Reading Rhythm

Albert W. Pless, Jr. (he/him) is the Director of the Office of Equity and Social Justice for the Town of Reading. He was previously the inaugural Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for the Town of Andover. He has over 25 years of experience working in community-based programs in the Greater Boston area. In addition he directed nationally recognized community health worker programs for Black and Latino men at both the Boston Public Health Commission and Cambridge Public Health Department. He is on numerous boards and committees, including the Men’s Health and Black Health Care Workers Caucuses of the American Public Health Association (APHA) and Harvard Catalyst. Albert has committed his entire professional career to address health and racial inequities. He received his Master of Science degree from Southern New Hampshire University in Manchester, NH.

Sophia C. Ortins (she/her) is an intern at the OESJ for the summer. Sophia is currently studying Government and Data Science at Wesleyan University, where she holds a Coordinator position at Wesleyan Reproductive Advocacy & Legislation (WRAL). Throughout her years in Reading as a high school student, Sophia spent much of her time contributing to social justice and community service-based initiatives, including We the Youth, SOCA4EJI, and PAIR. She aims to elevate youth voices in Reading’s discussions on inclusion. Sophia will remain with the office until the end of August when she will return to her studies.

The OESJ is working to transform the community needs assessment results into actions by collaborating with strategic planning consultant Ilka Walkley. Utilizing the data-driven Results-Based Accountability planning process, our team is carefully considering both the findings and recommendations of the assessment and connecting them with concrete performance measures. By the end of this process we will have a strategic plan that outlines not only long term and short term goals, but partners, specific action steps, and ways to measure town-wide progress.

Below you will find the complete needs assessment report as well as the summary presentation.

The Office was happy to support Reading’s 4th Annual Pride Parade Event! With speakers Senator Jason Lewis, Joy Beaulieu, and Laura Wilson, as well as posters from town organizations and businesses showing support, it was a complete success.

Partners and Allies for Inclusive Reading regularly meet on the third Wednesday of the month from 6:00-7:30 pm. Upcoming meetings are as follows:

26 June – Conference Room, Reading Public Library (Virtual Option)

17 July – Conference Room, Reading Public Library (Virtual Option)

21 August – Conference Room, Reading Public Library (Virtual Option)

All young people are welcome! Come to the library's community room and share your voice. Dinner will be provided. More details to come soon.

Any help you can provide would be greatly appreciated!

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0845A9A92EA57-50028450-juneteenth#/

Come help encourage event attendees to register to vote (or check registration)! This table is nonpartisan.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0E4EA9AB2BAAFFC34-50047780-voter

June became "Gay and Lesbian Pride Month" in 1999 after declaration by President Clinton. In 2009, President Obama declared it "LGBT Pride Month." Most recently in 2021, President Biden declared it "LGBTQ Pride Month."

Since 2006 by Presidential Proclamation, June has also been designated Caribbean-American Heritage Month. The month long celebration highlights the rich culture and heritage, along with the vast contributions of Caribbean-American people to the United States.

Celebrated by people of the Baha'i faith, Race Unity Day, aims to connect people of all races, cultures, and religions.

Shavuot is a Jewish holiday, one of the Three Pilgrimage Festivals. Celebration of Shavuot occurs on the 50th day after the sheath offering of the harvest celebrated during Passover. Shavuot, the "Festival of the Weeks," was originally an agricultural holiday, symbolizing the beginning of the wheat harvest.

National Loving Day commemorates the Supreme Court decision Loving v. Virginia (1967), which struck down all remaining laws against interracial marriage.

The Hajj is the annual pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia by Muslims. They specifically travel to the Kaaba, the "House of Allah, and pilgrimage to Mecca is one of the 5 Pillars of Islam.

Eid al-Adha or the Feast of Sacrifice, is the second of the two major holidays celebrated in Islam. It is celebrated by many to commemorate the devotion of Abraham and survival of Ishmael, his son.

Juneteenth, formally named Juneteenth National Independence Day, commemorates the day when the final enforcement of the Emancipation Proclamation was given in Texas and the final remaining slaves were freed. Early celebrations of this holiday date back to 1866 in Texas. The day became recognized federally in 2021.

World Refugee Day is recognized internationally by a proclamation by the United Nation and honors refugees around the globe. This day was first designated in June 2001.

One June 26th, 2015, the Supreme Court ruled on Obergefell v. Hodges, granting a nationwide right to same-sex marriage. The ruling also required states to honor out-of-state marriage licenses.

June 28th is International LGBT+ Pride Day. It is celebrated on the 28th because on June 28th, 1969, the Stonewall Riots occurred because of a raid by police on the Stonewall Inn, a gay club in NYC.

Why am I here?

As stated in my bio above, I have been involved with advocacy in Reading for as long as I can remember. From raising money for women's rights non-profits in middle school to working with SOCA4EJI in high school on professional development, I've always found myself involved in the community. When I thought about what I wanted to do this summer, I knew I wanted to stay involved in the town.

What am I up to?

This summer, my priorities include creating an OESJ Instagram, planning a Youth Town Hall event, contributing to OESJ strategic planning, and creating monthly Reading Rhythm newsletters. In addition, I will use my data science knowledge to compile raw data from various town-wide surveys, including the OESJ Needs Assessment and the Community Health Needs Assessment. I plan to also use my knowledge of data visualization to communicate any conclusions from the data compilation. In addition to this project-based work, I assist Director Albert Pless with his administrative needs.

- Sophia Ortins (she/her)