March 29th, 2021 Update

Written By Annie Simpson

Hello, Friends for Equity in Avon Schools!

In case you missed it, we have posted the PowerPoint presentation from our Friends for Equity information session this past Tuesday on our Facebook page. Avon residents who are members of the Avon Board of Education attended as well as APS superintendent, Dr. Carnemolla and AHS principal, Mike Renkawitz. Other community leaders attending and speaking included representatives from the AHS Voices for Equity group, AHS PTO President, Carol Shubinski, and Avon Public Library Director, Glenn Grube. Thank you to everyone who participated and attended - we deeply appreciate your involvement and support! 

At the meeting we spoke about our focus on racial equity, our plans, and our goals, and shared our personal stories around why we believe the work is important. Several Avon community leaders spoke in support and we heard from an AHS student and social worker who shared with us how and why the Voices for Equity student group was formed in the high school, the status of the group, and the impact it is having on the students who are participating. Hearing directly from a student about her experiences was a powerful moment and drove home the need for anti-racism work to continue and be prioritized in our schools, and the importance of community support for it. 

Here are some next steps and ways to get involved: 

  • Get ready for the community reading and discussion of Stamped this summer sponsored by the Avon Free Public Library. There’s a version for everyone!

  • Register for S.E.E. CT's next region-wide meeting on April 25th at 4pm

  • Help us grow the community and gain momentum by inviting your Avon friends and family to join our Friends for Equity Facebook group

  • Help diversify and lead the PTO! Get involved yourself or spread the word. 

  • Consider civic engagement! Pro-equity candidates are being sought for upcoming openings on the Board of Education, Town Council, Board of Finance, etc. We’d also love to see a more diverse group of community leaders. We are happy to get you in touch with folks who can share more information.   

  • Stay tuned for upcoming FFE community forums!

If you have suggestions, thoughts or questions about our work, or there are some specific ways you feel you would like to contribute and get involved, always feel free to reach out. We’ve had conversations with many members of the community that are helping to inform our work. We want to continue and grow the dialogue. We’ll be doing some strategic planning work over the spring and summer to help figure out how we organize for greatest impact - so we’ll be sharing the outcome of that work and additional ways to get involved when we are ready.

On Tuesday we also shared a list of resources we’ve been learning from which I’ve copied at the bottom of this email should you be interested (acknowledging there are many more great resources in addition to these). If you’d like a copy of our info session PowerPoint presentation emailed to you, I’m happy to send. Please also note that future correspondence will be coming from our new email account: AvonFFE@gmail.com. 

THANK YOU for your support! 


General

  • Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You: A Remix of the National Book Award-winning Stamped from the Beginning  by Ibram x Kendi

  • White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism by Robin DiAngelo

  • The Black Friend by Frederick Joseph

  • The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How our Government Segregated America by Richard Rothstein

  • 13th Documentary (on Netflix)

  • A very simple explanation of systemic bias – YouTube Video

  • Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson


Education


Hartford County Focused

Annie Simpson
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May 2021 Update