NAFC:
Voice of Change
We Have a New Name!
We are thrilled by the creativity our members displayed by submitting such fantastic name ideas for our newsletter! A big thank you to everyone who contributed a name suggestion and to all those who took time to cast a vote. After tallying the results, we are excited to reveal the winning name:
NAFC: Voice of Change!
Thanks to Wendy Leon-Gambetta for the winning idea!
We will be reaching out to you soon with your prize.
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Indigenous Peoples' Day
This year, Indigenous Peoples' Day is October 14th. It marks the fourth year since Indigenous Peoples' Day was acknowledged by federal proclamation. This day celebrates and honors Indigenous American peoples and commemorates their histories and cultures. It is celebrated across the United States on the
second Monday in October.
Want to learn more?
Read this article by Emma Bowan, which discusses what
this day means to Native Americans.
Local Newtown Allies for Change members, Kenneth Miller and Don Lococo were recently awarded the Inaugural EmpowerHER awards organized by The World Heritage Cultural Center. This award celebrates local men and women who are dedicated to Newtown.
Read all about it here!
We are happy to announce the first recipient of the NAFC Allyship In Action Shoutout: Heather Franse, an ally who has proven to be committed to making Newtown safe and welcoming for all.
Without hesitation, Heather agreed to help make our Allies in Education night special and productive for Newtown teachers. She worked hours behind the scenes, helping complete the perfect slideshow for our panel discussion and the presentation of past and current winners. Her advice and ideas ensured that the night ran smoothly. On the day of the event, she was the first to arrive and coordinated directly with the Community Center staff to set up tables, chairs, and technology for the room. Heather also jumped in when needed throughout the night and stayed to assist with the take down and clean up. The event was a great success, and quite literally could not have happened without Heather’s many contributions.
An unrelated, but important, personal story was also brought to the attention of our board. One NAFC member happened to witness girls on her daughter’s sports team about to put their hands all over a Black teammate’s braids. Heather saw it coming and jumped right in, reminding the girls that our hair is part of our bodies and we don’t touch people’s bodies without permission.
When asked how allyship helps make Newtown a safer and more welcoming place for BIPOC, Heather answered, “To me being an ally means not being afraid to be uncomfortable. Asking questions even when it may expose your own ignorance. Being vocal with friends and neighbors about local or national topics even when people may disagree. Having these conversations open minds.” Even as a young girl Heather remembers advocating for others whenever she could. Her eyes were opened to the racism that exists in Newtown when she had an experience with her own school-aged child. Having lived for a while in Georgia, Heather witnessed overt racism. She told us she “had the naive perspective Connecticut was ‘better / different’. Moving back here and becoming part of the community, I started to see how many instances of racism were happening here as well.”
Heather feels that making the time to do anti-racism work is important “to set an example for my kids to be active around things that are important to you. Teaching them that being an ally to our BIPOC friends and neighbors should be an active part of life is very important to our family.” One way she furthers her anti-racism education is through podcasts, including “1619,” (NYT), “Some of My Best Friends Are…,” (Pushkin), and “Yearbook,” (Armchair Expert).
Thank you, Heather, for being such an integral part of the 2024 Allies In Education awards event. Perhaps more importantly, thank you for gently, but firmly, establishing boundaries for a group of girls who needed it. You presented a learning opportunity for the white girls and, quite likely, took the pressure off the Black girl to defend her bodily autonomy. You modeled allyship in action for all of them!
Meet Kath
Can you tell us a bit about yourself and how you got involved with NAFC?
My family of four moved to Sandy Hook over 16 years ago. My kids are both away at college so my husband and I are fairly new “empty-nesters."
I grew up in New Hampshire in a very rural, non-diverse area. As kids we were taught that everyone was the same on the inside and we should be “color blind” to racial differences. Then I went away to college and met people from communities and cultures from all over the country with a completely different lived experience than mine. Half of the girls on my floor in my freshman dorm were BIPoC and it was such a fun year with new friendships made. It would be years before I would learn the term “racial bias”, but it was during this time that I started to recognize that I’d grown up with certain belief systems that were being challenged.
I’ve been a member of NAFC for the past four years. I attended the Rally 4 Change for George Floyd and began reading books and having deeper conversations about how to be a better ally and actively work to combat racism.
Can you share a memorable experience or highlight from your time with NAFC?
There have been many but one memorable experience was attending the “United Against Hate” expert panel hosted by NAFC and the US Department of Justice and learning about the differences between hate crimes, hate incidents and discrimination. A more recent highlight for me was attending the first Fireside Chat in July where the topic was "Things I Never Learned About Black American History That I Hope the Next Generation Will.” It was eye opening to hear about what each of us learned - or didn’t learn - about Black American History depending on where and when each of us attended school.
I am pretty terrible at time management and am always the most productive when I have too many things vying for my time and attention. I’m now trying to be more organized and carve out meaningful time for all the things that are important to me; family, friends, exercise, travel, volunteering. I’ve also been involved with Newtown Strong Therapy Dogs for almost 10 years, volunteering with my two certified therapy dogs by visiting schools, nursing homes, libraries, colleges, community events…anywhere we are invited to visit!
My advice for people who are interested in joining NAFC is to just come to one event - a fireside chat, book discussion or meeting. There is always something new to learn and many ways to get involved, big or small. I enjoy research and editing, so I started volunteering to help gather educational “fun facts” for the schools to read during the various Heritage and History months. I also recently began overseeing the NAFC Little Free Library to keep it stocked with books celebrating diversity.
What do you believe is the most important issue our group should focus on right now, and what are your hopes for the future of NAFC?
There are so many important issues, its hard to pick just one! I think issues affecting the youth of Newtown are critical. From providing access to historically accurate curriculum, ensuring that our schools are safe learning spaces for ALL students, and to having stronger consequences for the racial bullying that continues to happen in school.
My hope for the future is that people will better understand NAFC’s role in the community and come join us. By centering BIPoC and becoming more effective allies, we become a stronger and kinder community.
Why Columbus Day is Being Replaced by Indigenous People's Day
Watch this short video for more on this
Columbus: Tall Tales, and Dark Realities
This month's blog, originally published by Alenda Calderbank on October 2023 is on theme for this time of year.
You can read it on the NAFC site here
Coffee With NAFC
Curious about who we are and what we do? Want to know more about our organization or just have a casual conversation with our Board Members? Join is for a morning cup of coffee or tea and some casual and informal conversations. We will be meeting at the Starbucks on Churchhill on Friday, October 4th at 10am. Come and say hi!
Highlighting Local Multicultural Art, Music, Theater and Events
Marvin Espy: Up from the Asphalt
Reflecting on the senseless killing of George Floyd and the universality of human experience, Marvin Espy presents new and recent paintings in Up from the Asphalt. Using Maslow’s hierarchy of needs as a framework for processing the painful last minutes of George Floyd’s life on May 25, 2020, Espy’s paintings and words offer us a pathway to unite in mourning, stand in resolve, and share in our hopes.
You can view this exhibit at the Lyman Allen Art Museum until October 20th.
Check out this local museum, Institute For American Indian Studies, located in Washington, CT!
Visit their website to find out more about upcoming classes and opportunities to learn more!
