Racial Justice
Acton Boxborough Racial Justice Collaborative
The AB Racial Justice Collaborative is composed of more than 30 local community groups that are engaged in diversity, equity, and inclusion work, and gathers quarterly. Our goal is to learn, increase collaboration among and between our organizations, amplify our DEI work across our community, and avoid duplication of efforts and resources.
We know that each member of our community plays a role in advancing DEI and racial justice. Together, we must commit to this effort wholeheartedly. If your organization is active in Acton or Boxborough and engaged in DEI work, please reach out via info@abuw.org.
Addressing Racial Justice Locally
Videos and Past Events
Interview with AB and local first generation African youth - Wide Field Production (1hr 21 min)– Acton TV
The Experiences of Acton Chinese Residents (15 min)– Acton Chinese Civic Society & Acton Historical Society
Racial Justice and Reckoning: A Proactive Conversation with the Acton-Boxborough Police Chiefs. Organized by Racial Justice for Black Lives in collaboration with Na'aseh
Confronting the History of Housing Discrimination - 2 Part Workshop Sponsored by Na’aseh
Acton-Boxborough United Way Panel Discussion on Why Racial Justice is Important to our Organization and Community ["Wide Field" Acton TV 11-6-20] - 1 hour
Acton TV CQC Special Edition: Black Lives Matter. 2nd interview (4:15-33:53) is with the same group of youth and Vivian Birchall as above but sharing different experiences.
Public Forum on BLM, Racial Justice, and Diversity- Co-organized by Acton Chinese American Civic Society (ACACS)and Acton Town Hall - Jul 15 and 29, 2020. Session One and Session Two. Both presentations here.
AB Regional School District Community Conversation - Jan 30, 2020 - A community conversation in the high school auditorium in response to an incident at Merriam School, resulting in the arrest of a Black parent.
Talking with Your Kids
Acton's Discovery Museum Speaker Series Talking to Kids about Race and Racism: A Conversation with Dr. Beverly Daniel Tatum, moderated by WBUR's Tiziana Dearing. Recorded Jan. 27, 2021. (1 hour, 24 minutes)
AB School webinar recording: Talking with Your Children About Race (Preschool-Grade 5) Video
AB School webinar recording: Talking with Your Tweens and Teens About Race (Grades 6-12)
Data
Acton DEI Commission Survey Results and Final Report
Foundation for MetroWest's Racial Equity Indicators - Examines a wide range of indicators that highlight racial and ethnic disparities in Boston's MetroWest, breaking many out into town-by-town data including Acton and Boxborough.
Acton's Early Black Residents [Acton Historical Society]
Local Committees/Groups/Organizations
Acton's Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Commission
Boxborough's Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Committee
Racial Justice for Black Lives - Acton-based Facebook group, 2000+ community members strong
Fostering Racial Justice Group - Boxborough-based group formed in 2015, hosts an active book club
AB Students for Equity and Justice
AB Schools' Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
AB Regional High School ECARES (Educators Committed to Anti-Racism, Equity, and Social Justice)
Coalition for Anti-Racism, Equity & Justice in Eduction (regional)
Books
by Jennifer De Leon
A novel about a METCO student, set in a fictional suburb west of Boston.
by Ibram X. Kendi
Read by A-B United Way board and staff, as well as staff at AB Schools.
Racism without Racists: Color-Blind Racism & Racial Inequality in Contemporary America
by Eduardo Bonilla-Silva
by Debby Irving
The website also includes 21-Day Challenges for Habit Building on a number of topics including Racial Equity & Activism Self-Care
Articles
The 1619 Project - New York Times Magazine Pulitzer Prize winning project that aims to reframe the country’s history by placing the consequences of slavery and the contributions of black Americans at the very center of our national narrative.
Stories, experiences:
Talk about Racism
AB schools blog : How are diversity, equity and inclusion different
Local (Littleton) race stories and local account of March on Montgomery 1965
Once a Ku Klux Klan stronghold, Groton fights its reputation as a ‘sundown town’
Reflections From a Token Black Friend - On structural racism, implicit bias, and what white people do (and don’t) say (Roxbury / Weston)
Podcasts
Additional Resources
First Connections - Talking to children about race
Racial Justice and the American Dream (31 min)
It's time for #RealTalk and #RealChange. What does the American Dream mean, and how can we positively reset it? OZY and #Chevrolet are teaming up for an innovative discussion, taking on the toughest questions in our society today. Hosted by OZY co-founder and multi-Emmy-award winning journalist Carlos Watson and joined by key leaders from across the country, we’re having pointed conversations to identify problems and arm you with solutions in this special episode of the Carlos Watson Show. Put aside the shouting matches and talking heads, and be an ally
Comedian Aamer Rahman - Reverse-racism (3 min)
What is reverse-racism and what would it look like
Ta-Nehisi Coates discussion on use of words and the importance of context. (5 min)
Why white people can’t use the N word or sing all words from some hip hop songs
Danger of a Single Story (18 min)
If we hear only a single story about another person or country, we risk a critical misunderstanding