In case you were unable to attend, here is the Lexington Minuteman coverage of the May 8, 2018 School Committee meeting. ABCL members Mabel Amar and Education subcommittee chair Jodia Finnagan.

http://lexington.wickedlocal.com/news/20180510/update-advocates-confront-lexington-school-committee-over-school-discipline

 

Sat, April 28, 2018

Please join ABCL at this Lexington Youth and Family Services  Multi Cultural Sponsoring Board event

METCO Documentary Film, “On the Line: Where Sacrifice Begins” on Sat, April 28, 2018 from 5:30 to 8:30 at First Parish Church, 7 Harrington Rd, on the Green in Lexington. Created by Mike Mascoll, a Lexington METCO graduate, this film documents the birth in 1966 of METCO, which is the oldest voluntary desegregation program.  It highlights the METCO program through the experience of both METCO and Lexington families and discusses why METCO is still such an important and beneficial program in Lexington today. Barbara Hamilton, METCO Director at Lexington High School said, “Now more than ever our country is at risk of being divided again. This story stands as an example of how we can still come together.” Following the film, there will be a panel of METCO parents, alumni, current students and educators.  Light refreshments will served.

To view the trailer, visit  https://www.newday.com/film/line-where-sacrifice-begins

METCO Documentary Film provides further for details

Dear Parent or Guardian,

Over the last several months representatives of the Lexington Public Schools, Lexington Human Rights Committee (LHRC), and the Lexington Commission on Disability (COD) have worked with community members from the Association of Black Citizens of Lexington (ABCL) and Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC) to develop a survey.

We want to hear about your experiences with student discipline in Lexington Public Schools (LPS). As a parent or guardian of student who is African-American or Black, or who has an IEP or 504 plan, your feedback is especially valuable to us and will help us improve responses to student discipline.

Please use this link to take this survey.  If you would prefer to complete a paper copy of the survey, please contact  Sean Osborne

If you have questions about this survey, you may contact Sean Osborne or  Victoria Buckley , COD Chair.

Thank you for completing this survey by Tuesday, May 1, 2018

Sean Osborne

Chair, LHRC

 

Here is the link to Town of Lexington posting for the vacant elementary principal positions.

We are promoting these vacancies to gain additional candidates of color.

https://phlaptweb19.applitrack.com/lexingtonma/onlineapp/JobPostings/view.asp?FromAdmin=true&AppliTrackJobId=2352

Police cadet is the first notice. Clicking on the link takes you to the job posting and the application can also be found in this section.

https://www.lexingtonma.gov/human-resources/pages/employment-town

 

 

The first episode of Trailblazers in Our Midst is available for viewing.

As mentioned in earlier emails, we are having an abbreviated Black History month at the library (February 12-28) that will consist of the following:

• Display Materials: The library will have relevant materials on display on the main floor during this time. The attached lists of recommended books, movies and music was provided to the library to display. We are hopeful they will purchase some to add to their permanent collection.
• Movie Screenings: We are going to co-sponsor The “Princess and the Frog” and “Race: The Jesse Owens Story” with the library. The library will create promotional posters for the movies, draft press releases, and promote them on their website, too. They ask us to do the same. We cannot mention the names of the movies for licensing reasons. However, we can link to the library’s website where the actual names of the movies will be listed.
• Idea Wall Exhibit: Thanks to Leona, we will have a visual exhibit on the Idea Wall across from the Reference Desk. It will celebrate our contributions in the sciences, military, arts, and more. If you have large posters that you want included in the exhibit, I will need it by this Friday.

 

FUTURE EVENTS

 

Following are some events still in the early stages of discussion and planning, but worth mentioning.

 

• Baseball Season (April/May): Possible screening of “42,”  the movie about Jackie Robinson. If the Idea Wall is available, we could do a Negro League exhibit. Depending on interest, we may or may not do this.
• Library After Dark: The Cary Foundation is launching a new series of after-hours events at the library. Four are planned for this year. I met with the leaders of the Foundation Monday to discuss ABCL partnering with them on an event in the fall-possibly a poetry slam featuring Regie Gibson, if he’s interested and available, and/or a jazzfest. The details still need to be worked out. First, we need to lock down a date. We are looking at September 8th or 15th, both Saturdays.

 

NEXT MEETING

February 8th and 22nd meetings are cancelled. Any updates to be provided at 2/15 board meeting.

 

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or comments about any of the up-coming events.

 

Thanks,

Martha

The program, Trailblazers In Our Midst, is centered around local African Americans that have contributed to the local area: past, present and future.

This episode is currently in post-production.

January 14, 2018

Yesterday’s MLK at the Library event was a success. Nearly 55 people attended some portion of the program. Many shared their appreciation at the end of each segment.

The spoken-word artists were well-received. Terry E. Carter received rave reviews for his poetry reading and sold a few books. Cynthia Phillips-Kaipu was a hit with her animated reading of the MLK children’s books and book raffle. People also enjoyed the slideshow presentation of Dr. King accompanied by music and a selection of his speeches. Then, there’s the display of Corita Kent artwork on loan from Mary Haskell, which we all appreciated. The evening closed with a lively discussion, moderated by Kaye Long, after viewing the movie, Selma.

Without the efforts, support, and encouragement of the following people, MLK at the Library would not have been possible: Kaye Long, Charlie and Leona Martin, Monica Ndounou, and Sean Osborne. I also want to recognize Koren Stembridge and the Cary Library staff for all their help. And, I thank my daughter, Olivia Byrd, who created the slideshow for the audio/visual presentation of the program and live-streamed images and video of the event to the ABCL Facebook page.

Finally, to all of you who were able to attend the MLK at the Library event in person, thank you for coming. And, to those who were there in spirit, thank you for keeping us in your thoughts and sending us your positive energy.

– Martha Byrd