DIVERSITY MATTERS
January 2020

NEWS FROM METCO HQ
METCO Headquarters has awarded the latest round of Cultural Performance Mini-Grants to METCO partner districts! The first one, a performance of " Living the Legacy of METCO" by Ron Jones of Dialogues on Diversity (left) , was the centerpiece of last night's Martin Luther King, Jr. Day celebration in Concord, co-organized by METCO Director Andrew Nyameke . If you are looking to offer a cultural performance event later this year, look out for another round of mini-grants in the coming months!
Thanks to generous funding from BASI/Outside the Box Act Two, we are excited that the following culturally oriented performances will be presented this spring:

  • Foxborough (Jesenia Castro): Dialogues on Diversity's "Get out of your Bubble" program
  • Marblehead (Jasmine Boyd-Perry): Student-led Culture Feast, featuring cultural array of music, spoken word, dance, art and more
  • Reading (Grant Hightower): Dialogues on Diversity's “Get out of your Bubble” program
  • Scituate (Michelle Crawford): Three artist-in-residence day workshops led by Enzo Silon Surin and Jamele Adams for students to learn about finding their poetic voices and telling their stories. One culminating student performance event
  • Wakefield (Glavia Smith): OrigiNation performance event for school
  • Walpole (Jesenia Castro): Sumner McLain to tell stories through cultural music performances at three elementary schools relevant to Black History Month
  • Weston (La Toya Rivers): OrigiNation dance facilitator to lead students in rehearsals and training for a culminating event to be shared with their school
INCLUSION RESOURCES
How do your graduates of color do in college?
This remarkable tool from the Boston Globe lets you look up your district and see the percentage of graduates who earn college degrees—and how big the gap is between students of different racial groups. Take a minute and look yours up... and talk with your team about what the answer tells you. 
What do students think about school integration?
High school students from across the country wrote to the New York Times to share their honest thoughts about the importance of racial diversity in their schools. What do your students say about being part of the METCO program?
Making your PTOs more inclusive
Learn from a Maryland community that took concrete steps to diversify the voices in their parent groups in this Washington Post story. The lessons apply not just to gentrifying schools, but mostly white suburban schools that are racially integrating as well.
Daily microaggressions take toll on African-American teens
 Adolescence is hard for everyone, but a new study from Rutgers adds further evidence that African-American teens bear an extra burden. The survey on teen microaggressions suggests that “the average African-American adolescent in the U.S. experiences over five incidents of [‘microaggressions’] each and every day." Experiences like being teased about their hair, watching classmates laugh at racist jokes (or share them online), and observing family and friends being treated unfairly because of their skin color accumulate and cause depressive symptoms and thoughts. How can you reinforce a school climate that reduces racial microaggressions? What extra supports can you provide your students of color who are uniquely affected?
UPCOMING EVENTS
TONIGHT AT 7:
Wellesley screens Race: The Power of an Illusion
World of Wellesley and the Wellesley Community Center continue their tradition of showing this essential three-part documentary that explodes the myths behind our racist society . LEARN MORE
MON. JAN. 20:
Martin Luther King, Jr., Day celebrations
Virtually every METCO district is honoring Martin Luther King, Jr., this weekend. Be sure to participate in your community! METCO, Inc. CEO Milly Arbaje-Thomas is honored to be the keynote speaker at the Wakefield Human Rights Commission event. LEARN MORE
TUES. JAN. 21:
National Day of Racial Healing Tune in all day to a livestream dedicated to truth telling and trust building that lead to racial healing for a more just and equitable future. LEARN MORE
REGISTER NOW FOR FEB. 7:
Building Bridges Conference Weston, MA. Sponsored by Massachusetts Partnership for Diversity in Education, this year's theme is "Impacting School Culture & Kids: The Fierce Urgency of Now." LEARN MORE
SAT. FEB. 8:
METCO Presents:
Detroit Red
 F amilies from all METCO suburbs are invited to this play about the coming-of-age of future activist Malcolm X, when he was a rowdy teenager and street hustler right here in Roxbury. Recommended for ages 14 and up. $10 tickets include an exclusive post-show reception with members of the creative team. LEARN MORE
REGISTER NOW FOR APRIL 28-30:
COSEBOC Conference Seattle, WA. This year's theme is "Boys and Young Men of Color: Learning from the Footprints of the Past, Taking Footsteps to the Future." LEARN MORE
REGISTER NOW FOR MAY 2:
IDEAS Conference Waltham, MA. This year's theme is "De colonizing Our Minds: Challenging Dominant Narratives," and sessions will explore the impact of race, culture, and equity on student engagement, learning, and achievement. LEARN MORE
DISTRICT SPOTLIGHT: LINCOLN
The Lincoln community continues to set an example for ensuring that all of their students have equal access to their amazing enrichment programs. As reported in the local paper, the robotics team called the GearTicks wanted to make sure that Boston resident students weren't prevented from participating just because of a bus schedule. They reached out to METCO Director Marika Hamilton and the grass-roots parent group the METCO Coordinating Committee. Together they formed a plan involving a change in schedule, additional outreach for volunteer coaches (including Michelle Barnes, president of the MCC), and funds for new robotics kits from FIRST LEGO League. It took effort and compromise, but the result is increased equity: students from Lincoln and Boston forming a multi-racial team of engineers, having a blast and learning a lot.
TALK OF THE MONTH
With the movie adaptation of Just Mercy out in theaters, it’s a great time to watch the incredible Bryan Stevenson tell his own story! 
Diversity Matters is a monthly newsletter from METCO Headquarters that shares stories, resources, and announcements to help suburban school districts make the most of racial integration. Click here to subscribe !

If you have information you would like to share in next month's newsletter,
please email Colin Stokes at cstokes@metcoinc.org .