Education Resources for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging

Día de los Muertos Is Nov. 1-2

Also known as the Day of the Dead, El Día de los Muertos originated in Mexico but is celebrated throughout the world, especially by people of Mexican heritage. It is a holiday of joyful celebration and remembrance. The multiday holiday involves gathering with friends and family to pay respect to loved ones who have passed. These celebrations can take on a humorous tone, as celebrants remember funny events and anecdotes about their loved ones.

Traditions connected with the holiday include using calaveras (sugar skulls) and Aztec marigold flowers as decorations, building home altars called ofrendas with the favorite food and drink of the departed, and visiting graves with these items as gifts. It is also common to give gifts to friends such as candy sugar skulls, share pan de muerto, and write lighthearted and often irreverent verses dedicated to living friends and acquaintances. To learn more about this holiday, check out this article. 

If you’re looking to learn more about this holiday, you could:

• Check out the Día de los Muertos celebration in downtown Redwood City on Sunday, Nov. 5 from 3:30-8:30 p.m. [newsletter editor: look for updated date, times, and link for other years]
• Explore one of these books (pictured above)
• Make papel picado or another decoration
• Build your own ofrenda
• Watch Coco or The Book of Life

Let’s Walk Together in Honor of Ruby Bridges

Ruby Bridges rose to fame as a 6-year-old when she became the first African-American to integrate an elementary school in the South on Nov. 14, 1960. Ruby (pictured) is now XX years old, and every November, communities across the country walk to school together to honor her bravery. 

VOLUNTEER

The PTA invites our students and their families to join us in walking together to school as a community:

When: Day, Date, 8:10 a.m.

Where: Corner of Brittan Ave. and Cedar St., at the bleachers.

What: Ruby Bridges bracelets, buttons and stickers will be handed out to participants. First come, first served. Students will have the opportunity to make signs to carry with them and are encouraged to bring them on the walk. We will begin walking to Arroyo and Central together by 8:20 a.m.

 

Volunteer Opportunity: We could use help passing out bracelets, buttons and stickers that morning. If you have a few minutes to help, it would be greatly appreciated! Sign up XYZ LINK HERE.

* If the November Walk to School date conflicts with Outdoor Ed, Arroyo observes this day in February, during Black History Month.

“The time is always right to do what is right.”
— Martin Luther King Jr.

On the third Monday of January, we honor the achievements of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., one of the most influential civil rights leaders of the 1960s. Known for his advocacy of nonviolent actions to end racial segregation, King rose to national prominence during the Montgomery bus boycott in 1955. He then led the 1963 March on Washington, which culminated in his iconic “I Have a Dream” speech. His actions were instrumental in the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. He was tragically assassinated on April 4, 1968.

If you’re looking for a way to talk to your family about King and his legacy, here are a few ideas:

Read about his life and what he stood for:

• I Am Martin Luther King, Jr. by Brad Meltzer

• I Have a Dream by Martin Luther King Jr., illustrated by Kadir Nelson

• Who Was Martin Luther King Jr.? by Bonnie Bader and Elizabeth Wolf

• All Are Welcome by Alexandra Penfold

Share his “I Have a Dream” speech and ask your children what it means to have a dream and how they can achieve theirs. Kids can even make their own speech lectern for MLK. 

Try a simple craft, like a peace sign or peace dove to hang in a window. 

Watch a video about the life of MLK with your kids.

Lunar New Year Begins Jan. 29 [Editor: Update date as needed]

Lunar New Year, Chinese Chunjie, Vietnamese Tet, Korean Solnal, Tibetan Losar, also called Spring Festival, is a holiday typically celebrated in China and other East Asian countries that begins with the first new moon of the lunar calendar and ends on the first full moon of the lunar calendar, 15 days later.

Traditionally, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day are reserved for family celebrations, including ceremonies honoring ancestors. Also on New Year’s Day, family members receive red envelopes (hong bao or lai see) containing money. Dances and fireworks are prevalent throughout the holidays.

The origins of the Lunar New Year festival are thousands of years old and are steeped in legends. One Chinese legend is that of Nian, a beast believed to terrorize the villages on New Year’s Day. Because Nian feared the color red, loud noises, and fire, red paper decorations were pasted to doors, lanterns were lit all night, and firecrackers were set off to frighten the beast away. Today, popular traditions still include red decorations, lanterns, lion dances and firecrackers. 

Black History Month is a time to celebrate the achievements of Black Americans and recognize their central role in U.S. history. Also known as African American History Month, the event grew out of “Negro History Week,” the brainchild of noted historian Carter G. Woodson and other prominent African Americans. Since 1976, every U.S. president has officially designated the month of February as Black History Month. Other countries around the world, including Canada and the United Kingdom, also devote a month to celebrating Black history. Click here for more on how Black History Month began. 

• Learn about Black scientists such as Katharine Johnson and Mae Jemison. 

• Are your kids getting ready for baseball season? Watch this read-aloud about Jackie Robinson. 

• Watch Amanda Gorman’s inauguration poem “The Hill We Climb”.

• Consider attending an event celebrating Black history in the Bay Area. [Editor: update]

• Watch Disney/Pixar’s Oscar-winning film “Soul” starring Jamie Foxx and Tina Fey and explore the history of jazz (recommended for older kids). 

May Is Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander Heritage Month

Asian American and Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month recognizes the historical and cultural contributions of individuals and groups of Asian, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander descent to the United States. The AANHPI umbrella term includes cultures from the entire Asian continent — including East, Southeast, and South Asia — and the Pacific Islands of Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Learn more about the origins this month and why it is celebrated here.

Here are ideas for learning more about AANHPI culture and history with your family:

• Share a story written by an Asian author, featuring an Asian character or illustrated by an Asian artist with your child. There are many fantastic titles available. Kids can also explore books on Epic.

• On Instagram, follow @asianlitforkids for fantastic suggestions year-round or take a look at this reel by author Joanna Ho.

• Watch “What These Asian American Families Love About Their Culture” for a glimpse into several different families’ experiences with their culture and traditions and what they hope to pass along to the next generation.

• Plan a movie night! Ideas include Over the Moon, Moana, Raya and the Last Dragon, Big Hero 6, and Turning Red.

• Draw the red panda character Mei Lee from Pixar’s Turning Red.

• As the nation’s storyteller, the National Park Service strives to tell the stories of ordinary and extraordinary Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders preserved in our nation’s parks, memorials, and historic sites, including Hakone Estate and Gardens (pictured) near San Jose.

Resources and Activities

• 9 Ways to Celebrate Pride Month with Your Kids by the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, including a coloring sheet
• Explore the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s Pride Family Zone for craft activities (puffy paint rainbow art pictured), coloring pages, and more
• Consider attending the world famous San Francisco Pride Parade.