Newtown Allies for Change (NAFC) is pleased to announce Ariana Leggio, second-grade teacher at Middle Gate Elementary and Erika Carlson, Library Media Specialist at Hawley Elementary School, as the 3rd annual Allies in Education award winners. The awards were presented on May 30th at the Newtown Community Center. In April, NAFC asked educators, administrators, and …
Read more “NAFC Presents the Third Annual Allies in Education Award.”
“I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.” If you pay attention to discussions about race and racism in the news, chances are you have seen the quote …
On Saturday, March 30, eleven students from grades 5-8th gathered in the Maker’s Space at C. H. Booth Library for the first meeting of Newtown Allies For Change Youth Group. These young students are local Newtown residents who are interested in making the community a more inclusive and welcoming space for all people. Local resident, Christine …
Read more “NAFC’s Youth Group Kicks off With Acts of Kindness.”
On October 25, 2023 around 100 local residents filled a conference room in the Newtown Community Center. Some of the women wore head coverings while many of the men wore Kippahs. Black, white and Latinx neighbors; clergy of various religions; elected officials (along with current candidates) and law enforcement officers all gathered together with one …
by: Alenda Calderbank As a kid, Columbus Day was a welcome day off from school a month into the school year. As the leaves shined bright orange against the crisp blue sky and we heard the familiar sound of rustling leaves, we recited the familiar children’s poem that helped us remember the year Columbus …
NAFC is pleased to award four local educators with the 2nd annual Allies in Education Award. This award is given to local educators who are nominated by members of the NAFC Education Committee. These educators are recognized for the ways in which they have gone above and beyond to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in the …
Read more “Announcing the 2023 NAFC Allies in Education Award”
On February 19th, 1942, shortly after the bombing of Pearl Harbor by the country of Japan, President Franklin D. Roosevelt enacted Executive Order 9066. This order was put into place to protect the United States from possible espionage by those of Japanese heritage. However, what really took place was that over 120,000 Japanese people in California, …
The term ‘woke’ has been used a lot in political discourse lately. What is your reaction when you hear ‘woke’? Is it something you aspire to, or do you dismiss the idea as something not worth consideration? The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines ‘woke’ as “aware of and actively attentive to important societal facts and issues …
All last month NAFC group focused on what it means to be an ally. We hosted a book discussion about being anti-racist, we defined terms, and we interviewed our young allies and their BIPOC peers at Newtown High School to better understand what it means to be an ally. We challenged our followers on Facebook …
My brain has been getting a workout lately! Just when I think I’m getting things figured out, professor Ibram X. Kendi makes me think again. Below you will find Dr. Kendi’s definitions of concepts he presents in chapters 7-12 of his bestselling book, How To Be An Antiracist. Some are straightforward, others not so much. …
In May of 2020 the country was rocked when the death of George Floyd streamed all over Facebook. Even though Black men have died at rates disproportionate to their White peers throughout the history of the police force, this incident was in our faces and undeniable. The response of the country, mixed in with the …
Talking about racism is hard. Even among scholars there can be disagreement about how the words and phrases used when discussing race should be defined. Dr. Ibram X. Kendi, author of How To Be An Antiracist, considers accurate definitions to be so critical that the book’s first chapter is entitled, “Definitions”. Additionally, all but the …
Happy 2023 Fellow Allies! It’s a fresh new year and the perfect occasion for reflection and resolutions. As I reflect upon my own participation in NAFC this past year, I am grateful for all that I have learned and for new friendships that continue to grow. I am grateful for an opportunity to help bring …
In May of 2020, during an arrest gone awry, George Floyd was murdered in broad daylight by Derek Chauvin, a Minneapolis Police Officer with a history of using unnecessary force. This wasn’t the first act of police violence against a Black man in my lifetime. One of my earliest memories from the nightly news is …
Read more “His Name Is George Floyd: One Man’s Life and the Struggle for Racial Justice“
“Whiteness is the freedom not to see race most of the time; and it’s why when white people are asked to see it, we get so uncomfortable.” Baynard Woods, Author of Inheritance: An Autobiography of Whiteness, in an interview on the 08/31/22 episode of Code Switch, “What Does It Mean to Inherit ‘whiteness?’” Why is …
As white people start to do the work of becoming anti-racist, there are some phrases we hear that we might not be super familiar with. Part of the purpose of the NAFC blog is to help those who are on this journey understand the language of this field of study. Today we are going to …
Well that didn’t take long. Misinformed Newtowners started sounding alarms about Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) along with the first school bells of the new academic year. School has been in session for two and a half short weeks and already accusations of DEI being tantamount to “indoctrination” and the “sexualization of children” have been …
Are you trying to be a better ally? Are there times you find yourself reading an anti-racist book, listening to a podcast, or even reading the NAFC blog, when you come across a phrase that you don’t completely understand? Perhaps you’ve even heard a phrase multiple times, but you do not quite have a firm grasp on what …
June is Pride Month and rainbow flags are everywhere. That’s a good thing, right? While LGBTQ Americans still face far too much discrimination, they are more visible than ever before. Few of us give it a second thought when we learn that a neighbor, friend, or family member is gay. We attend same sex weddings, …
“Race and Faith” was the topic of Newtown’s second Community Conversation that took place on April 25th at the library. It was aptly billed as “An opportunity for Newtowners to engage with and hear from the community’s religious leaders as we consider and respond to matters of race, equality, equity, and diversity.” CH Booth Library …
I have watched Michigan State Senator Mallory McMorrow’s floor speech to her fellow senators at least five times. Initially I thought her comments were crafted for an audience of one: The colleague who publicly accused her of trying to “groom and sexualize” young children and to make them feel responsible for slavery. Sen. McMorrow certainly …