 Welcome back to our monthly observance series on DEI Matters Arlington. I'm Katie Hodgkin, your Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Belonging, and Justice Specialist. Our fearless DEI B.J. director, Margaret Piedle-Thomas, is defending her thesis for her Ph.D. this month. Please join us in sending good luck her way. We're really happy to be joined by another fearless leader in our community today, Tristell Watson, from our Family Engagement and Communications Department. Hello everyone. My name is Tristell Watson, and I am an Arlington Public Schools Communication Specialist. I am so honored to have the privilege to be invited to do this very special and important work alongside Katie and our DEI B.J. department. So happy to be here. So let's learn about what's happening in April. Happy Autism Awareness Month, Arlington community. Every April, since 2008, communities across the globe have celebrated Autism Awareness Month, beginning with Autism Awareness Day on April 2nd. Throughout this month, people with autism and the folks who support and advocate for and alongside them share their stories, and by courageously doing so, they offer opportunities to deepen our collective understanding, not only to raise our awareness, but to develop a full embrace of people with autism in our society. This year, the theme for Autism Awareness Month is Act Fearlessly for Change. We know that misconceptions about autism and the frequency with which people with autism are excluded or discriminated against threaten access to the vital information, resources, and support that autistic people and their families need. So this month, take some time with us to celebrate a few of the many assets that people with autism bring to our communities. And as we honor their unique styles of interaction and brilliance, let's clarify together with shared understanding, what is autism? Autism is a neurological and developmental condition that affects how people interact with others, communicate, learn, and behave. People with autism span genders, races, ages, ethnicities, and socioeconomic backgrounds and are diagnosed on something called the autism spectrum because there is a wide variation in the type and severity of traits that they experience. Some common features of autism include preferring not to make sustained eye contact, talking or expressing interest with passion about a favorite subject, often subjects involving patterns, numbers, details, or hard facts, even if other folks are not as interested. Repetitive motions, language, or behaviors thriving in routines and having a tough time with transitions, being particularly sensitive to sensory inputs such as light, sound, clothing, or temperature, and staying practical, literal, and focused on their thinking and task at hand. So much so that sometimes they miss traditional social cues or tones of voice. People on the autism spectrum are often strong visual and auditory learners, though not always. They often excel in math, science, music, or art and can remember incredible amounts of information in detail for a long period of time. Even with these spectacular assets, neurotypical people in our communities have historically viewed people with autism from a deficit lens, causing real harm to their ability to participate and engage in school, work, and public life. The beautiful news, though, as the American Autism Association shares, is that from caretakers and parents to teachers and therapists to self-advocates and brave people sharing their stories, each and every person contributes to the positive impact on the autism community. This autism awareness month considers spaces in your life where you can act to increase awareness of and access to information, resources, and support for people who are autistic and their families, find opportunities to listen to their stories, and research new learning to better understand their unique experiences. Donate to organizations that support the early identification of the condition to ensure that families receive the services and education they need to empower their children with autism. Raise awareness on social media and share why you advocate. Thank you for acting fearlessly for change with us this month and every month, Arlington. We wish you a happy Autism Awareness Month. Happy National Arab American Heritage Month, Arlington Community. Arab American Heritage Month is a time of celebration, reflection, and recognition of the rich histories, diverse cultures, and profound contributions and achievements of Arab Americans. In 2017, the nonprofit media and educational organizations Arab American Foundation and Arab America launched celebrations of Arab American heritage in a few states in April to promote awareness of the genuine stories and images of Arab Americans. The celebrations gained momentum each year and in 2021, US representatives Debbie Dingle and Rashida Talib from Michigan introduced a resolution to Congress to proclaim April as National Arab American Heritage Month. As they shared, quote, Arab Americans have been an integral part of our nation's identity, sharing their culture and traditions with neighbors and friends. They are doctors, teachers, small business owners and service members. They are among the most loyal and patriotic Americans we know. Arab Americans have been leaders that helped impact our country for the better, unquote. Let's learn more about who Arab Americans are and how they've shaped our communities together today. Arab Americans have ancestry in one of the world's 22 Arab nations. These nations, located throughout Northern Africa and Western Asia, include Algeria, Bahrain, the Camaro Islands, Djibouti, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Libya, Morocco, Mauritania, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates, Lebanon and Yemen. While the people from these nations share many commonalities in culture and in the language of Arabic, they are ethnically, politically and religiously very diverse. And the Arab American families with roots in these nations add still to the beauty and complexity of that diversity. The intersectionality of the Arab American community is not always highlighted in the media, which has led to common misconceptions about Arab Americans. For example, many people in the United States conflate the terms Arab and Middle Eastern. Linguistically and geographically, these actually represent distinct populations, as the Middle East includes non-predominantly Arabic nations such as Iran, Israel and Turkey, while Arabic nations such as Egypt, Algeria and Morocco are located in Northern Africa rather than the Middle East. Another misconception is that all Arab Americans are Muslim. In reality, only about 25% of Arab Americans practice Islam. Many Arabs are Muslim, but not all Muslims are Arab, and there are many Arabs and Arab Americans who are Christian, Jewish, Baha'i or Agnostic. What are also often overlooked are the incredible stories and significant contributions that Arab Americans have made to a variety of fields. From Dr. Farouk El-Baz, NASA and MIT scientist, who pinpointed the landing spot on the moon for Apollo 11 in 1969, to Ahmed Zewali, the 1999 Nobel Laureate in Chemistry, to Manute Bull, a Sudanese-American athlete and one of the tallest people ever to play in the NBA, to Egyptian-American actor Rami Said Melek and Lebanese-American actor Tony Shaloub, to Palestinian-American model Gigi Hadid, to Amran Abdi, author of the children's book The Rainbow Hijab, that advocates for gentle and honest representation of African Muslim Americans. These individuals, among so many, have left an enduring legacy of Arab American excellence that continues to inspire future generations. As Arab American Heritage Month unfolds each year, it renews the spirit of appreciation for diversity and inclusivity. It calls upon us to continue building bridges of understanding among all communities, transcending borders and boundaries. We celebrate and embrace Arab American heritage, as well as honor and cherish the extraordinary impact of Arab Americans on our society, to ensure that all families can pass down their unique customs, stories, and ancestral knowledge to younger generations. This Arab American Heritage Month, we encourage you to engage in conversation and learn something new. Attend an event celebrating Arab American heritage, ask a librarian for a book recommendation from an Arab American author, or build out habits and patterns to interact with Arab and Arab American stories and cultures throughout the year ahead. Since 2004, Celebrate Diversity Month has occurred every April, offering a time to pause, acknowledge, appreciate, and celebrate diversity of our communities and of our world. This annual observance was created to honor both our shared humanity and the beauty of our uniqueness. We know that diversity promotes inclusivity, understanding, and appreciation for different cultures, backgrounds, and perspectives. Celebrate Diversity Month offers a platform for dialogue to create empathy, understanding, and collaboration amongst people who hold different identities. When we engage in dialogue and act in ways that celebrate diversity, we recognize the assets of the people around us, and acknowledge the contributions that people from a variety of different backgrounds can and do bring to our society. In a school system like ours in Arlington, where we're seeking not only diversity of thought and identity, but inclusion of and equity and belonging for all identities. Actively participating in Diversity Month brings the benefits of reducing prejudice and bias and further developing mutual respect and joy. Every month, and especially this Diversity Month, we encourage you to explore and embrace the diversity around you. You might choose to engage in conversation with someone who holds a different identity from yours. Listen to their story and share a bit of yours. Support local businesses owned by people from different cultures. Share diverse posts and experiences on social media. Advocate in your spheres of influence for historically marginalized communities. And build out habits and patterns to uplift diverse stories and cultures throughout the year ahead. Arlington, we wish a joyful and expansive Celebrate Diversity Month, and thanks for joining us to learn about what's happening in April.