March 2020 Newsletter
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Join us around the table on Sunday, March 1st Seeding a Community-Wide Process to Deepen Our Racial Literacy
2pm - 5pm St. Luke's Episcopal Church 73 South Fullerton Food and childcare provided
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Together we will create brave space. Because there is no such thing as safe space. We exist in the real world. We all carry scars, and we have all caused wounds. This space will not be perfect. But it will be our brave space together. And we will work on it side by side.
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We can't have real change on race and equity until we learn how to have real talk - talk that is based on a common understanding of race and racism. Join other members of the Montclair community on Sunday, March 1st for an afternoon of learning, dialogue and discussion - and the launch of the America to Me: Real Talk Montclair initiative.
This event is for anyone curious about their own racial literacy and how it impacts their ability to identify and address racial inequity in our town. Join us on March 1st.
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Watch the Trailer |
More about the America to Me: Real Talk Montclair initiative What is this initiative? America to Me: Real Talk Montclair is a community-wide, community-led viewing of an acclaimed documentary on education, race, and equity. Using the 10-episode America to Me Documentary series, this initiative will start to build that common language. The community-wide watch will operate like a community read - but with a film instead of a book. We are recruiting Watch Group Leaders who will form their own groups and lead discussions between April and May. WGLs receive training and support from MSU professors. Read more here.
What is the goal? This is an individual and collective journey to deepen our racial literacy. The goal is to develop a common language about race and equity so that we can talk and hear each other constructively. Words matter. The way we talk about race and racism impacts people and informs our actions.
What is this not? There are many wounds in our town - old and new - and those wounds will inevitably come up through this process. But this is not a process for resolving specific conflicts or having town hall-type discussions of issues in our community. Those conversations are critical and deserve their own forums. The goal of this process is to equip community members with the language, understanding, and inspiration to design their own ways to disrupt racism.
Why are MFEE and other partners doing this work? Our children - ALL of our children - are our common interest. Dismantling racism in our schools and in our community is fundamental to their development. And we all have a stake in - and responsibility for - this work.
Who should attend the opening meeting on March 1st? Anyone interested in deepening their racial literacy or just curious about what this process will entail. Come with an open mind and heart.
Haven't we been down this road before? Yes. Dismantling racism requires constant, consistent effort, and we still have a long way to go toward making sustainable change. Our best shot is by admitting that we have work to do, acknowledging when we have caused harm, and authentically committing to doing this together.
How do I sign up? How do I learn more? Register here. You can also contact the America to Me: Real Talk Montclair coordinators at info@mfee.org with any questions.
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This work is made possible by the generous support of these partners.
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The initiative was shaped with input from these local thought partners who participated in a pilot process in the Spring of 2019
Brother to Brother COPE Center Councilwoman Renee Baskerville IMANI Mayor Robert Jackson Montclair Board of Education Montclair Community Council for Young Children Montclair Education Association Montclair Public Schools Equity Advocate Montclair Fire Fighters Montclair Fund for Women Montclair Neighborhood Development Corporation Montclair Police Department Montclair PTA Council NAACP Rabbi Ariann Weitzman (Bnai Keshet) Reverend Elizabeth Campbell (Rising Mount Zion Church) Sister to Sister Teachers Undoing Racism Now Union Congregational Church YMCA Yogi Berra Museum & Learning Center |
Special thanks to Toni's Kitchen and St. Luke's Episcopal Church for the food and space for this event!
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