DEI Updates October 2022

9/26/2022 1:23 pm

LGBTQ+ History Month


October is LGBTQ+ History Month, celebrating the achievements of 31 lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender icons. Each day in October, a new LGBTQ+ icon is featured here with videos, biographies and resources. For example, WNBA superstar Sue Bird was featured on October 5.

Another way to learn more about and celebrate LGBTQ+ History Month is reading these suggested children’s books created by LGBTQ+ authors.

Here is some information about LGBTQ+ groups and resources:

 

 

Disability History and Awareness Month

 
Disability History and Awareness Month takes place during October to increase awareness, respect, and acceptance for people with disabilities, and to bring a greater sense of pride to people with disabilities.

 
As Superintendent Fred Rundle wrote to our community on September 30:

Mercer Island School District joins other Washington public schools to promote educational activities that provide instruction, awareness, and understanding of disability history and people with disabilities. Whether disabilities are visible or hidden, our school district strives to include all members of our community in our activities and events inside and outside of the classroom. While this is a twelve-month a year commitment, October is a month to dedicate explicit time and energy to deepening our understanding of disabilities and create a more accepting and empathetic space for all. We believe recognizing disability history will inspire students with disabilities to feel a greater sense of pride, reduce harassment and bullying, and help keep students with disabilities in school.

Here are ways you can learn more about people with disabilities:
 

Here are more suggested books created by authors with the disability represented in
the book:

 

  • “I Talk Like a River” by Jordan Scott
  • “El Deafo” by Cece Bell
  • “Rescue and Jessica: A Life-Changing Friendship” by Jessica Kensky and Patrick Downes
  • “Rolling Warrior: The Incredible, Sometimes Awkward, True Story of a Rebel Girl on Wheels Who Helped Spark a Revolution” by Judith Heumann

 

Disability Rights Washington offers a lesson plan called Portrait of the Whole Person, which was designed for elementary age students to introduce them to how disability rights fit into the larger Civil Rights Movement.

 

 
Indigenous Peoples’ Day- Monday, October 10
 

Indigenous Peoples' Day celebrates the cultures and traditions of the Indigenous People, past and present. Mercer Island is located within the natural land of the Coast Salish people. For other locations, you can use this Interactive Map revealing which Indigenous Lands we’re living on. Put in the zip code to see Indigenous territories, treaties and languages in that area.

On October 8, 2021, U.S. President Joe Biden formally recognized the holiday by signing a Presidential Proclamation on Indigenous Peoples’ Day. Though Washington is not one of them, 14 states and the District of Columbia officially recognize Indigenous Peoples’ Day.
 
Here are some ways you can celebrate and learn more about Indigenous Peoples’ Day:

 

 

 

For more information or questions, please contact diversity@westmercerpta.org.

 

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