Embracing Multiculturalism: PEOPLE HAVE GATHERED ON THESE STEPSby David Madden
Westerly Sun April 18, 2024 Since 1996, the Academy of American Poets has set aside April to salute poetry’s “integral role in our culture” and to assert that “poetry matters.” The Academy celebrates poetry’s central artistic and cultural role by issuing a unique annual commemorative poster based on an image and a quotation by an American poet. This year’s poster recognizes “raising the boats” by African American poet Louise Clifton (1936-2010). It depicts a young African American girl sailing through the air on a dive into the water by Jack Wong, an award-winning children’s illustrator. The poster quotes Clifton’s words, “May you in your innocence/sail through this to that.” It is inspiring. Since Westerly ARC’s beginnings in 2020, poetry has been a cornerstone of our group’s community-building efforts. It has fostered creativity, strengthened friendships, and facilitated the sharing of ideas. It binds, challenges, and inspires us; a poetry share has become a regular part of ARC’s monthly programming. This year, ARC events have emphasized the arts in new ways – a groundbreaking African American art exhibition at the Artists’ Cooperative of Westerly, professional programming supported by the Washington Trust Foundation at the Westerly Library, and a screening and discussion of Ava DuVernay’s movie Origin at the United Theater (based on Pulitzer Prize-winning author Isabelle Wilkerson’s trailblazing work Caste: The Origins of Our Discontent. For ARC, the arts—literary, visual, or performing—help us understand our differences, see our humanity, and respond with empathy and compassion. Our column this month features an original piece by Westerly Multicultural Committee member David Madden, a resident, retired teacher, community volunteer, member of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), husband, father, grandfather, and published poet. This piece, written last year, expresses ARC’s mission, goal, and solidarity with America’s dedication to the ideals of equity, justice, and freedom for all in our community. People Have Gathered on These Steps For over three years, since May of 2020 to be precise, people have gathered on these steps to raise their voices in a variety of strong emotions, to sing, to play instruments, to pray, to hold up signs expressing heartfelt longing, to advocate on behalf of justice, to urge this country to live up to the ideals it has always espoused in principle, but not always in practice. In January’s biting cold, in July’s blistering heat, in pelting snow, in pouring rain, in brilliant sun and blustery wind, people have gathered on these steps, perhaps inspired to be here by a great cloud of witnesses composed of men and women such as Frederick Douglass, Rosa Parks, John Lewis, Coretta Scott King, Bayard Rustin, Susan B. Anthony, Medgar Evers, James Meredith, Shirley Chisholm, Chief Joseph, Fannie Lou Hamer, Cesar Chavez. People have gathered on these steps as others once did at the Lincoln Memorial on August 28, 1963 in Washington D.C., a much larger gathering then and there, but the purpose here and now is the same, for those who meet today also seek to bring ever closer that day when, in the words of the prophet Amos, “justice will roll down like water and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream,” that day Martin Luther King, Jr. told us must come before we will be satisfied, that day when all God’s children will at last hear freedom ring. Madden’s words inspire us to remain focused on our community’s treasures, talents, history, and people — all people. As we continue creating space to engage, educate, and empower, we invite the community to join us as we honor and celebrate Juneteenth in two months. Our theme is “Freedom to Celebrate: Honoring our Community.” We will celebrate folks who have made a difference in Westerly and beyond, as well as honor our shared democratic freedom to make our voices heard in upcoming political arenas. This column is written by members of the Westerly Anti-Racism Coalition, which embraces multiculturalism to address racism. Geoff Serra is a contributing editor. A community coalition unaffiliated with any state, national, or international organization, ARC meets on the steps of the Westerly Post Office each Sunday, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. All are welcome. Learn more and subscribe to ARC’s newsletter at westerlyarc.weebly.com. Contact them at [email protected]. Embracing Multiculturalism: Women under the shadow of biasby Colin Jarvis Westerly Sun March 21, 2024 The 19th Amendment was certified 130 years after the adoption of the U.S. Constitution in 1790. Forty-two years passed between the introduction of the first women’s suffrage legislation in 1878 and 1920 when women voted for the first time. On Nov. 2, 1920, Kentucky-born former slave Anna Thornton Williams, of 21 Newton Avenue, was the first woman in Westerly’s history to vote in a national election. “Washington left principles for everyone,” she told The Westerly Sun reporter, who congratulated her that day for voting. In this Women’s History Month 2024, with its theme of “Women Who Advocate for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion,” we remember their journey in our nation’s history, their sacrifices and hardships to eliminate discrimination, and we honor them. Women have spearheaded efforts for equality, equity, and fairness in homes, institutions, and workplaces. In all levels of community life, women have demonstrated discernment, competence, knowledge, and problem-solving. And in their biologically determined roles, women perpetuate life. We must recognize the central role of women in creating an evolved, developed, mature, healthy, caring, considerate, and compassionate community. Yet we cannot overlook the challenges facing today’s women. There is no doubt that American women continue to live under the shadow of conscious and unconscious bias. The shadow of bias falls darkly in health care, the workforce, and the military. Take, for example, the abysmal state of women’s health care — disparities in treatment and differences in diagnosis result in higher morbidity and mortality rates for women for many diseases, including forms of cardiovascular disease and cancer. The COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated glaring gender-based disparities in diagnosis, treatment and outcome. Of the 16 million employees in health care, at least 75% are women, yet women account for 33% of management positions. Decision-making agency remains largely in the hands of men in health care and politics. These facts underscore the obvious double standard in agency and autonomy in female reproductive health. Many female health concerns do not apply to men; pregnancy, childbirth, and a host of other conditions. It is an injustice that half of our citizens are not accorded the power of self-determination. We must acquire awareness, knowledge, and insight into these matters and implement policies and practices to eliminate inexcusable disparities in female healthcare. Black, brown, Asian, and Indigenous women often receive different care, resulting in increased incidence of disability, death, infant and maternal mortality with unacceptable regularity in BIPOC women. Inarguably, this is a cause of great concern and great shame in America. Another area of inequity for women exists in the workforce. Research and statistics indicate that women earn 82 cents for every dollar earned by men. In addition, women are more likely to experience barriers to promotion, advancement, opportunity, favorable workplace benefits, assignments, schedules, and bias against mothers and their child care responsibilities. The intersection of race increases gender-based workplace inequities dramatically. Government statistics about gender-based workplace harassment and bullying are another cause for great shame. Gender-based bias also frequently finds its way in a third area — the armed forces, not only for women on active duty but for our female veterans. Significant disparities in physical and mental health services and treatment for women exist in a Veterans Administration designed by men to treat men. Service bias commonly finds expression in the inexcusable incidence of military sexual trauma. According to recent information published in DA Magazine (Disabled Veterans), women make up nearly 19% of today’s military. Upon release from active duty, women tend to underreport or not report their veteran status for a variety of reasons, many of which either result from, or cause, homelessness, drug-abuse, PTSD, domestic violence, under and unemployment, and a host of other conditions. Many of our veteran sisters struggle to build a life for themselves and their families without the benefits they have earned and which should be automatically accorded to them. Women have been called upon to sacrifice mightily and long to maintain our comforts, benefits and well-being. In a healthy society, all must work and sacrifice for the greater good. It took 130 years for Anna Thornton Williams to have the right to cast her vote in Westerly. Her view that democratic principles are for “everyone” sounds strangely urgent 104 years later. This column is written by members of the Westerly Anti-Racism Coalition, which embraces multiculturalism to address racism. Geoff Serra is a contributing editor. A community coalition unaffiliated with any state, national, or international organization, ARC meets on the steps of the Westerly Post Office each Sunday, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. All are welcome. Learn more and subscribe to ARC’s newsletter at westerlyarc.weebly.com. Contact them at [email protected]. Embracing Multiculturalism: Equality is not enough. Equity is the goal.by Geoff Serra
Westerly Sun, February 15, 2024 Two children arrive at the Emergency Room for treatment of lacerations sustained on the school playground. If the wounds were similar, the professionals would clean them with disinfectant, administer an antibiotic ointment, check tetanus shot status, and place a band-aid on them. This would be equal treatment. Equality gives everyone the same service. But, if one of the cuts requires stitches, a different level of care is needed. This difference in medical care is equitable care. Equity gives each child the services needed to heal properly. Equality and equity are not the same. Equality treats everyone the same: equity acknowledges our differences. Why is this easily understood concept often confusing and complicated when applied to education? In 2022, the Westerly School Committee voted to conduct an equity audit of the district. Why? An equity audit finds disparities in services and delivery contributing to performance gaps. An equity-based approach asks, “How can we deliver services so that all students thrive and succeed?” Some children need different or alternative instruction or opportunities to learn the same material. Some children need stitches and not a band-aid. In 2022, the Westerly School Department hired Public Consulting Group, LLC, to conduct an equity audit. According to the consulting group, equity and excellence demand “we consider the needs of each student, with a discerning eye towards students who are historically marginalized or held to low expectations, often due to cultural and linguistic diversity, identified disability, or gender identity.” The consulting firm fulfilled its obligations and delivered a report in March 2023 outlining findings and recommendations based upon data and professional research practices detailed in the report. Since March 2023, the School Committee has studied the findings, data, and recommendations individually and in several workshops. Last week, the Committee placed the Equity Audit on each monthly meeting agenda as a standing item. We applaud this move and the commitment it represents. A significant finding is that Westerly faces socio-economic challenges. A statistical disparity exists in the educational outcomes of children of low-income families, as measured by the 34% of children who qualify for free or reduced lunch, a nationally accepted measure of low income. However, we must recognize families who don’t qualify for free or reduced lunches headed by adults who work several jobs to remain afloat. It’s not just about food or hunger, either. It is about housing, physical and mental health, domestic instability, and a whole host of other concerns. Children can’t learn if they worry about moving again, or must sleep in their coats for lack of heat, or can’t sleep because of domestic instability, or must supervise and feed younger siblings, or worse, are unsupervised themselves, or must hold down jobs to contribute to the family budget. And there is the intersection of other influential factors — race, language, culture, gender, gender identity, and disability. Combining one or more of these factors with economic factors creates potent obstacles to learning and peak performance. These and a menu of other issues often result in poor attendance and other challenges affecting learning despite the best efforts of parents. These are real problems in Westerly and contribute to educational outcomes. Westerly’s equity audit unequivocally reveals some uncomfortable truths. Equality in instruction and opportunity does not produce top performance nor actualize every child’s potential. When schools provide their students with instruction and resources that fit their needs, the entire classroom environment — intellectual, social, and mental health — improves and strengthens. Equity improves communities through stronger social cohesion, better skills, and economic growth. Equity is a profitable social and economic investment. Westerly’s Equity Audit can help the district adopt decision-making through an equity lens and provide meaningful professional development for teachers and all staff — office, paraprofessionals, maintenance, cafeteria, bus drivers and monitors, and coaches. The School Committee itself will also receive training. And what is an equity lens? It is a decision-making framework (like Rotary’s Four-Way Test). Leaders ask four major questions, reflect broadly and deeply about the answers, and then intentionally apply their learning to all decisions. 1. Who is well served by this decision, policy, practice, or program? 2. Who is left out or harmed by this decision, policy, practice, or program? 3. What tools, materials, planning, logistics, etc., are needed for fair implementation? 4. What support, training, guidance, communication, etc., do we need to ensure fair implementation? Such a framework can identify and eliminate individual, institutional, and structural bias so that Westerly schools provide best-practice excellence and educational services to all our children and families. Read the entire Equity Audit on the Westerly School Department’s home page. Learn about the methodology and analysis drawn from research-informed strategies, reflect upon the data, and study the key findings, recommendations, and best practices. Many districts in RI and the nation face similar challenges, but these are Westerly’s to solve. “Enacting … the kind of change that will fundamentally improve outcomes of all students, and especially those from historically marginalized groups,” the Audit concludes, “requires focus, a strong vision from the Superintendent and School Committee enacted by district leadership staff, an appropriate allocation of resources, mandated professional development, and clear, non-negotiable, accountability measures.” This column is written by members of the Westerly Anti-Racism Coalition, which embraces multiculturalism to address racism. A community coalition unaffiliated with any state, national, or international organization, ARC meets on the steps of the Westerly Post Office each Sunday, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. All are welcome. Learn more and subscribe to ARC’s newsletter at westerlyarc.weebly.com. Contact them at [email protected]. Embracing Multiculturalism: African American art: Powerful storytellingBy Bill and Paula Alice Mitchell
Westerly Sun January 18, 2024 Bill and Paula Alice Mitchell, local collectors of African American Art, are guest columnists this month. They have deep roots in the community. They returned to Westerly in 2020 after years in Maryland, pursuing careers, raising a family, and collecting art. As museums in major cities across the nation acknowledge the place of African American Art in mainstream American Art, the Mitchells have quietly pursued their mission to share their collection and passion with the public. Bill Mitchell discusses their journey. “Paula and I have shared a passion for the arts in all forms for more than fifty years. Fine craft dominated our purchases early on - work created from wood, ceramic, metal, and baskets. Initially, we had no grand plan for what hung on our walls. We purchased art we liked, wanted to live with, and could afford. A chance visit in June of 2011 to the Harvey B. Gantt Center for African-American Arts & Culture in Charlotte, North Carolina, changed that forever. A collection of paintings, prints, and posters assembled over fifty years by New York City residents John and Vivian Hewitt hung in its main gallery. It was art created solely by African Americans. We saw works that energized us with vibrant colors and evoked intense emotion. This art was different. It required us to look in new ways, and we loved it! Learning more about how African American artists approach making art contributed to this shift in our interest. During our extensive reading and learning, we came across the following description of that creative process: Many African American artists take a decidedly non-Western approach to making art. It is art rooted in African American everyday life and belief, not in a series of abstract concepts. It is art based upon a relationship with ordinary people rather than on the ideas of a few intellectuals. These artists are committed to making art understandable, relevant, and accessible to the average person. It is art created for people, not critics. It appeals to the intellect and the senses, for a story is always told. It is art that reflects how African Americans view the world around them. We have learned that African American artists are excellent storytellers. Historical, cultural, social, or political, their art shares stories that compel the viewer. African American art introduced us to a history of which we had little or no knowledge. This history has essentially been ignored, hidden, misinterpreted, or blatantly denied. When questioned about a particularly challenging work by an African American painter in the permanent collection of the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in Arkansas, founder Alice Walton answered, ‘Yes, it’s a very beautiful work of art. But it tells a story, an American story, not a pretty one, but one that needs to be known.’ Several questions have challenged us since that first afternoon in Charlotte, North Carolina. Why had we yet to learn of, read about, or see this art during the many years we had been actively collecting? Why had we yet to see it in galleries or at art fairs? Why had we yet to see it exhibited in museums? We have come to understand that the absence was by design. With very few exceptions, African American artists and their work had been systematically ignored outside the African American Art community. But a larger question remains. How can the history of American Art be complete without including art created by African Americans?” The Mitchells’ mission is to expose others to the art that raised these questions for them and to share their collections to help others question and begin their journey to learn the answers. Visit Conversations with African American Art, an exhibition of pieces of the Mitchell collection, selected and interpreted by April Dinwoodie, Leslie Dunn, and Kevin Lowther, in the Community Room of the Artists Cooperative Gallery of Westerly at 34 Railroad Avenue in town. The exhibition is on view until the end of February. Also, attend a presentation by the Mitchells in the second session on Feb. 10 of Conversations about African American Art: Talks with African American Artists and Collectors, a series, on three consecutive Saturday afternoons, 1:30-3:30 pm, Feb. 3, Feb. 10, and Feb.17. ARC presents this program, hosted in the Westerly Library Auditorium, and sponsored by the Washington Trust Foundation. Robin Holder of New Jersey presents Session 1, Feb. 3, and Curlee Raven Holton of Pennsylvania presents Session 3, Feb. 17. Both are nationally known, highly respected, and widely exhibited artists, master printmakers and art educators. In 2024, Black History Month highlights the varied history and life of African American artists, artisans, and art. In January and February, a time encompassing both Martin Luther King Day and African American History month, we bring this national celebration home to Westerly. This column is written by members of the Westerly Anti-Racism Coalition, which embraces multiculturalism to address racism. Geoff Serra is a contributing editor. A community coalition unaffiliated with any state, national, or international organization, ARC meets on the steps of the Westerly Post Office each Sunday, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. All are welcome. Learn more and subscribe to ARC’s newsletter at westerlyarc.weebly.com. Contact them at [email protected]. Embracing Multiculturalism: This season is all about belonging by Madeline Labriola
Westerly Sun December 21, 2023 For me, gathering for the Feast of Seven Fish on Christmas Eve is a great joy of the holiday season. It has been a tradition in our Italian family for generations. We rise before dawn on Dec. 24 to prepare for the evening meal. The aromas of garlic, squid, and fried dough flavor the constant jibber-jabber of my adult children and their cousins. They reminisce about “the ole days,” argue about how to cook the octopus or how often to change the water in the baccala, and share tears remembering their grandparents. The scene is familiar and fun for us, but it can be overwhelming for others experiencing it for the first time. Everyone is in action, weaving in and out of the kitchen, between and around one another. Six or seven people talk at once; someone shouts orders, laughter spices the whole group, and the seven fish cook perfectly. Prosecco sparkles in wine glasses as the house crowds with friends, relatives, and special guests. The table set, the candles lit, the feast begins. For many, it isn’t easy to imagine any way to observe Christmas Eve other than together in a room full of loud, joyful, and passionate people. Yet, my German friend enjoys a quiet meal followed by lighting the Christmas tree and unwrapping gifts. Many Irish families prefer to attend church in the evening and then open gifts, saving their special meal for Christmas Day. Many Spanish-speaking friends commemorate “Three Kings Day” 12 days after Christmas with a festive cake and other traditional foods and gifts. At about this time of year, our Jewish friends celebrate Hanukkah, an eight-day festival featuring the nightly lighting of an additional candle on the menorah, exchanging gifts, and sharing special foods and dishes. Kwanza, an annual celebration of African-American family, community, and culture, begins with candles on Dec. 26. Celebrants honor values daily like unity, self-determination, purpose, and creativity. On the sixth day, a communal meal called Karamu combines dishes from Africa, the African diaspora, the Caribbean, and Southern soul. Other friends don’t celebrate this time of year and prefer to eat take-out on Christmas Day and take in a movie. We can all enjoy our traditions, respecting others who may not share our rituals. We can honor all who have various customs holding special foods, recipes, and different stories as part of our community. For people of faith or not, the core of any celebration is our shared humanity and desire to be together and belong. We welcome friends like family, warmly embrace strangers, and open hearts to unique traditions, foods, and rituals. We create a community where the sheer joy of being together is the blessing. How will we celebrate with so much of our world in turmoil this year? Can we leave our worries at the door while carrying the pain of so many in our lives and world? It is hard to be joyful with so much sadness, yet we are called to be hopeful people. All the Abrahamic religions teach peace, nonviolence, and forgiveness. The Torah, the Koran, and the New Testament contain instructions to live together in love and harmony. Every faith tradition endorses the Golden Rule: “to treat others as you would want to be treated.” Compassion and empathy rule every religious or secular philosophy of life. People who interpret holy texts or doctrines of any kind as orders to hate those who are different or believe differently become lost in the conviction that their way is the right, only, true way. Such righteousness and revenge cause horrific violence that tears at our human desire to belong, leaving sadness and pain in its wake. As members of a social advocacy group, we at ARC see and seek the best in people. We strive to share a deep commitment toward listening to one another, discerning our commonality, and believing in the power of love and honor. After our Christmas Eve feast, when the last dish is dried and put away, my family often wishes the joy of the holidays would remain. As Howard Thurman wrote in his poem “The Work of Christmas,” we must “find the lost, heal the broken, feed the hungry, release the prisoner, rebuild the nations and bring peace among brothers.” Then, the true celebration of any season begins. Every week, members of our ARC community stand in solidarity, sacrificing their time to help others, learning to speak with integrity, and sharing their talents to bring about a more just and inclusive community. From the Post Office steps to your house, we wish you and your family a happy and peaceful holiday season in every way you celebrate special moments. This column is written by members of the Westerly Anti-Racism Coalition, which embraces multiculturalism to address racism. Geoff Serra is a contributing editor. A community coalition unaffiliated with any state, national, or international organization, ARC meets on the steps of the Westerly Post Office each Sunday, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. This Sunday, meet the author and join the discussion about this column. All are welcome. Learn more and subscribe to ARC’s newsletter at westerlyarc.weebly.com. Contact them at [email protected]. Embracing Multiculturalism: From our table to yours this Thanksgiving by Geoff Serra
Westerly Sun November 16, 2023 Smiling, a sitting group of various ages leans forward in anticipation, and a standing patriarch proudly looks on as his aproned wife places a perfect, uncarved turkey on the dining table. Freedom from Want, one panel of Norman Rockwell’s 1943 oil-painting series The Four Freedoms, has become the iconic depiction of the American Thanksgiving. Rockwell depicts only white American middle-class values and home life. But, today’s many diverse, multicultural, multiethnic families (however we choose to define “family”) look and are different. Today, the aroma of cumin or turmeric is likely to harmonize with sage in the kitchen, and the flavor of conversation in some homes may be more challenging and less celebratory. According to historical sources, those Europeans who celebrated the first Thanksgiving viewed the natives with suspicion as uncivilized pagans. The first winter for the ill-prepared Plymouth colonizers had been harsh. By spring, 50 percent of them were dead. The Wampanoags had saved them by offering succor and teaching them to survive and prepare for the future. They taught them about native plants, agriculture, hunting, and fishing. After that first fall’s harvest, the colonizers planned to give thanks. When the Wampanoags heard the gunshots of a colonial hunt for wildfowl for the thanksgiving meal, they believed an attack was underway. Ninety Indians were dispatched to investigate. They saw the beginning of a feast of gratitude. The Wampanoags returned to their village and brought back food, including venison. It is noteworthy that Wampanoags were not invited to that meal in 1621. They happened upon it and ended up sharing in it. Ironically, the Indians broke bread with Europeans who had no right to the land, who, in time, seized it, enslaved natives, and murdered many others. By 1636, almost 90 percent of the Wampanoag tribe in New England (including RI) had perished in the Great Dying, as it was called, brought on by European diseases. Is it no wonder indigenous peoples have declared Thanksgiving a day of mourning? In 1970, Wamsutta Frank James, the leader of the Wampanoag Tribe of Aquinnah and president of the Federated Eastern Indian League, declared the fourth Thursday of November a National Day of Mourning. He said, “What has happened cannot be changed, but today we must work towards a more humane America, a more Indian America, where men and nature once again are important; where the Indian values of honor, truth, and brotherhood prevail.” It is a sentiment we can all embrace, especially today. Everyone’s history matters. We must respect and honor all people. Can we? Despite the tension, we often break bread with those family or friends with whom we may disagree, see eye-to-eye, harbor a grudge against, or just plain dislike. It happens: a vocal ideological, philosophical, or religious challenger, a cousin whose life choices we disapprove, an opinionated in-law, a rebellious child or step-child, a rival sibling, an intrusive aunt, a biased uncle, an ungrateful nephew, a complaining niece. The reality is we are not all, or permanently, the smiling, happy folks Rockwell depicts in his painting. At this time of year, we hear and say, “There’s always room for one more at our table,” or “We always have enough for more.” Are such statements genuine? We must ask ourselves, “For whom is there not enough room at my table, or for whom will I not set a place? Or, phrased differently, “Who would show up at my door that I would not invite to join the meal?” Abuse, violence, and crime aside, who would bring discomfort to you should they take a seat at your Thanksgiving table and why? And, who is not welcome at our community’s table and why? These questions bore to the core of the tensions in our lives, both personal and communal. We can choose to bring our biases to light, expose our unsupported or misinformed prejudices to fact, and view our emotional, sometimes irrational, intolerances with the clarity of reason. By doing so, we can discover space where we need most to grow. We must also help those in our community threatened with food insecurity or without a warm, safe home. When we invite those who show up at our door to sit at our table no matter who they are, whether their arrival is actual or metaphorical, only then do we genuinely become the Pilgrims we honor at Thanksgiving. And only then will the spirit of Rockwell’s sentimental picture get it right. A modern Thanksgiving in our diverse world honors the truths of our community, history, and shared humanity. Westerly ARC invites you to our “table” for community and conversation every Sunday, 11-1, at the Post Office. This column is written by members of the Westerly Anti-Racism Coalition, which embraces multiculturalism to address racism. A community coalition unaffiliated with any state, national, or international organization, ARC meets on the steps of the Westerly Post Office each Sunday, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. This Sunday, meet the author and join the discussion about this column. All are welcome. Learn more and subscribe to ARC’s newsletter at westerlyarc.weebly.com. Contact them at [email protected]. Embracing Multiculturalism: Rerouting our thoughts about Columbus by Geoff Serra Westerly Sun October 18, 2023 I was the fourth of five boys, a twelve-year difference between the youngest and the oldest. Our house was always noisy – some lots of fun, some not so much. As in many large families, there were disagreements, confrontations, arguments, and fights among us and with our parents. In those moments, my mom, like my grandmother, used a favorite line: “There’s always more than one side to the story.” As a child, I found that line infuriating. How could both stories be right at the same time? One side had to be right – mine; and the other had to be wrong – my brother’s. Mom’s answer was just not fair. All my life that line has remained with me, and as an adult, I have often reflected upon its meaning. With age and experience came an understanding that I do not always have to win or be right. I know now that there can be validity in opposing points of view. Today, I know there can be accuracy in the experience of different people of the same event. There can be space for us to embrace opposite or various perspectives simultaneously, and, more importantly, doing so is a sure route to greater understanding. So, then, let’s talk about Columbus. Can I be proud of my Italian heritage, simultaneously knowing that the historical Columbus was a violent and genocidal force of exploration and colonialism? Can I be a faithful Roman Catholic, simultaneously acknowledging that a bloody arm of Christianity played a significant role in decimating entire civilizations of indigenous peoples? Can I know (sometimes firsthand) the bias, discrimination, and inequity leveled at Italian immigrants and Italian Americans and not embrace a mythic Columbus to represent the goodness of my people and the pride of their accomplishments and contributions to our town and country? Can I attend and support a holiday and a celebratory parade endorsed by many in town while knowing that for others in our community, the holiday and parade represent the origin of a painful history of suffering, massacre, and death for their people? Can I understand that a statue can be an icon of a people’s ethnic pride, but, to others, be an unwelcome reminder of the horror of their people’s annihilation? Can I listen, tempering my emotional responses to different views, to understand, acknowledge, and accept those different from mine? And can I do so without resentment, rancor, or worse? Yes, I can. But not easily. It is an active, conscious choice and a struggle of mind and heart to do so. I must reject the superficial world of the tidy, compartmentalized, absolute answer to embrace the nuanced world of the uncomfortable, sometimes messy, gray. I must know that “there is always more than one side to the story,” and both sides can be valid. Lowering my defenses, I can allow empathy and compassion to deepen my understanding and sharpen my respect. And I can choose to act and advocate that others do the same. In the American classic To Kill A Mockingbird, which many of us have read (and taught) in high school (and which, unfortunately, today too often appears on banned book lists), the penultimate scene depicts Atticus Finch teaching his daughter Scout about bias, respect for differences, and community. He tells his daughter she will “get along a lot better with all kinds of folks” if she learns empathy and compassion. “You never really understand a person,” he says, “until you consider things from his point of view…until you climb into his skin and walk around in it.” It is seemingly simple, folksy advice. In truth, it is the most challenging life lesson any of us will be graced to learn, embrace, and act upon. It is about belief and action guided by rerouting our thought processes and adjusting our mindset. As my mom and grandmother knew, our family’s survival and well-being depended upon it. It did. And so, too, does that of our community and nation. This column is written by members of the Westerly Anti-Racism Coalition, which embraces multiculturalism to address racism. A community coalition unaffiliated with any state, national, or international organization, ARC meets on the steps of the Westerly Post Office each Sunday, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. All are welcome. This Sunday, meet the author and join the discussion about this column. Learn more and subscribe to ARC’s newsletter at westerlyarc.weebly.com. Contact them at [email protected]. Embracing Multiculturalism: Seeing diversity in students, teachers, parents by Christine Davidson Westerly Sun September 27, 2023 My first classroom was in Central Falls, Rhode Island. It was an arch of diversity. I did not fully understand diversity until a comment by the school secretary made me examine carefully my own biases and those of others. Early in that first year, she said with a bit of surprise, “You know Chris, I think you are brilliant, and I know other Polish people, and some of them are smart, too.” Her remark hurt, and I thought long and deeply about it. I had heard people ridicule Poles – the Polish jokes, the “Dumb Polack,” and other name-calling, the history of Hitler annihilating Poland, and calling Polish people “Pigs.” My mother was a Polish immigrant. Such hurtful and misdirected attitudes were part of the atmosphere I grew up in. My ability and intelligence as a new teacher surprised the school secretary; she had expected little of me, and if she had low expectations of me, the wide-eyed, enthusiastic new teacher of Polish descent, how did her negative biases affect our students, their parents, and other teachers in our school? And, what were my biases, and how did they affect my students and their families? So, let’s talk about bias and how our attitudes harm one another, especially our children. The question is: “Do all the adults in the school know my child? Have all those adults examined their biases and those of our system and community?” Do they understand my child’s socioeconomic, ethnic, racial, and cultural background? Do they know how these factors, and many others, impact my child’s learning? Do they have the resources necessary to help my child be the best learner possible? The first step for every adult in our school community, including parents, is to examine their biases. We can read about diversity and its importance, but how do we overcome our own biases to help all students learn and develop? We must be able to “see” all our children for who they are, not for who we think they or their parents are. We must recognize and honor their individuality with all their talents, strengths, challenges, and needs. Our schools need to provide consistent research-based professional development for all our adults. We must invite people of various backgrounds to become part of the classroom conversation and community. We need books -- lots of books - books that meet the vast needs of all children, books that describe different cultures and lifestyles -- inclusive books. A rainbow quilt of books to reveal to our children their individuality and the differences between them and others so they can talk about and celebrate them with parents, teachers, and one another. Open, non-judgmental, reflective discussions about differences curb teasing, mitigate microaggressions, challenge biases, and create a structure for accountability that limits conflict. I was fortunate to begin my teaching in Central Falls. I had students from many different cultures, socioeconomic backgrounds, ethnicities, and races. Even in the classrooms of the most outwardly homogeneous communities like Westerly, there is great disparity, difference, diversity, and need. According to the recent Westerly School Department’s Equity Audit, our classrooms are at least 20% BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) and at least 30% of our children qualify for free and reduced lunch, a measure of economic need. All our children and families are different; all our children and families deserve to be valued, included, and loved. Despite the negative impact of the secretary’s biases on me, her comment opened the door to personal growth, self-examination, and a career of self-reflection. My students benefited from my openness to using the sadness and rejection of anti-Polish bias my mother and I had experienced. Unnecessary and unfair personal struggles with prejudice, bigotry, and discrimination can build empathy and commitment to keeping our promise to create an inspiring, challenging, and supportive environment where students are encouraged and assisted to reach their highest potential. I was successful, not only because of my love for teaching, but because each student could shine in a non-judgmental, developmentally appropriate atmosphere that helped all of us see our humanity and similarities in our differences. I worked intentionally to give each child in my care the gift given to me – overlooking biases to see people. It has been many years since that first class. Recently, a former student from Central Falls reached out to me. I remember her as a creative writer. She was brilliant, imaginative, African-American, and very poor in a school district with very limited resources. Today, she is an educator and an expert in Shakespearian theater. We talked recently. I apologized that I did not do enough for her in my classroom. With kindness and conviction, she said, “You did enough, Christine. You saw me.” Written by members of the Westerly Anti-Racism Coalition, which embraces multiculturalism to address racism. Geoff Serra is a contributing editor. ARC meets on the steps of the Westerly Post Office each Sunday, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. This Sunday, meet the author and join the discussion about this column. Learn more and subscribe to ARC’s newsletter at westerlyarc.weebly.com. Contact them at [email protected] Books foster dialogue about tough topics by Diane Goldsmith
Westerly Sun August 17, 2023 I have loved books since I was a child. Books took me to places real and imagined, to times past and times that might come. I met people whose lives were unlike mine, who lived on farms or in China, or women who were inventors, enslaved, or solved mysteries. My elementary school library's rich collection of books was a doorway to the world. Books opened conversations with my parents. I clearly remember my mother, Canadian born of British parents, opposing the viewpoint of books slighting the role of England in WWII in which her brother, an RAF pilot, was killed before the US entered the war. Those discussions opened my eyes. There are many ways to understand the world, history, and people. I probably read books that were too old or inappropriate or addressed topics I didn't understand. But most of that just went over my head. And as I got older, I sought and found books that helped me understand who I was – a lesbian. Like most LGBTQ people, I came from a family with no LGBTQ experience. I had no one to ask for help. I don't mean sexual issues. I mean, how do I imagine my adult life? Where could I live and feel safe? Where would I meet other lesbians, and most challenging of all, how to tell my parents? Books helped me. I read about other lesbians and gay people. They helped me know I wasn't alone and could be who I was and live a happy life. And so, I have become increasingly alarmed by attacks on libraries, especially school libraries, and by parents who seek to limit access instead of offering to read and discuss a book together or suggest to their child that a book might not be appropriate. Trying to control their children's access, these parents seek to dictate the access of all children. They talk of "age appropriate" without considering that children of the same age have different reading skills, levels of maturity, and interests. They speak about "parental rights" but think only of parents who share their beliefs. They do not include the many parents who think differently – parents who are LGBTQ or have LGBTQ children; whose ancestors were enslaved; who fought for civil rights; who (or whose families) have dealt with addiction; who themselves are or are children of immigrants; who love books to introduce their children to different people and places; who want their children to have access to the very same books some parents challenge across the country. Concerned, I began to attend and speak at Westerly School Committee meetings. I felt quite alone. Although I had lived in Westerly for more than 25 years, I was not very involved with the community. I had worked at URI and spent my spare time with my wife, biking, walking my dog, seeing friends, and reading. I retired in 2021, had more time, and felt obligated to speak out. So, I was incredibly grateful when two women from the Westerly Anti-Racism Coalition thanked me for speaking against limiting access to books selected by school librarians or teachers. Thanks to them, I found a community of people engaged in conversation about social justice, equity, and excellence and the work we can do in Westerly. This national effort to ban books focuses on books with LGBTQ themes, the role of race in American history, and inclusive themes. Some argue that removing these books from schools and public libraries isn't "banning" since they are available in bookstores. Still, many children and teens need access to bookstores or the money to buy books. These people label LGBTQ books pornographic when sex is a tiny part of the book. Most teens see more explicit sex on TV and the internet – on their phones. The intent is to roll back the advances LGBTQ people have made over the last 40 years. These de facto banners argue that books about racism make white children "uncomfortable" or "feel guilty." They fail to understand the life experience of many Boomers like me. As a child, I saw overt racism on TV in real-time. I watched white men attack African American children with clubs, biting dogs, and fire hoses meant to save, not terrorize, children. I didn't feel guilty. I felt outraged and motivated to work for a society without racial violence. In reality, the attacks on books about the history of slavery and discrimination do not keep white children "safe" from uncomfortable feelings. They ensure that children won't become understanding, empathetic, and compassionate adults committed to ending these atrocities and racism. After intense debate and robust opposition from some in the community and on the Committee, the School Committee rebuffed attempts to ban books from our school libraries. Each member, even those who strongly disagreed, treated me courteously, engaging in respectful debate in person and by email. I am grateful. Like the open conversation weekly on the steps of the Post Office, books open the exchange of ideas schools should foster. Respectful, vigorous dialogue is the foundation of our democracy. Banning books is not. It promotes one point of view, stops debate, and limits promises of "liberty and justice for all." This column is written by members of the Westerly Anti-Racism Coalition, which embraces multiculturalism to address racism. Geoff Serra is a contributing editor. ARC meets on the steps of the Westerly Post Office each Sunday, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. All are welcome. Learn more and subscribe to ARC's newsletter at westerlyarc.weebly.com. Contact them at [email protected]. Life, liberty and the pursuit of harmony by Frank Pendola
Westerly Sun July 19, 2023 Viola Spolin, a genius of American Theater, has enormously impacted my career as a teacher and performer. Her words “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Harmony” have been my mantra, chant, and sometimes prayer. Harmony has been the guiding principle of my life. In the wake of the murder of George Floyd in 2020, some protesters on our Post Office steps in downtown Westerly chanted, “No Justice, No Peace, No Racist Police.” People needed to voice their grief and anger. Many people stopped to talk; others stopped to argue. I felt unsafe and conflicted. Listening to the chant, I recalled the current chief of police as a young boy in my 6th-grade class. Was I calling him a racist? If our local police harbor racist attitudes, am I any less guilty or worthy of condemnation? I had often heard racist comments from adults in my youth. They stemmed from deeply embedded attitudes. Surely, I had absorbed some of these. My childhood religious training told me that certain “other” groups were to be avoided. Especially among church people, our identity often seemed to oppose “others” who lived outside our norms. I wish these attitudes were a thing of the past. As a singer, I have always been deeply moved by songs about Freedom and Justice. On Sunday mornings at St. Vincent de Paul Church in Bradford, I chant the Psalms at our sacred ritual. These poems/prayers were “old” when Jesus learned them as a boy. They have been and continue to be a significant part of my life as a human being and a Christian. Yet, some reflect violent, primitive attitudes and emotions toward the “enemy.” Others are so sublime the angels weep to hear us sing them. We all have, today, a great need for integration; for deep discernment to allow wisdom to shine through these polarities. For nine years, I have been part of a Christian contemplative community founded by Thomas Keating, an internationally renowned teacher. In the past, his Snowmass Interreligious Conference was a dialogue among the world’s great wisdom traditions including Christian, Jewish, Buddhist, Hindu, Indigenous, and Islamic leaders. They shared their commonalities while respecting and honoring their differences. They met annually for twenty years. This is not a simple mix; a touch of Buddhism here, a dash of Taoism there, a bit of Christianity and a sprinkling of Native American wisdom to make it politically correct. No! That would result in a soup too weak to satisfy anyone for long. Meaningful dialogue for transformational results requires participants, deeply rooted in their own tradition, to be generous and able to appreciate what is true and divine in other traditions. This profound realization reminds me of a simple lesson I learned singing in church: If you can’t hear the person next to you, you’re singing too loud! What does this have to do with Westerly? Finding harmony where there is strife and division is essential to every friendship, every family, and every community. We are in desperate need of Peacemakers. Making peace requires a commitment to hard, long, taxing work. Peace lovers are a dime a dozen. They typically want to preserve personal comfort and security. They do not like or want to “rock the boat.” Our boat needs rocking. Three years ago, when the founders of ARC began to organize peaceful protests,, born in grief and anger, on the Post Office steps, we slowly became witnesses to peaceful solidarity. They are an expression of hope. Members are encouraged to become involved in our town government, show up, speak up, and volunteer to serve. One example has been to urge our School Committee to revisit Policy No.1032 guidelines for civil discourse in public commentary because it’s so easy to be considerate toward those who agree with us, but so challenging to be civil toward those with whom we strongly disagree. Another is ARC’s championing the equity audit of the Westerly School Department which will strengthen decision- making in the best interest of all students moving forward. I see ARC as Peacemakers in our community and world. And I see in them a genuine “hunger and thirst for peace and justice.” I am proud to be counted among their members and friends. I invite you to join us. All are truly welcome to pursue life, liberty and harmony, an art in which all become One community, a Beloved community. This column is written by members of the Westerly Anti-Racism Coalition, which embraces multiculturalism to address racism. Geoff Serra is a contributing editor. ARC meets on the steps of the Westerly Post Office each Sunday, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. All are welcome. Learn more and subscribe to ARC’s newsletter at westerlyarc.weebly.com. Contact them at [email protected]. |
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This website is a publication of the Westerly Anti-Racism Coalition. ARC is a community coalition unaffiliated with any state, national, or international organization. ARC embraces multiculturalism to address racism.
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