DEI

May is Jewish Heritage Month, along with AAPI and Mental Health Awareness Month (as we highlighted last week). The White House issued a proclamation that begins with, “This month, we celebrate the enduring heritage of Jewish Americans, whose values, culture, and contributions have shaped our character as a Nation. For generations, the story of the Jewish people — one of resilience, faith, and hope in the face of adversity, prejudice and persecution — has been woven into the fabric of our Nation’s story.” Read the entire Presidential proclamation here.

May is a great time to explore the Jewish experience. You might start with achievements and contributions, but as one reader suggested, it is critically important to also examine the more painful aspects of antisemitism faced by Jewish people throughout history. The Anti-Defamation League found that antisemitic incidents in the U.S. increased by more than 35% in 2022. Even more reason to attend the upcoming seminar on Standing Up to Hate Crimes. See details below.

Upcoming Community Event: Standing up to Hate Crimes, Thursday, May 18 4-5:30pm, online via Zoom
Hate crimes are exponentially increasing in California. How do we, as a community, support victims of hate crimes? The State of California Civil Rights Department has developed tools for victims to report hate crimes and receive support. Co-sponsored by the Contra Costa County Libraries. Click here for registration information.
 
Summer Program for Teens: QLIT at The Athenian School, June 20-30
The vision of  this program is for Queer Leaders in Training (QLIT) (rising 9th, 10th, and 11th graders) to find their people, feel safe, proud and affirmed, and realize their power to make a difference in their community and beyond. And of course, have so much fun. The QLIT program will be free of charge or “pay-what-you-can.” Learn more about the camp here.
 
DEI’s 2023-2024 planning is underway. Please share any thoughts or ideas you have with us here. Out of the box thinking is welcome. This is a collaborative process and we encourage participation. Lots of ways to be involved without a huge time commitment.

May is both Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage and Mental Health Awareness Month. The Lafayette Library’s CelebrateDiversity page contains information to help celebrate the month. Library staff have curated booklists for all ages that feature AAPI voices and stories. As well, the county library system posted a quick read titled, HowAreYou? HowAreYouReallyDoing? to their adult blog page.

Upcoming Community Event: Standing up to Hate Crimes, Thursday, May 18 4-5:30pm, online via Zoom
Hate crimes are exponentially increasing in California. How do we, as a community, support victims of hate crimes? The State of California Civil Rights Department has developed tools for victims to report hate crimes and receive support. Co-sponsored by the Contra Costa County Libraries. Click here for registrationinformation.

DEI’s 2023-2024 planning is underway. Please share any thoughts or ideas you have with us here. Out-of-the-box thinking is welcome. This is a collaborative process and we encourage participation. Lots of ways to be involved without a huge time commitment.

DEI’s 2023-2024 planning is underway. Please share any thoughts or ideas you have with us here. This is a collaborative process and we encourage participation. We are also looking for parents to help out with events and communications next year. Specifically, we would like to find people interested in re-posting items to our social media, maintaining an announcements calendar, and supporting a few annual events. Not a lot of hours involved, but definitely rewarding work. If you are interested or have an out of the box idea on how you can be involved, please reach out.

April is Autism Awareness Month honoring and recognizing our fellow community members on the autism spectrum. Have you heard people talk about neurodiversity? Harvard Health explains the origin of the term and application here.
 
DEI’s 2023-2024 planning is underway. Please share any thoughts or ideas you have with us here. This is a collaborative process; we encourage participation. It is important that a plethora of voices and ideas are heard. We are also looking for parents to help out with events and communications next year. We have several active members aging out or retiring. Specifically, we would like to find people interested in re-posting items to our social media, maintaining an announcements calendar, and supporting a few annual events. Not a lot of hours involved, but definitely rewarding work. If you are interested, please reachout.

A late shoutout to World Autism Awareness Day that took place on Apr 2! April is AutismAwareness Month honoring and recognizing our fellow community members on the autism spectrum, as well as their families.
 
Upcoming event recognizing Holocaust Remembrance Day: Life is Beautiful Film Screening with Assemblymember Bauer-Kahan
This event takes place on Wednesday, Apr 19 at 6:30pm at the Orinda Theater. The Assemblymember is issuing a special invite to our young people and our school’s community to this event in order to foster a conversation for Holocaust Remembrance. Prior to the screening, Assemblymember Bauer-Kahan will be talking about the work that is being done in California to respond to antisemitism and hate, as well as her work as a member of the Governor’s Council on Holocaust and Genocide Education. For more information and to RSVP, please click here.

Did you know the City Council of Lafayette proclaims March as DevelopmentalDisabilities Awareness Month? Click here to learn about artist Jamila Rahimi, who designed this year’s DDAM logo.  #DDAM2023
 
March 31st is Transgender Day of Visibility. This is a nice overview for school communities. If you would like to learn more about events happening in Lamorinda, please email us.

• An LES parent wrote this quick read on transgender allyship.
• Here is a know your rights guide for students and families.  

As Women’s History Month draws to a close, below is our last feature:
Thank Her: Earlier this year we promoted an event featuring Judy Heumann. It was canceled and we later learned Ms. Heumann had passed away. Dubbed the “rolling warrior”, Heumann was a lifelong civil rights advocate for people with disabilities. Readhere about her life and the lasting impact of her work.
 
And some housekeeping: We are looking for a few parents to help out with committee work next year. Specifically, we would like to find people interested in re-posting items or announcements to our social media, maintaining a calendar and supporting a few annual events. Not a lot of hours involved but rewarding work. If you are interested, please reachout.
 
Stay in Touch: Click here to join the DEI mailing list or share feedback.

It’s Women’s History Month and our Thank Her feature is live for two more weeks. Parents, do you have a woman trailblazer you would like to see included in our feature? Send in the name and a short description.
 
Thank Her: Shonda Rhimes, television writer, director, and producer. Rhimes turned up the heat on Thursday night television with her huge hits, Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal. And then there is Bridgerton. Her casting is some of the most diverse on television, and her characters are attractive, ambitious, and deeply loyal. Rhimes dramas take us out of our everyday lives and let us live in places that are intriguing, suspenseful, seductive and full of bad decision making for a few hours. Grab your popcorn and wine and press play!
 
It is a busy time for spiritual observances and cultural festivities. Here are a few underway or starting soon: There will be celebrations for Nowruz (Persian New Year) on Mar 20, and the holy month of Ramadan begins Mar 22. Those observing Lent started in February and will conclude Apr 6. Passover starts Apr 5 and concludes on Apr 13. And Easter takes place Apr 9.
 
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It’s Women’s History Month and our Thank Her feature is taking off. We had a couple of parents write in about women they admired…keep the suggestions coming! Send in the name and a short description of a woman change-maker you admire. Local tie-ins are always appreciated!
 
Thank Her: Two authors, Judy Blume and Amy Tan, have had a profound impact on the lives of our peers. Judy Blume’s rich collection of novels make adolescents – including many female youth of the 80s – feel seen. Her ability to portray teenage issues with frankness and humor made her relatable reads extraordinarily popular. The New York Times writes that many of Blume’s books are now being turned into films. 
 
Oakland native, Amy Tan, had a breakout hit with The Joy Luck Club in 1989. Her novels, short stories, and essays are filled with intimate details about growing up as a first generation American and about what it is like to be both separate and a part of Chinese culture. Fun facts- Tan started out as a successful business writer and her novel, The Bonesetter’s Daughter, is also an opera!
 
Upcoming Event: Lift Your Voice with Angela Harrelson, TOMORROW, Mar 13 at 7pm, Town Hall Theater
Angela is the aunt of George Floyd and has written Lift Your Voice about how her nephew’s murder changed the world. Tickets to this special event are available at townhalltheater.com.
 
Stay in Touch: Click here to join the DEI mailing list or share feedback.

In honor of Women’s History Month, we are adding a Thank Her feature to our weekly communications throughout March. Contribute to the celebration by sending in a name and short description about an influential woman you admire. Bonus points for someone local or an alum of Acalanes.
 
Thank Her: Do you use Facetime or Zoom? Thank prolific inventor Marian Croak, owner of 200+ U.S. patents. Croak was one of the first two Black women to be inducted to the Inventors Hall of Fame. She is best known for developing Voice Over Internet Protocols (VoIP), technology that converts your voice into a digital signal. Among her inventions is the text-to-donate function which has helped to raise millions of dollars for disaster-relief efforts.
 
Happy Holi! And, chag Purim sameach! IYKYK
 
Don’t miss this important event happening Thursday night!
Repairing the World: Stories From The Tree of Life
Thursday, Mar 9, 7-9pm, Del Valle Theater in Walnut Creek
This is a documentary film on Pittsburgh’s powerful community response to hate in the aftermath of the deadliest anti-Semitic attack in U.S. history, showing what it means to be “stronger than hate.” Please join community members for this free film event sponsored by Campo DEIB. Screening will be followed by a special Q & A with the director.  Register forthe event here.
 
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In response to our call out for input, we received this Black Excellence highlight from a fellow parent and proud Cal alum:
“The LA Times puts a spotlight on O’Neil Ray Collins, a UC Berkeley professor who resided in Orinda and his kids went to Miramonte, in their article about 5 Black innovators who made significant contributions to the fields of horticulture and botany. Read the article here.”
 
Upcoming Events
Being Heumann: Acclaimed Memoir of a Disability Rights Advocate
Tuesday, Feb 28 from 6-7:30pm, Orinda Books
Join Facing History to discuss Judith Heumann’s life, her landmark civil rights activism, and how we can all be upstanders and advocates in our communities today. An RSVP is encouraged if you’d like to attend.
 
Get to Know Acalanes DEI
Informal meet-up to get to know one another. We will also be available to answer questions and talk about the past, present and future of our work. Sweet treats, savory sips and wonderful people provided. Email us so we can send you the exact date and location. We are targeting early March for this gathering.
 
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