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Four Decades Along the Rainbow Road

Monday, May 29, 2017

Don’t Call Yourself Patriotic if…

As we reflect on this Memorial Day on those servicemen and women who gave the ultimate sacrifice in defending our country and its freedoms, we should understand that they were the true patriots.  Others are also patriotic, even if they didn’t fight in our wars or serve our country.  They honor our heroes by displaying the American flag and other gestures to show their pride in our nation.

We all have our own definition of patriotism.    For me, in essence, patriotism is a desire to keep our country strong, honor the Constitution, and to treat all of our citizens equally and fairly for the greater good. 

Unfortunately, there are many Americans who equate patriotism with an alt-right nationalistic mindset.  Patriotism shouldn’t espouse exclusivity and discrimination. Patriotism doesn’t promote hatred and violence against our own citizens and neighbors. When one supports ideas and actions that hurt our country, don’t call yourself patriotic.

Don’t call yourself patriotic if you are OK with the draft-evading presidential candidate, now Commander-in-Chief, for treating the Purple Heart like it was some souvenir trinket and lamenting the fact he didn’t have one.

Don’t call yourself patriotic if you treasure the 2nd Amendment as  the most sacred part of our Constitution but eschew the tenets of the 1st Amendment, such as freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom to peaceably assemble in protest, and yes, freedom of the press.

Don’t call yourself patriotic if you agree with a President that wants to ban people from entering our country based on their religion.

Don’t call yourself patriotic if you vehemently criticize one President for bowing to the leader of a tyrannical regime that chops off the heads and hands of its people and represses women, but are silent when the current President does so.

Don’t call yourself patriotic if you support the President when he chastises our strong European allies on the world’s stage but congratulates the leader of the Philippines for doing a “great job” in his condoning the murder of over 2,500 people during the country’s “war on drugs.”

Don’t call yourself patriotic if you shrug off the undeniable fact that our number one adversary, Russia, interfered with our elections and the President has yet to be persuaded by that conclusion reached by all of our Intel agencies.

Don’t call yourself patriotic if you are not bothered by the President’s meeting with the Russian ambassador and foreign minister in the Oval Office, whereby he divulged classified information and that only the Russian state press was permitted to observe while the American media was locked out.

Don’t call yourself patriotic if you are unconcerned that the President impeded, if not obstructed, the investigation of Russian ties to our election by firing the man who was spearheading the investigation and admitting that the “Russian thing” was the motive.

Don’t call yourself patriotic if you are not disturbed by the President’s son-in-law, who is woefully inexperienced in government (as is the President), who allegedly attempted to set up a secretive back channel communication line with the Kremlin even though the current administration was not in power in order to purportedly skirt U.S. intelligence surveillance.

Don’t call yourself patriotic if you couldn’t care less or even applaud the President praising a U.S. Congressman-elect for assaulting a reporter doing his job but is silent on the heroic deaths of two veterans (and a third victim) at the hands of white racist extremists.

Don’t call yourself patriotic if it doesn’t bother you that the President and the U.S, House of Representatives produced a health care proposal that will leave 23 million Americans including a large chunk of the President’s supporters without health care.

Don’t call yourself patriotic if you allow the president to roll back regulations that protect the country’s air and water from polluters.

Don’t call yourself patriotic if you think for one minute the President has nothing to hide by refusing to share his tax returns with the American people.

Don’t call yourself patriotic if you believe the President is putting America’s interests first and not his own family and his business interests.

Saturday, May 13, 2017

Baltimore School to be Honored by GLSEN

Roland Park Elementary/Middle School’s GSA wins national recognition

Roland Park Elementary/Middle School  Photo courtesy of Live Baltimore
Baltimore’s Roland Park Elementary/Middle School will be honored along with three other awardees by GLSEN at the 2017 GLSEN Respect Awards – New York to be held at Cipriani 42nd Street on May 15.  Dr. Jill Biden will deliver the evening’s opening remarks.   

Roland Park Elementary/Middle School is being recognized for the work being done by the diverse student-run Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) to ensure that every student of Roland Park Elementary/Middle School has the best school experience possible, with a mission of providing a safe and inclusive space for all genders and sexual orientations.

According to GLSEN, the leading national education organization focused on ensuring safe and affirming schools for all students, GSA members at Roland Park Elementary/Middle School “have led advocacy efforts both within their school’s walls and in their community. They have created positive environments in their classrooms by confronting hostility and prejudice against the LGBTQ community.

“Together they created a project called ‘Dear Mx’ in order to educate their school on LGTBQ issues, offering a way for their peers to anonymously ask questions. Their work has also led to a ‘GSA Edition’ in their weekly aired Student News, giving a platform and a voice to LGTBQ people and history, and raising awareness around multiple issues.

“In their community, the Roland Park GSA has worked actively with the GLSEN Baltimore Chapter as well as partner organization PFLAG. Serving as a model for other GSAs across the country, their group testified at a school board meeting to advocate for clearer district policy and guidance around LGBTQ issues.

“From pushing for all gender bathrooms to working towards intersectionality alongside other student groups such as The Diversity Club, the Roland Park Elementary/Middle School GSA continuously demonstrates how important our shared vision of inclusivity is.”

Jabari Lyles, executive director of the Baltimore chapter of GLSEN, explains it was not easy to get this group started at Roland Park.

“Initially, around the year 2009, Baltimore City Public Schools hesitated to allow a middle school to start a GSA,” Lyles said. “Through our advocacy, we urged the board to allow Roland Park to start their group. Fast forward to today, and this group has won this incredible award. The GSA at Roland Park Elementary/Middle is a model for GSAs everywhere. Their hard work, dedication and success show anything is possible when students are motivated, staff are invested, and safe space is created.”
Members of the GSA   Photo: Kimberly Mooney/WYPR

According to a May 5 interview on WYPR’s radio show “On the Record,” eight members of the Roland Park Elementary/Middle School GSA, the principal Nicholas D’Ambrosio, and the GSA’s faculty advisor Kimberly Mooney will be traveling to New York to receive the recognition.

“I was not expecting this recognition as we were up against a lot of high schools,” Mooney said in the interview.  “Getting this proves that kids of any age can accomplish anything whatever they put their minds to and they are making a difference. It shows schools across the country what a small group of committed kids can really do to change the culture of the school and the environment in which kids are trying to learn.”

The other awardees to be recognized by GLSEN are Ryan Pedlow, Founder of Two Creeks Capital, who will receive the Visionary Award; Ann Clark, Superintendent of Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, will receive GLSEN’s Educator of the Year Award; and First Data will receive the Corporate Ally Award.

“Now more than ever it is crucial to support those pushing to create safe and inclusive spaces for LGBTQ youth,” said Dr. Eliza Byard, GLSEN’s Executive Director, in a statement.

“I am proud to advocate for LGBTQ students’ lives by recognizing this year’s honorees, each of whom are playing an important role of fighting for justice by ensuring that LGBTQ youth have equal opportunities and the support to reach their full academic potential,” she said.

The GLSEN Respect Awards, introduced in 2004 and held annually in Los Angeles and New York, showcase the work of students, educators, individuals, and corporations who serve as exemplary role models and have made a significant impact on the lives of LGBTQ youth.