI) lawsuits & targets.
- On May 22, watch the Newton School Committee meeting where the NPS DEI department will “present their annual report findings including the department's partnerships, broader initiatives, data showing impact of current programming, and what to expect moving forward. “
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.
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.
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 the differences in our society, and to work together towards racial equity.
We strive to achieve safe and welcoming environments that enhance the well-being of all people. We promote healing and connection between individuals and communities. We speak out against injustice, support our kids to be upstanders, and take action to address bias and inequity. We offer lectures on race and diversity, discussion groups, community events, Dynamic Diversity trainings and more. We follow the lead from our communities and help families foster inclusion in our city and schools.
