Community Project: MLK Day at NCSSM
Purpose/Principles/Values
I feel strongly that MLK day is underused and shows a lack of appreciation for the importance of education about the current state of diversity issues... I believe a powerful MLK day at NCSSM that can be used as a model for other high schools is something I can help make happen that would be movement building.
Vision/Success/Mission
Develop NCSSM's 2008 MLK day to be not just history, but creation of dialogue about the intersections of race, class, gender, sexual orientation, and other ISMs founded on race-aware staff and student feedback and priciples of dismantling oppression.
Brainstorm
Much of this has already been done for the basics... see the history section. Still need to brainstorm with a group at NCSSM.
Organize
Not there yet! Gotta do more meetings...
Next Actions
W/F hearing back re: meetings from Letita and Dr. Barber
History:
When I started my previous job as Student Life Instructor and Service Learning Coordinator at the North Carolina School of Science and Math, I made an early call to Mandy Carter (who rocks) at Southerners on New Ground, asking how I could help as a volunteer for SONG. I feel lucky to have met Mandy in a number of contexts when I was an ally at Public Allies, North Carolina (class of '04! Shout outs to staff: Cal, Amoke, Dionysios and Dan), like when she was part of an inspiring panel on heterosexism with a number of other awesome folks. At any rate, as part of that conversation, I offered a number of random skills and asked questions about what SONG was doing. Turns out a pet project of Mandy's at the time was to get Brother Outsider: The Life of Bayard Rustin shown at high schools... heck, I lived and worked at a high school! The gist of the project was to incorporate the movie into MLK days at high schools in the south region. The reason? Bayard Rustin was many things, including an incredible quaker pacifist, the chief organizer of the march on Washington where Dr. MLK delivered the "I have a Dream" speach, a long-time civil rights activist and organizer, and an out, gay Black man. Because of that, while he was a key player in many, many civil rights struggles around labor and race, he frequently played a backstage role to other leaders. His sexual orientation was used as a tool to discredit the movement... his story weaves sexual orientation and race together powerfully to give a deeper picture of civil rights besides just "race." By showing the movie at high schools, it begins to weave an awareness of the interrelatedness of civil rights issues. Showing it is super strategic! By playing my part to try to get it shown, I was excited to be part of an organized and strategic effort in the region. Mandy really gave me an opportunity to feel like part of a movement. In 2007, MLK day was put together for perhaps the first time with choices - movies like The Color of Fear and Brother Outsider were shown as part of the official programming of the day, as well as facillitated activities by student leadership. That year, I designed a survey to measure student feedback about the different events, divided by race and gender identification. It could use some clean up, but it was the first measurement of student interest in MLK day activities to date (for those interested, see the overall results and the spreadsheet breakdowns by program). What rocked was that we were giving choices to students, and that went over Very well (which we had the data to demonstrate, as well). In conversations with Letita (who, again, rocks and is inspiring to me), we both felt energy from the movie initiatives and the very positive shifts in MLK day presentation still has room to grow to be more inline with the non-stereotyped vision of Dr. King, including his stances on labor and militarism. So this coming year, I'm hoping to support the school from the community in developing MLK day even more - with choices for students that acknowledge and honor folks of various backgrounds...leaving no one feeling unmotivated or unactivated (whereas, before, white students, especially white men, felt unmotivated and unincluded in the "history lesson). NCSSM is a pretty strategic place for these kinds of changes, since it serves, in many ways, as a model school for both the region (since students come from all over the state to attend) and the nation (since it's one of the premiere public, residential high schools in the nation). Positive changes to the way dialogue is done around MLK day, changing it from one of passive hero-worship to active education, celebration, and movement building can easily make waves.
7/22/2007-I have a task to contact 5 folks to help organize early a diversity committee at NCSSM with superstar Letita Mason. I've been lazy though, and haven't done it this week because the next action of the project is intimidating to me somehow. I think it was knowing how to write a fancy, nice email... so I've changed the next action to "write 5 sentence email to 5 people to 'ping' the project. It doesn't always take perfection, just consistency. Hopefully that'll do it this week.
9/30/2007 - I've put some effort into this and organized a buncha ideas. Here's a recent email:
So hopefully we're going to meet within a week or two...
I feel strongly that MLK day is underused and shows a lack of appreciation for the importance of education about the current state of diversity issues... I believe a powerful MLK day at NCSSM that can be used as a model for other high schools is something I can help make happen that would be movement building.
Vision/Success/Mission
Develop NCSSM's 2008 MLK day to be not just history, but creation of dialogue about the intersections of race, class, gender, sexual orientation, and other ISMs founded on race-aware staff and student feedback and priciples of dismantling oppression.
Brainstorm
Much of this has already been done for the basics... see the history section. Still need to brainstorm with a group at NCSSM.
Organize
Not there yet! Gotta do more meetings...
Next Actions
W/F hearing back re: meetings from Letita and Dr. Barber
History:
When I started my previous job as Student Life Instructor and Service Learning Coordinator at the North Carolina School of Science and Math, I made an early call to Mandy Carter (who rocks) at Southerners on New Ground, asking how I could help as a volunteer for SONG. I feel lucky to have met Mandy in a number of contexts when I was an ally at Public Allies, North Carolina (class of '04! Shout outs to staff: Cal, Amoke, Dionysios and Dan), like when she was part of an inspiring panel on heterosexism with a number of other awesome folks. At any rate, as part of that conversation, I offered a number of random skills and asked questions about what SONG was doing. Turns out a pet project of Mandy's at the time was to get Brother Outsider: The Life of Bayard Rustin shown at high schools... heck, I lived and worked at a high school! The gist of the project was to incorporate the movie into MLK days at high schools in the south region. The reason? Bayard Rustin was many things, including an incredible quaker pacifist, the chief organizer of the march on Washington where Dr. MLK delivered the "I have a Dream" speach, a long-time civil rights activist and organizer, and an out, gay Black man. Because of that, while he was a key player in many, many civil rights struggles around labor and race, he frequently played a backstage role to other leaders. His sexual orientation was used as a tool to discredit the movement... his story weaves sexual orientation and race together powerfully to give a deeper picture of civil rights besides just "race." By showing the movie at high schools, it begins to weave an awareness of the interrelatedness of civil rights issues. Showing it is super strategic! By playing my part to try to get it shown, I was excited to be part of an organized and strategic effort in the region. Mandy really gave me an opportunity to feel like part of a movement. In 2007, MLK day was put together for perhaps the first time with choices - movies like The Color of Fear and Brother Outsider were shown as part of the official programming of the day, as well as facillitated activities by student leadership. That year, I designed a survey to measure student feedback about the different events, divided by race and gender identification. It could use some clean up, but it was the first measurement of student interest in MLK day activities to date (for those interested, see the overall results and the spreadsheet breakdowns by program). What rocked was that we were giving choices to students, and that went over Very well (which we had the data to demonstrate, as well). In conversations with Letita (who, again, rocks and is inspiring to me), we both felt energy from the movie initiatives and the very positive shifts in MLK day presentation still has room to grow to be more inline with the non-stereotyped vision of Dr. King, including his stances on labor and militarism. So this coming year, I'm hoping to support the school from the community in developing MLK day even more - with choices for students that acknowledge and honor folks of various backgrounds...leaving no one feeling unmotivated or unactivated (whereas, before, white students, especially white men, felt unmotivated and unincluded in the "history lesson). NCSSM is a pretty strategic place for these kinds of changes, since it serves, in many ways, as a model school for both the region (since students come from all over the state to attend) and the nation (since it's one of the premiere public, residential high schools in the nation). Positive changes to the way dialogue is done around MLK day, changing it from one of passive hero-worship to active education, celebration, and movement building can easily make waves.7/22/2007-I have a task to contact 5 folks to help organize early a diversity committee at NCSSM with superstar Letita Mason. I've been lazy though, and haven't done it this week because the next action of the project is intimidating to me somehow. I think it was knowing how to write a fancy, nice email... so I've changed the next action to "write 5 sentence email to 5 people to 'ping' the project. It doesn't always take perfection, just consistency. Hopefully that'll do it this week.
9/30/2007 - I've put some effort into this and organized a buncha ideas. Here's a recent email:
Letita! (Dr. Barber!)
Here's a thought on the ongoing discussions about providing award-winning, and student empowering MLK programming. I thought it would be cool to get movies and tie them with diverse speakers, too.
Since I just got back from Highlander (again, which has a STONG connection to past and current social change and civil rights), they mentioned this movie coming out describing every day social change activists and the history of civil rights in the south: http://www.milestonefilms.com/movie.php/ygtm/
Also, I personally know two Highlander co-directors who ran the youth organizing program I could ask to speak after the movie about being young and engaged. I think it would rock. :-)
Just food for thought! Some more brainstorms, given that choices went so well last time and we could build a day of activities (maybe 3/4 at a time, 2-3 groups of activities):
* Show Bayard Rustin and ask Mandy Carter (a friend of mine) to come speak about intersections of race and sexual orientation (http://www.classicdykes.com/mandy_carter.htm)
* Show Blue Eyed or Color of Fear and ask Tema Okun (and/or myself) to come speak about being white (http://www.cwsworkshop.org/resources/ARAgenda.html, http://www.pubpol.duke.edu/centers/hlp/about/faculty/okun-tema/index.htm
l)
* Show a movie on the use of Gospel/Black Spirituals to galvanize spiritual energy during civil rights, follow with Colours leading some "campfire" singing...?
* Have Durham CAN come to talk about local organizing (they're a group that organizes churches and groups to move for specific changes - they helped raise the minimum wage in Durham, for instance: http://www.durhamcan.org/
* Coordinate a number of afternoon service projects through United Way (since it's recognized as a Day of Service), and through Chasity, the new service learning coordinator.
* Have someone come (I have two contacts in mind) to talk about downtown Durham's history, Parrish street and Black Wall Street and how economies and local history impacted civil rights. Peter Coyle is in the public art department in downtown Durham and knows just about everything's that's happened in Durham with civil rights and buildings. There's also a new Parrish Street history museum that celebrates Parrish Street, and I know someone there too. (http://www.dukenews.duke.edu/2007/01/parrish.html, http://www.durhamnc.gov/departments/eed/parrish/)
I am energized about this and can help make these things happen, but I'd love to be in conversation with other folks about more ideas, too. I feel like we don't acknowledge multiple racial identities that well yet (chicano/latino, asian american, indian american, native american), the link between economics and civil rights, immigration, and some other issues that we could still delve into.
Anyway, since MLK day's on my mind ... well, a few times a week, and I've been collecting ideas (especially when I was at Highlander), I thought I'd pass them on! I wanna help make it the best, most motivating and student celebrated MLK day on record. And I really think I could help do that this year.
looking forward to it! MLK day's right around the corner, to me!
:-)
peace,mike
So hopefully we're going to meet within a week or two...
Labels: community projects, Letita Mason, MLK Day at NCSSM
posted by Mike Dolan Fliss at
9/30/2007 04:47:00 PM
0 Comments
Sunday mornings I currently do my weekly review in the GTD system. That's when I get "squeekly clean" with my projects, next actions, and the like. Of course, as with the rest of my life, this is a work in progress - my weekly review is 95% the same week-to-week, but changes from time to time. While later this week I'll highlight exactly How I'm doing it, I'd like to get in the practice of doing a community project run-down. That is, as part of my review, I go through all my next actions to see if they're part of multi-part projects with outcomes I care about...and have committed to - not just "a good idea I'd do if I had an infinite amount of time. I also go the "other direction" - checking my projects to see if each one has a to-do associated with it to kick start it. I'm running down my community projects list currently, so I figured it'd be nice to run-down publicly as the first step to a weekly pattern of checking in on projects. So, here we go.
