Notes from January 14, 2021 Quarterly Meeting

Welcome (Emma Colburn)
1. 8 families introduced themselves
2. Land acknowledgement
Storytime (Nadine Salama)
1. Of Thee I Sing: A Letter to my Daughters by Barack Obama
Updates and upcoming events (Sue Bickerstaff)
1. Two events this fall. Both raised money for Le Monde and Brighten Haiti. Brighten Haiti is a local organization that supports our sister school in Durissy, Haiti.
  1. Elsy Dinvil’s Haitian Cooking Hour (Oct 2020; raised $100, distributed to Le Monde and Brighten Haiti)
  2. Online Book Fair (Dec 2020; raised $240, distributed to Le Monde and Brighten Haiti)
2. Famille du Monde is a newsletter that will be released quarterly that is designed for families. Each issue will focus on a theme intended to connect us to diverse French-speaking communities. In keeping with an overall theme for the year, this first issue focuses on Haiti. Download it here.
3. Planned upcoming (virtual) events
  1. BIPOConnection Hour for parents (Wednesday, January 27, 7pm)
  2. Haitian Storytime (Tentatively, Sunday, February 14, 4pm)
  3. Le Monde Board Meeting (Sunday, February 21, 3pm)
  4. Black History Month Virtual Recital (Sunday, February 28, 5pm)
  5. TBD “Not a Book Club” for caregivers and other adults
  6. TBD Storytimes later this spring: Habiba Addo & Jelani Memory
4. Open discussion:
  1. Would like to see a virtual art project, potentially to accompany a storytime; could deliver kits to families who sign up; could be just drawing in response to a prompt
  2. How can we do outreach to communities in advance of the lottery? Can we be a point of contact for families who are considering LM? In previous years, we could have a table at events. Discussion of virtual alternatives – post on Nextdoor, engagement with churches, mailers, listservs?
    1. Can we invite families who are considering LM and/or incoming families to come to one of our meetings?
  3. When COVID is over, host a community-oriented large event centering BIPOC voices; featuring performers, street vendors, kids activities. Could charge nominal admission to make it a fundraiser. This would also provide outreach to the community.
  4. Co-host an event with Kairos or other local charter schools to build our community connections.
Breakout discussion and planning for two events (Rebecca Sanders, Kelly Sunrose, Emma Colburn)
1. “Not a Book Club” for caregivers and other adults: A discussion group for Le Monde parents and caregivers that focuses on shorter time commitments (e.g., reading an article, watching a movie, listening to a podcast) so people don’t have to commit to a whole book. We will alternate between material that celebrates diverse perspectives and experiences and material that critically analyzes the lack of diverse perspectives in the U.S. Subject matter will focus on race, gender/sexuality, and ability.
2. Black History Month Celebration for families: A virtual recital celebrating people of African descent. Students can participate by sharing a song, poem, dance, picture, or memory created by, performed by, or celebrating a person of African descent.
Report out and wrap up (Emma Colburn)
1. “Not a Book Club”
  1. Considering dropping the “club” so people don’t think about being “in” or “out”, as there is no commitment to attend each meeting
  2. Aiming for bimonthly meetings
  3. The group generated a list including podcasts, graphic novels, and movies. We will select the first option soon, but some examples include:
    1. N.K. Jemisin’s How Long ‘til Black Future Month is a book of short stories
    2. “Have You Heard George’s Podcast?” – a podcast about racism, music, and political change
    3. Paying the Land – a graphic novel about the experience of Indigenous peoples in the Northwest part of North America
    4. “Disclosure” – a film about the traditional representation of transgender characters in film, and how to move forward with a different vision
2. Black History Month Virtual Recital (Sunday, Feb 28)
  1. Will include an art component on the theme of individuals coming together to create a collective community; families who sign up with receive a small canvas in advance; they will return the canvas for an “unveiling” at the event
  2. Create a sign-up system so families can indicate their interest in participating in the art project and/or performing at the event
3. Wrap-up: Discussion of how to invite more participation at quarterly meetings
  1. Emphasize that no ongoing commitment is required
  2. Bring a friend to the next meeting
  3. Upcoming events may be a way to encourage more engagement with our group

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