Welcome to our St. Mark Community Education Program newsletter!

St. Mark Community Education Program (SMCEP) is a 501 (c)(3) 

For more information about SMCEP please contact Mike Oliver, Executive Director

contact@stmarksesol.org 

Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness:

Vv. The Perpetuation of Intolerance?

While it is important to acknowledge that USA is a diverse country with a range of opinions and beliefs. It is unfair and inaccurate to label the entire nation as "intolerant." However St. Mark's would be remiss if we did not recognized that there have been a myriad of instances of perpetuation of intolerance and discrimination in America. For example, since the founding of the America, there have been groups of people who have not been afforded because of skin color, ethnicity, sexual orientation, or religious affiliation the promise of that we are all created equal and endowed with unalienable rights such as Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. Not only are they not afforded these rights but are also cruelly persecuted. That Americans as a nation are welcoming as is a myth. The reality is that we are intolerant and threatened by those that are not like us. This intolerance is infecting every segment of society and is becoming enshrined in our institution. The number of states that are passing laws that persecute transgender children is growing. Florida is leading the charge to rewrite history. Anti-Semitism and hate crimes against Black, Muslim, nonwhite immigrants and LBGTQ groups are on the rise across the country, even in our own state. ADL New England reported in Massachusetts that there were 452 incidents in 2022, up 72% from 2021. Below are two pieces that lay bare the consequences of our intolerance.

Stop Killing Us

It is with pain and anger that we grieve the murder of Tyre Nichols. Rooted in the violence of gendered racial oppression, these tragedies continue to take precious lives from our communities.

Keenan Anderson, Tyre Nichols, and the countless Black people for whom a traffic stop resulted in the end of their life remind us that policing and punitive policies are deadly for Black people. It is only through community-based safety, not systems of violence, that Black people like Sandra Bland, Philando Castillo, Keenan Anderson, and Tyre Nichols will be safe.

“This is a reminder that despite changes in political leadership at some of the highest levels, the reformist approaches that continue to move resources and training in the direction of police doesn’t work,” says Gina Clayton-Johnson, founder and executive director of Essie Justice Group. “In a world led by the policies born from Black communities, Tyre and Keenan would still be alive.”

The recent murder of Keenan Anderson and Tyre Nichols underscores the continued brutality of our nation’s mass incarceration policies that ignore true public safety solutions Black people and communities outlined in the Movement for Black Lives’ BREATHE Act and Vision for Black Lives.

Essie Justice Group will continue to provide spaces for healing and connection for women who have lost loved ones at the hands of police and corrections officers, and through the violent, punitive systems within our society. We remain dedicated to building power among Black women to eradicate systems that kill our loved ones so that these tragedies will no longer take place.

Data supports the end to unnecessary spending of tax dollars on police to enforce traffic laws. We demand an end to police conducted traffic stops.

Author

Gina Clayton-Johnson is the founder and executive director of Essie Justice Group and central architect for the BREATHE Act through the Movement for Black Lives. 

Acknowledging Anti-Asian Discrimination

With the rise of hate crimes targeting Americans of Asian ancestry, many of you have taken to the streets to show support, to stand in solidarity, and to be present acknowledging the pain and suffering of your friends, family, or neighbors.  

If you are wondering what you can do?  Where do you start?  In lieu of searching the internet, we would welcome each of you the opportunity to read the collection of articles compiled by our friend Leverett Wing, Executive Director of the Commonwealth Seminar.

Leverett wrote, “This is a seminal moment for the Asian American community, and we must act with urgency.  Rendered invisible for too long, Asian Americans must loudly share our stories — complete with setbacks, celebrations, shortcomings, and accomplishments so that others can no longer ignore them or define our narrative.  We must eradicate the false stereotypes of the silent, passive, monolithic “model minority” and replace them with more accurate, nuanced representations of our diverse populations.”  Below are opinion pieces supporting the Asian American community in the Boston Globe.

• Leverett Wing, “A Seminal Moment for the Asian American Community” 

• Attorney General Maura Healey, State Sen. Adam Hinds, and State Rep. Tram Nguyen, “MA Needs a Hate Crime Law” 

• Colette Phillips and Robert Leikind, “What Antiracist Allies Can Do to Meet This Moment” 

• Stephen Chan, “The Best Counter to Anti-Asian Hate Is To Build AAPI Power”

Nina Liang: Acknowledging anti-Asian discrimination. Together we must eradicate false stereotypes to move towards a more inclusive, open, and just society which will accurately reflect our diverse populations.

Author: Linda Champion

SMCEP newsletter education and other resources.

1. Boundless

2. New American

3. Immigrant Advancement/Boston

4. Boston Saves

5. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services

6. U.S. Recipes

Thanks for reading and please share..

Suezanne P.. Bruce