 The song you're hearing is, by any means, by Georgia Smith. Georgia Smith is a female vocalist from England, and she wrote the song specifically to promote the Black Lives Matter movement. The lyrics are very targeted towards the promotion of the movement, and I urge you to take a listen once this video is over. In this newsletter, the term BIPOC is used frequently. BIPOC is an acronym that stands for Black Indigenous People of Color. It is an umbrella term used when discussing oppressed groups. AWG stands for Anti-Racist Working Group. This is a group of students and staff who work closely with the BSU to combat racism at our school. We are working to support BIPOC in our community and also implement anti-racism policies at AHS. Here's what the AWG subcommittees have been working on recently. The Resources for BIPOC subcommittee has formed several teams. Currently, they have a team engaged in researching educational resources for the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion website. Another team is employed in compiling policy information for the website, and the third team is working on crafting the microaggression reporting form and planning a proposal for a response system that would reply to each reported incident. Meanwhile, the Curriculum Committee is working on finishing up student and staff responses on the book House of Purple Cedar by Chin Chinkel. If approved, the story will be piloted in the Freshman English Curriculum next year. There are a few other books that are being reviewed as well. In addition, the Curriculum Committee is working on setting up training for teachers so they can lead respectful discussions on race and ethnicity in the classroom. Finally, ACMI is sponsoring a show called U-View, which includes an interview segment highlighting student objectives. Club leaders Maya Patelmasini and Noah Sweeter are both interviewed for an upcoming episode. Feel free to check it out and enjoy. Hi, I'm Olivia, and I'm a Council Member of the Black Student Union. At BSU, our goal is to provide a safe space for Black students and students of color while also educating all students on racism in America and Black history in general. We meet on Wednesdays at 12, right after advisory, and you can use the code below to join our Google Classroom, or you can reach out to the email below if you want any more information. Everybody is welcome, and we hope to see you there. For this month's edition of Get Smart, I'm highlighting a few Black women content creators. As told by Kanya, Amanda Bebe, Tinoir, and Itskisha are commentary YouTubers who discuss have topics such as racism, colorism, white privilege, cultural appropriation, and performative activism manifest on the internet and in politics. Many of their videos analyze a current event or internet drama situation in order to reveal how systemic racism is at play. Each of these women are unique in their style of content. Kanya and Kisha take a more energetic approach, whereas T and Amanda are usually more laid back. I've learned so much and have reflected upon my biases and beliefs just from hearing about their experiences and perspectives. It's not only important to question your own biases and beliefs, but to also listen to the perspectives of marginalized people. In response to the attack on the Capitol, we gather reactions from the AWG and got statements from the GSA and YFA. Unfortunately, it ended up being too long to include, so the video will be linked below and on the website. If you're interested, go check it out. It's February, which means it is Black History Month. Yet, as we progress forward as a nation, we find that Black History Month within itself is flawed. Black History Month began as a week in February, created by Carter Woodson in 1916, and it wasn't until 1976 when President Ford legitimized it as a month. This was an incredibly progressive step, especially for the time opening the door for more to come. However, as time changes, the ways of presenting Black History can change too. Today, a huge portion of the advocacy takes place on social media, which has a great intention, but is bright an era of disingenuous empathy. Black History Month is turned into a superficial and false appreciation for what Black History truly is. The media pumps feel-good stories to brand the civil rights movements. Everyone has heard of MLK, Rosa Parks, and we're starting to hear more about Langston Hughes and James Baldwin. Although these influential icons were fascinating, countless other Black leaders are left behind. What about Angela Davis, Fred Hampton, Marsha P. Johnson? For the more Black History Month leaves out tragedies like the Tulsa race riots, and the thousands of Black individuals who are brutally lynched within our nation. This is not Black History. By admitting the horrifying truths of slavery and oppression, we are really learning a whitewashed American history in the way that the majority wants to remember it by. At the end of the day, Black History is American history, and as long as we treat it as that, there's no need for Black History Month. Why should we only see Black people or any other marginalized groups as people for one month of the year? This is why we must do our part on an individual level to educate ourselves, ensuring that we never repeat the mistakes of the past. All the components of Black History, whether it's the slavery, the murders, or the systemic racism we've done to our nation today, all of that is American history. Just like how there is no White History Month, because that is our lifestyles, let's just make Black History Month a free day. This month's spotlight story is on Margaret Thomas, the director of the MECCO program here in Arlington Public Schools, and a few days ago I was given the chance to sit down with Miss Thomas and talk to her about her life and her views, and I learned a lot from her conversation, and I was super inspired by it. So if you're interested in learning more about the MECCO program and about a super influential and inspiring person in our community, then I encourage you to read the full article on the AWG website. Welcome to the Get Involved section. This month we have four exciting opportunities for you to connect with our school and town communities. First of all, the AWG and the AHS Art Department are putting together the Embrace Art Differences Mural Project. Help create an inclusive school culture by submitting your original art, highlighting the concept of diversity, equity, and inclusion to a juried panel which will then select a series of designs to become murals on canvas displayed in AHS. Submissions for this are due on February 28th. Secondly, Arlington Reads Together is a project run by the Robbins Library that encourages the town of Arlington to read a book on diversity, equity, and inclusion and then come together for a town-wide discussion. This March, Arlington is reading Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria by Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum. The Arlington Education Foundation and a few other organizations are sponsoring this year's community read by bringing Dr. Tatum to Arlington to host a Zoom meeting discussing her book. This event will be on March 21st at 3 p.m., so you've got time to get reading. Third of all, the Massachusetts Partnership for Youth is holding a public service announcement contest to honor the principles of restorative justice, empathy, loving engagement, and diversity. Your PSA video must be original, must include a title, and must be between 30 and 60 seconds long. If you win the contest, your PSA will be broadcast on television. This submission deadline is April 2nd. Finally, please fill out the Envision Arlington Survey now to help inform decision-making about town resources for the coming year. This year's survey is focused on two predominant issues from 2020, COVID-19, and diversity, equity, and inclusion. The survey may be filled out by all residents over the age of 15. The deadline for this is March 1st. The links to all four of these opportunities plus more information can be found on our AWG website. As always, you can connect with us by following us on Instagram at ahs.awg by joining our Google Classroom or by coming to any of our meetings. Hope to see you there!