Equity and Anti-Racism Task Force

This is the first newsletter of the school year from the Equity and Anti-Racism Task Force. Please join the Equity and Anti-Racism conversation at Hyde-Addison by emailing hyde.addison@k12.dc.gov and requesting to be added to the Task Force email list maintained by the school, joining us on Konstella, utilizing the resources here, and/or participating in the monthly Task Force virtual meeting at 4pm on the last Friday of every month. As parents, teachers and staff, we are interested in doing our part to promote equity and end racism in constructive, supportive ways.

September 15 to October 15 is National Hispanic American Heritage Month, which celebrates the histories, cultures and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America. The website hispanicheritagemonth.gov is a great federal government interagency resource, with a calendar of events held at the Library of Congress, Smithsonian museums and other DC institutions. The website also has a page full of resources for teachers.

National Hispanic American Heritage Month grew out of Hispanic Week, which was established by federal legislation in 1968. The week was expanded to a month by federal legislation in 1988, with September 15 chosen as the starting point to commemorate the anniversary of independence for Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua, as well as the independence days of Mexico and Chile, celebrated on September 16 and September18, respectively.

Tremendous diversity exists within Hispanic culture in the U.S. The U.S. Census Bureau considers Hispanic identity as an ethnicity, separate from racial identity. For this reason, the census first asks respondents whether they are Hispanic, and then in a separate question asks respondents to identify their race. People who identify as Hispanic also identify as white, Black, Indigenous and other races.

Unfortunately, just as racism persists within white culture, colorism persists within Hispanic culture. Giselle Castro of Courageous Conversation explains in Why Understanding Colorism Within the Latino Community Is So important: “Colorism is the preferential treatment of those who are lighter skinned than those who are darker within a group of people.” Colorism is an expression of white supremacy rooted in European culture. As a community, we have a responsibility to understand both racism and colorism, and to fight it when it surfaces.

Earlier this year, President Biden awarded Presidential Medal of Freedom to Latino civil rights pioneer Raul Yzaguirre. For more than 30 years Yzaguirre led the National Council of La Raza, now known as UnidosUS, the country’s largest Hispanic civil rights organization. Yzaguirre dedicated his life to protecting and advancing civil rights. Read about the ceremony UnidosUS held September 14 to celebrate Yzaguirre and kick off Hispanic Heritage Month.

The DC Public Library is Hispanic Heritage Month with events, book recommendations and more. For adults in our community, Hola Papi by John Paul Brammer is a fun and funny read about growing up biracial and in the closet in America’s heartland.

Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor’s My Beloved World is a must-read memoir recounting her life from a Bronx housing project to the highest court in the land—an extraordinary life of brilliance, strength and perseverance.

Social Justice Books has curated a great Latinx and Latin American books for children, young adults, educators and other grown folk. For the children in your life, check out this read aloud of Kitchen Dance, written and illustrated Maurie J. Manning, about a brother and sister who wake in the night to find their parents dancing and singing while they clean up the evening’s dinner.

And here’s a read aloud of Islandborn, written by Junot Díaz, telling the story of a young girl who learns from family and friends about the island where she was born.

Hyde Addison teachers have compiled a list of some of their favorite books related to Hispanic Heritage Month. Please click here to see their selections.

Celebrate Hispanic culture and heritage with family movie night. Ferdinand is the story of a giant bull who, after being mistaken for a dangerous beast and torn from his home, rallies a misfit team of friends for the ultimate adventure to return to his family. Or get an early start on your Day of the Dead and Halloween festivities with Coco, the story of a 12-year-old boy named Miguel who is accidentally transported to the Land of the Dead, where he seeks the help of his deceased musician great-great-grandfather to return him to his family among the living and to reverse his family's ban on music.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “rates of suicide attempts and deaths among children have increased in the U.S. over the past decade, and suicide is now the eighth leading cause of death in children age 5–11.” A recent study identified mental health concerns in “a third (31.4%) of the suicide deaths examined, with the most common diagnoses being attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or depression.” Research suggests “strategies that promote more robust mental health and suicide risk screening in primary care settings” could help reduce suicide risk in this age group. For more information, check out the National Institute of Mental Health’s resources on Child and Adolescent Mental Health. If you or someone you know needs immediate help, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or the Crisis Text Line by texting “home” to 741 741.

Did your student celebrate any holidays or traditions related to their race, ethnicity or culture recently? Please share any photos or videos related to your celebrations via email: hyde.addison@k12.dc.gov.

• Suicide Prevention Awareness Month (September)

• Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15-October 15, 2022)
• Rosh Hashanah (September 25-27, 2022)
• Global Diversity Awareness Month (October)
• National Disability Employment Awareness Month (October)
• Filipino American History Month (October)
• Italian-American Heritage and Culture Month (October)
• LGBT History Month (October)
• National Bullying Prevention Month (October)
• Polish American Heritage Month (October)
• Yom Kippur (October 4-5, 2022)
• Indigenous People’s Day (October 10, 2022)
• World Mental Health Day (October 10, 2022)
• National Coming Out Day (October 11, 2022)
• Diwali (October 24, 2022)

Disclaimer: The Hyde-Addison ES Equity and Anti-Racism Task Force is an independent group not associated with DCPS and any viewpoints or activities associated with this group are not endorsed by DCPS.