July 2023 Newsletter

Come celebrate with us!

Join us for a gathering of our membership, where you can meet the Duxbury for All steering committee,  hear about what we’ve done and what we’re working on, how we’re supporting other organizations/partnerships, ask questions, and provide feedback and program suggestions!  Child care will be available.  There will be a food truck and music by a local musician.

July 27, from 6:30 to 8:00 PM, at the Reading Garden at the Duxbury Free Library

1619 Project Course participants will put their learning into practice.

After completion of the 1619 Project Course this spring, DfA Steering Committee member Fred L’Ecuyer hosted three discussion sessions, where course participants talked about what they learned from reading the Pulitzer Prize winning book, how it changed their thinking about U.S. history, and brainstormed a number of ways that we can work together to make Duxbury a more diverse and inclusive community.  Their suggestions will help to shape  strategic plans for DfA for the coming years.

Here are some suggestions from 1619 participants for books to read that helped bring to life the Black experience in America for them:

·      Talking to Strangers, by Malcom Gladwell

·      Harlem Shuffle, by Colson Whitehead

·      My Monticello, by Nicole Johnson

·      The Secret Life of Church Ladies, by Deesha Philyaw

·      The Bluest Eye, by Toni Morrison

·      The Book of Lost Friends, by Lisa Wingate

·      The Warmth of Other Suns, by Isabel Wilkerson

Our DARI family is doing well.

Karl Kunz, one of the volunteer leaders of Dari (Duxbury Afghan Resettlement Initiative), reports that the family is adjusting well to their new lives in America: everyone is healthy; their English language skills are improving; the father is gainfully employed;  the kids are enrolled in summer activities, including day camp at Cross Roads for Kids; and the parents are studying for their driver’s license exams.

Drag Queen Story Hour is back!

The Duxbury Free Library will host Drag Queen Story hour this Saturday, July 15, from 11:00 to 11:45 AM, in the Merry Room of the Library.  Fun for kids and families. Celebrate Pride all summer long with stories and music! 

Challenging Conversations a Success

At Duxbury for All’s winter Challenging Conversations event, the tenor of the discussion so impressed attendees from the Police Department that they offered to host one at the Police Station themselves.

On Tuesday, May 23rd, the two organizations co-hosted a discussion of Language, Terms, Values, the third such event in Duxbury for All’s Challenging Conversations series.  Nearly two dozen people attended, among them Acting Police Chief Michael Carbone, and several of his police officers. “We were thrilled that the Police Department wanted to host this event!” said Karen Wong, a member of Duxbury for All’s Steering Committee, “The support of Acting Chief Carbone, and the willingness of police officers to attend on their own time, shows how positively engaged our Police Department is in cause of diversity, equity & inclusion.”

Karen Wood, a new member of the Duxbury for All Steering Committee, was impressed by the many perspectives she heard participants express. “It wasn’t just preaching to the choir,” she remarked, “Yes, there were some who’ve been long-term advocates of DEI, but also many who were new to the discussion, and open to questioning prior beliefs.”

May 2023 Newsletter

Challenging Conversations return May 23

Join us for the next in our Challenging Conversation Series: Language, Terms, & Common Values at the Duxbury Police Department, 155 Mayflower Street, Duxbury, from 7 to 9 pm on May 23rd. Sponsored by Duxbury for All, Duxbury Free Library, Duxbury High School and Duxbury Police Department. This event is open to the public—all are invited to attend!

If you have questions, please email Tara Downes of Duxbury for All at tldownes@hotmail.com.

You can register at www.duxburyfreelibrary.org.

Our 1619 Project Course wrapped up on April 15

The last of nine sessions was hosted on April 15. At this final session, we spent time talking about what the course had meant to each of us, and what we should do to spread the word.  Participants comments were all extremely positive:

“What initially impressed me about the "1619 Project" was the range of the topics and the depth of the authors' research, exposing aspects of history I hadn't known before. Particular topics really grabbed my attention such as the chapters on "Inheritance" and "Capitalism," perspectives on embedded racism I had never considered before.”  Kathleen Dowling

“To me, the course was eye opening. There was quite a bit of history exposed in the book that many of us did not learn as students in school. Having the opportunity to read about and discuss situations that have and still continue to occur is one great way to work towards change. Although I do not feel that I can change the world alone, this course helped me to take that first nudge.”   Patti MacLennan

“I loved this thought-provoking look at our history. There was so much I didn't remember and wasn't taught. Sometimes the truth hurts, but I feel like I have a better understanding of our country's history. Thoughtful analysis by this group was so helpful in informing my perspectives and thoughts. I learned so much. In America, our future is brighter when we learn from the complete illumination of our past.”   Tom Kane

“I found this event enlightening to say the least—I really enjoyed the conversation with this group of very intelligent and thoughtful people—Mark was a great moderator-really made me think! I have a deeper grasp of our complex and fascinating history!”  Tara Downes

“The quote that sharpened my perspective by uncovering racism in the present was by Ibram Kendi in Chapter 17: ‘(the racial-progress refrain) focuses our attention on how the United States has come a long way (the past) and how America has a long way to go (the future).  This past/future logic has compelled generation after generation to overlook the present — indeed, the presence of racism.’”  Nancy Newman

I learned so much about the lasting effects of racism that affected  so many areas of people's lives. I also have been thinking more about unconscious bias and am trying to become more aware of this in my own  mind. Thank you for your great work!  Diane Richards

Join us for Race Amity Day, June 11

The Duxbury Free Library and the Duxbury Interfaith Council will host a Race Amity Day celebration on the lawn of the Library, 77 Alden Street, Duxbury, Sunday, June 11th, from 1 to 3pm. There will be games, art, music, and race amity educational materials.

Race Amity: “The ability to overcome racial prejudice through association, goodwill and collaboration.”

Get ready for Pride month!

You can show your support for the LGBTQ community by attending the Duxbury Selectboard meeting on Monday, May 22nd at 7pm. Duxbury for All and our partners are proposing a Proclamation to the Selectboard that would make every June Pride Month in the town of Duxbury. By attending this meeting, either in person or on Zoom, you can show the town Select Board that Duxbury Has Pride!

We’re working with the Duxbury Free Public Library and the Duxbury Senior Center to plan a series of events for Pride Month that all will be invited to attend, including:

• Thursday, May 25th at 5:30pm, the Senior Center will be hosting Judah Leblang's It's Now or Never! A humorous one-man show about a gay writer who is going deaf, can’t sleep, and is looking for love in an ageist world.

• The Library’s Movie Matinee series, held on Fridays at 1pm every month, will be showing a variety of LGBTQ films throughout June, including Carol, Love Simon, and But I’m a Cheerleader.

• Thursday, June 8th at 5:30pm, the Senior Center will host a PRIDE Educational Presentation by Tony Kelso and Ice Cream Social. 

• A variety of Pride-related events will be happening on Saturday, June 10th. At 11am at the Library, Scientists from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute will be joining via Zoom for a discussion of the 2022 queer memoir/popular science bestseller How Far the Light Reaches: A Life in 10 Sea Creatures by Sabrina Imbler. Also at the library, the Children’s Room will be doing a rainbow craft for kids and families.

• Thursday, June 16th at 4pm, Community Engagement Librarian Sam Correia will be giving an informational talk on Intro to Pronouns: Acceptance as Community Care

• Saturday, June 24th, Teen Librarian Meghan will be hosting a LGBTQ teen meetup.

Duxbury Pride lawn signs will be available soon—we’ll send out an email on how to order later this month.

We say goodbye to one of our founders, the Reverend Doctor Catherine Cullen

One of the first people who responded to Duxbury Rotary’s public statement in June 2020, calling for the town to embrace diversity, equity & inclusion, was the Reverend Doctor Catherine Cullen, Pastor of the First Parish Church, and head of the Duxbury Interfaith Council.  Catherine’s whole-hearted support for the cause quickly won over the Interfaith Council.  Together, the Interfaith Council and Duxbury Rotary created Prejudice Free Duxbury, the forerunner of Duxbury for All. 

Over the past three years, Catherine has been one of the driving forces behind our growth: she helped organize and host our first Listen, Reflect and Act events, recruited members of the Interfaith Council and her parish to join Duxbury for All, provided invaluable advice through her membership of our steering committee, and attended all our events. Without her help, there might not have been a Duxbury for All!

Catherine is leaving the ministry to resume her law practice so that she can devote her time to fighting for women’s rights. Since she came to Duxbury in 2004, Catherine has been one of the most visible leaders for social justice in our community. She will be sorely missed by us, and all whose lives she has touched!

DfA March 2023 Newsletter

Our Afghan family can stay!

Karl Kunz, one of the DARI volunteer leaders, reports “The First Parish Church will allow the Afghan family to stay in the parsonage for another full calendar year!  All of us in DARI are very excited about this as it allows us to continue to support the family here in Duxbury. We’re extremely grateful to First Parish for their generosity”.  

“The adults have made great progress in their English and the children are all doing well in school.  We’re looking for additional work for Dad, and hope to find jobs that provide for training on new skills with increases in salary”.

“Our Catholic Charities immigration lawyers are making progress and have not hit any roadblocks on the way to securing permanent status for the family”.  

Three more sessions left in The 1619 Project Course

The next session of The 1619 Project Course will be held on March 18th at the Duxbury Free Library at 9am.  If you’ve read the book, or are reading it now, you’re welcome to join us for any or all of the final three sessions. You can register here.

Our Challenging Conversation series continues

We hosted another in our Challenging Conversations series: Let’s Talk About Diversity Experiences in Education on March 3rd at the Senior Center.  In this session, participants learned about Sidetrack, compared and contrasted it with the Metco Program, and had a chance to explore potential biases about these programs. For those who didn’t attend, you can learn.

Due to the tragic events in Duxbury in February, we postponed the Challenging Conversation that was to  be hosted by the Police Department.  Please watch for the new date.

Update on the Human Library

Progress is being made on our plans to host a Human Library event in November of 2023. More details to come, but members of our Steering Committee recently met by Zoom with representatives of the Human Library Organization in Denmark and confirmed the feasibility of hosting such an event in Duxbury. To learn more about Human Library, visit https://humanlibrary.org.

Coming this June, Duxbury PRIDE!

A Draft Proclamation to create May as Pride Month in Duxbury has been finalized with some very helpful finetuning from the DHS Gay/Straight Alliance. We will wait until after town meeting to  propose bringing the Pride Month proclamation for Select Board acceptance. We’ll let you know when this date has been finalized so that you can express your support.

Once announced, we’ll be working to plan our first-year celebrations. If you’re interested in helping with planning, we’d definitely welcome volunteers! To learn more about volunteer opportunities, please email Alex Carleton at alex@acumentri.com

Partner activities in March

The Duxbury Free Library is hosting a variety of events in March that align with the mission of Duxbury for All. "Dealing with Ageism" is a talk that will be happening on Thursday, March 9th at 5:30pm. Explore the issue of ageism and discuss tips for not only handling it, but also using the perceptions to your advantage. On Saturday, March 18th at 2pm, musical composer Kathryn Denney will be speaking at the library about Connected, The Musical (a musical she wrote about a transgender teen). Lastly, the library will be hosting a presentation called "Children and Grief" on Wednesday, March 29th at 6:30pm. This will be part of a larger mental health series provided by the library; this event will discuss how children deal with trauma and grief. 

On March 25, the Duxbury Rural & Historical Society will host at the Duxbury Free Library a Bradford House Symposium: Beyond the Bustle: Uncovering the Gilded Age.  This symposium will focus on lesser-known history of the Gilded Age to tell stories that go beyond the glamor, high finances, and politics of the top tier of society. You can learn more about this event here.

DfA January 2023 Newsletter 

This fall has been a busy time at DfA, with many programs and events successfully engaging hundreds of community residents in our mission.

We’re hosting more Challenging Conversations.

We held an event on December 1 in collaboration with the Duxbury Free Library and Duxbury High School.  The High School’s Gender & Sexuality Alliance club presented their mission and vision and provided great information regarding how the student body and community at large can better support them. We were all impressed by the poise, maturity and insight of the student presenters.  We hope very much to enlist their efforts as we move forward with a town PRIDE event in June and related proclamation.

We’re collaborating with the Duxbury Police Department to hold a Challenging Conversation event in January, focusing on the use of terms related to DEI. 

In 2023, we plan to have more Challenging Conversation events, and hope to see an ever wider and varied audience engage in dynamic, respectful and productive conversations about social justice issues.

1619 Project Course gets high marks from participants.

We’ve hosted the first four sessions of our 1619 Project course. We read two chapters in preparation for each session, and then have lively break-out groups and plenary discussions of the topics in those chapters. Participants have high praise for the content and writing style of the book and appreciate the opportunity to speak with others about what they’ve read, how it makes them feel about racism, and what they can do to effect change.

The schedule for the remaining sessions is as follows:

·       January 21st     Duxbury Senior Center, Large Classroom

·       February 4th     Duxbury Senior Center, Large Classroom

·       February 11th   Duxbury Senior Center, Large Classroom 

·       March 4th        Duxbury Free Library, Merry Room

·       March 18th       Duxbury Free Library, Merry Room

·       April 15th         Duxbury Free Library, Merry Room

Regional DEI collaboration is growing.

Duxbury for All is an active member of two regional coalitions: South Shore Unity Council and Cape Cod & South Shore Diversity Coalition.  These coalitions include 30 organizations promoting DEI in their communities.

Duxbury for All was founded by Duxbury Rotary Club and the Duxbury Interfaith Council in 2020. This past spring, Duxbury Rotary won a Rotary District Governor’s Citation for its work in this area, and with a focus on social action, is now the fastest growing Rotary Club in Southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Bruce Rutter, DfA’s Communications Chair, has spoken to clubs around the district about the work of DfA, and reports that many Rotary Clubs are eagerly embracing the cause.

Comedy Night was a success!

Our second annual Comedy Night event at the Senior Center on October 15th was quite a success, raising almost $4,000 to help fund our educational programs in the community. Thanks to Kelly & Norm Laviolette for their help organizing the event and bringing nationally recognized comedians to Duxbury. Thanks to the Senior Center for providing the space. Thanks to Boston Beer Company, Duxbury High School Breadboard, Island Creek Oysters, and Snug Harbor Wine for their donation of food and beverages.

Many thanks to our sponsors for their generous support:  Anchor Capital; Beehive Beauty; Boston Beer Company; Center for Progressive Dentistry; Sean & Elika Dadsetan-Foley; Downes Pest & Wildlife; Duxbury High School Breadboard; Duxbury Senior Center; Elements Montessori; Engel & Volkers Real Estate; Susie Greenberg; Maarten & Mavis Hemsley; Island Creek Oysters; Stacy Olson; Photo Coach; Oropa Gift Shop; Yogini Shoppe.

Help us continue our important work

Duxbury for All is growing and reaching more and more people with our message.  We started with fewer than 20 concerned Rotarians and have grown in just two years to 597 members!  We host informative and engaging events nearly every month, and are partnering with more and more organizations, not just here in our Duxbury, but throughout the region.  We also provide grants to support DEI activities, such as the $2,500 grant we made last summer to engage a speaker for the Duxbury Middle School students.

To continue our work, we need your help!  Our Comedy Night fundraiser, while a success, will not cover all our program expenses. Could you please make a donation today?  Even modest gifts can add up—if every one of our 597 members gave just $10, we’d have nearly $6,000 to promote DEI in our community!  You can make an online donation here.  If you’d prefer to pay by check, please send it to P.O. Box 272, Duxbury MA 02331.

We need volunteers to help with events and communications!  If you have a few hours to spare, please contact our volunteer coordinator Alex Gionfriddo at theduckmans@comcast.net.

September 2022 Newsletter

So much is happening this fall!  Learn about our recent work and events to attend

September 29th: Bondage and Complicity: Duxbury’s History with Slavery
 
Duxbury, like all Northern towns, has a complicated relationship with the institution of slavery. During Colonial days, enslaved people lived and worked in this community. After slavery ended in Massachusetts in 1783, Duxbury’s economic ties to Southern slavery continued. Come learn with us, as DRHS Archivist and Historian Carolyn Ravenscroft explores the lives of the enslaved in Duxbury and the myriad ways that Duxbury’s 19th Century wealth was tied to enslaved labor. This event will be held at the Duxbury Free Library at 6:30pm on September 29. Registration is available here:
https://duxburyhistory.org/events/history-talk-bondage-and-complicity-duxburys-history-with-slavery-by-carolyn-ravenscroft/


Bridge Dedication October 12
 
A bill, sponsored by our State Representative Josh Cutler, was passed recently dedicating two bridges in town to individuals who exemplified the spirit of diversity equity and inclusion:
 
Bridge D-14-006(AEE) on Tremont Street spanning Route 3 in Duxbury shall be designated and known as The Lewis Sisters Bridge, in honor of Ella Lewis Woodbury, Lillian Mae Lewis Hayes, and Beulah Lewis Fogg.
The Lewis Sisters established and operated a residential camp on the Duxbury/Kingston town line known as Camp Twin Oaks. The camp was initially conceived as a residential camp for Boston’s Black youth, offering fresh air and summer activities away from the city. By 1937 it had expanded to become a vacation destination for both children and adults in the Black community, attracting visitors from around the eastern United States.
 
Bridge D-14-009(49Q) on Congress Street spanning Route 3 in Duxbury shall be designated and known as the Cora Wilburn Bridge, in honor of Cora Wilburn, a poet, essayist and author recognized as one of the most prolific Jewish American women writers of her time.
Wilburn, who was born Henrietta Pulfermacher, emigrated to the United States in 1848 after stints in France and Venezuela. She overcame many challenges before launching her career and her writings show her to have been a staunch advocate of social justice who gave a voice to the impoverished. Her autobiographical novel, published serially in 1860, was the first coming-of-age novel to depict the Jewish community in the United States. Wilburn spent her later years in Duxbury and died on December 4, 1906, at the age of 82.
 
The dedication ceremony will be held at the Duxbury Senior Center, at 10:30am on October 12.  The plaques will be unveiled on the bridges immediately after the ceremony.  All are welcome to attend.
 

Comedy Night returns on October 15!
 
Last year’s event was a huge success: a sell-out crowd enjoyed a night of raucous, and at times raunchy entertainment, and raised almost $9,000 to promote diversity equity & inclusion in our community.  
 
This year’s event will feature nationally renowned comedians Kelly MacFarland and Corey Manning. Tickets for the 7:30pm show are $50; tickets for the 6pm garden reception and the 7:30pm show are $75. You can purchase tickets here.
 
Sponsors for the event include Acumentri Leadership & Executive Coaching, Beehive Salon, Boston Brewing Company, Downes Pest Control, Island Creek Oysters, Maarten & Mavis Hemsley and Snug Harbor Wines.
 
If you’re interested in volunteering to help with the event, please contact Steering Committee member Karen Wong at karen_wong@msn.com.


DfA’s The 1619 Project Course off to a great start.
 
The first session of our 10-part interactive course based on the Pulitzer Prize winning book, The 1619 Project, was hosted on Saturday, September 24th at the Duxbury Senior Center by local educator Mark Prince. After a short presentation and icebreaker, 19 attendees participated in an interactive exercise on identity. Following this, they broke into small groups to discuss aspects of the first two chapters and then reported back on learning from the chapter and ideas on how to apply that learning. 
 
The next session will be held on Saturday morning, October 15th.  Slots are still available. You can register for the 1619 Project Course here.
 

October 20th: LGBTQ Film Series: Cloudburst
 
The Duxbury Senior Center’s LGBTQ Film Series continues with Cloudburst starring Olympia Dukakis, Brenda Fricker and Kristen Booth. This will be held in the Large Classroom of the Senior Center at 5:30pm on October 20th. To learn more about this 2011 comedy, visit https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloudburst_(2011_film).
 
You can register here for this event. 
 

October 27 and November 2: A South African Perspective on Racism
 
Norwell resident, Stewart Ting Chong, will share his experiences growing up in South Africa and his work in the anti-apartheid movement. This event will take place on two evenings:
 
Thursday, October 27th at 7pm in the Merry Room of the Duxbury Free Library. To attend the October 27th event, please register at the Duxbury Library website.
 
and
 
Wednesday, November 2nd at 10am at the Senior Center. To attend the November 2nd event, please register at the Senior Center website.


Our partnership with Duxbury Schools is strong.
 
Caitlan Sheehan, DEI Director for the Duxbury Public Schools reports that “We’re so grateful for the opportunity to partner with Duxbury for All. Thanks to DfA's generous grant, students at Duxbury Middle School were able to hear from a top youth speaker in the country, Mr. Anthony Valentine. Middle School teachers Heather Barnet, Stephanie Madden, and Martha North planned and executed an incredible celebration of the middle school’s all school read books, (Grade 6) Count Me In by Varsha Bajaj, (Grade 7) Black Brother, Black Brother, by Jewell Parker Rhodes, and (Grade 8) Piecing Me Together, by Renee Watson. Our middle schoolers spent the day cycling through various engaging activities, which culminated in listening and learning from Mr. Valentine. Tony’s message of building community and culture was inspirational and impactful. Mr. Valentine not only spoke to each grade at grade-level assemblies, he spent over an hour visiting classrooms and engaging with teachers and students! He also spent the last hour of his day working directly with our Middle School peer leaders to help them flex their leadership skills to build a culture of community and connections.”
 
 
DARI Update
 
Your Afghan family had a typical Duxbury summer with the kids going to Camp Wing, DBMS, and soccer leagues. The oldest boy has learned to swim, and the others are getting comfortable in and around the water and will surely shed their “water wings” next summer. Our volunteers set up a swing set and climbing dome during the summer in the backyard which led to much needed outdoor play and a predictable shoulder injury. Luckily no surgery was required and just a sling.  Not to be outdone, one of the boys broke his elbow from a fall at camp and fortunately only required a sling.  Our volunteers have made sure the kids had play dates, visits to the beach and their own pools, and lots of adventures.  
 
Everyone is back in school except for the 6-month-old, but he has the benefit of being an American citizen and just recently received his passport. The adults have been enrolled in two English classes at Quincy college with the support of a driver and a nanny hired by DARI and thanks to your generous financial support.  
 
We continue to ensure that all needed medical and dental appointments are accomplished along with vaccinations. ESL (English as a Second Language) classes taught by our Education Team continued weekdays throughout the summer for the adults with childcare provided for any of the children who were not otherwise engaged.  
 
The Transition Team has met several times since our last newsletter. We were very fortunate to have an Afghan native woman who lives locally and speaks Pashto join DARI. She and Mom hit it off and having a local translator who understands the needs of Afghan immigrants will be an enormous help to the Transition Team and the family as we plan for the future.  
 
The critical need for the family is housing after June 30, 2023. They must be out of the house they are currently occupying by that date.  As you all know, rental housing in Duxbury and nearby is difficult to find and expensive.  We’re currently looking at Quincy and other local towns as alternatives and would like to have a Duxbury option for the family to give them some choices. If you know of anyone with a 3 bedroom home available to rent starting around June 2023, please contact Karl Kunz at kunzkarl@me.com.  
 
 
Challenging Conversations Series a success. 
 
On August 4 at the Duxbury Free Library, and on August 18 at the Duxbury Senior Center, we hosted short presentations followed by small group conversations and moderated discussions on language, terms and shared values. Dozens of residents and community leaders attended, and based on positive feedback, we plan to host more in this series in the coming months. Representatives from the Police Department attended the August 18th discussion and were so impressed they asked us to host one for their department!
 
 
DfA needs volunteers!
 
Duxbury for All needs volunteers to help set up and manage events, and to help with communications. If you have interest and skills in either area, please contact Tara Downes to help with events or Bruce Rutter to help with communications.
 
 
Interested in service projects?
 
If you’d like to get involved in more service projects, please consider joining Duxbury Rotary.  In addition to Duxbury High School scholarships, the Club supports DfA and DARI (Duxbury Afghan Refugee initiative), provides assistance to community members in need through our Good Neighbor Fund, contributes to the Lions Clubs Food Pantry and other local community organizations, raises money for Razia Jan’s school for girls in Afghanistan and hosts a New Years’ luncheon for seniors. To learn more about membership, please contact Rotary Membership Chair Karl Kunz at kunzkarl@me.com.
 

Copyright © 2022 Duxbury for All, All rights reserved.


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July 2022 Newsletter

Our 10-week The 1619 Project Course to kick-off in September

Every American child learns about the arrival of the Mayflower in Plymouth in 1620, yet a ship called the White Lion that came to the Chesapeake in 1619 is just as important to the story of America. The 1619 Project reveals the hidden truths around our nation’s founding and construction, and the way that the legacy of slavery did not end with emancipation, but continues to shape contemporary American life. The 1619 Project has been lauded as a revealing new origin story for the United States, and at the same time has been attacked as “anti-American.” What is it about this book’s re-framing of American history that strikes such a nerve? How much of the public has actually read the material before forming an opinion? There’s only one way to find out—join us for a 10-part, in-depth read and facilitated discussion starting this September. To learn more visit www.duxburyforall.org/1619Project.

 LGBTQ+ programs moving forward with local partner

DfA members have met with local LGBTQ+ groups to learn what they are doing and how we can support them, including PFLAG, the Duxbury Senior Center, the Duxbury Public Library and the Duxbury Schools. 

One of our first actions will be to support the Senior Center’s LGBTQ+ Group in their focus on legislative milestones, including a panel discussion in September addressing legal and financial issues at stake, if the Supreme Court moves to undermine LGBTQ+ rights. Given the importance of this, we’d like to extend an invitation to people in communities across the South Shore to attend.  

Through our conversations with partner organizations, we learned that Duxbury is one of the few towns in the area that does nothave an official Pride Day. Working with the Select Board to create one, and with LGBTQ+ groups to organize activities, will be one of our top priorities for the next year.

If you’re engaged in LGBTQ+ issues, and would like to join our Task Force, we’d could use your help.  Please email Steering Committee member Alex Carleton to learn more.  You can reach her at alex@acumentri.com.

 Recent co-sponsored events a success!

As part of Pride Month, the Duxbury Public Library and DfA hosted Drag Queen Story Hour where parents and children were entertained by children’s stories told by drag performers and had an opportunity to be exposed to different gender roles in a safe and supportive environment.

DfA participated in Duxbury’s first Race Amity Day picnic, where Select Board Member Cindy Ladd Fiorini and DfA Event Chair Tara Downes spoke about the importance of building relations between different races and cultures.   

For the second year, DfA sponsored a Duxbury Music Festival event that promoted cultural diversity. This year’s event, L’chaim: Celebrating Jewish Voices in Music was performed by former students of South Shore Conservatory, including a young woman from Ukraine.  DfA Steering Committee Member Karen Wong spoke about the increase in anti-Semitic violence and attempts by radical right-wing legislators in Ohio to stifle the teaching of “difficult” historical topics in public schools, including a demand that Nazi voices be heard in discussion of the Holocaust.

All of the events were well attended, and received widespread, positive coverage in the Duxbury Clipper.

Duxbury Rotary Club awards four DEI scholarships

At the Club’s scholarship dinner on July 6, Duxbury Rotary awarded four DfA $1,000 scholarships to graduating Duxbury High School seniors who demonstrated passion and leadership for the cause of diversity, equity & inclusion. Recipients were Maeve Fahey, Danielle Koelbel, Madeline Koelbel and Molly Taberner. Maeve was out of town, but Dani, Madi and Molly spoke about their engagement in DEI, and their participation in the A World of Difference club.  DfA Steering Committee member Laura Neprud, who works in the Duxbury Schools, talked about the important work being done by A World of Difference and the Anti-Defamation League in the schools.

If you’d like to get involved in more service projects, please consider joining Duxbury Rotary.  In addition to Duxbury High School scholarships, the Club supports DfA and DARI (Duxbury Afghan Refugee initiative), provides assistance to community members in need through our Good Neighbor Fund, contributes to the Lions Clubs Food Pantry and other local community organizations, raises money for Razia Jan’s school for girls in Afghanistan and hosts a New Years’ luncheon for seniors. To learn more about membership, please contact Rotary Membership Chair Karl Kunz at kunzkrl@me.com.

Join our next Challenging Conversations discussion

Please join us for the next in our Challenging Conversations series, “Language, Terms, and Common Values” at the Duxbury Free Library on August 4.  A garden reception will be held from 6:30 to 7pm, followed by a presentation, small group conversations and moderated discussion from 7 to 8:30.

For more information please email Steering Committee member Tara Downes at tldownes@hotmail.com

You can register for this even at https://duxbury.assabetinteractive.com/calendar/challenging-conversations-series-language-terms-and-common-values-w-duxbury-for-all/

Co-sponsored by Duxbury for All and the Duxbury Public Library.

Comedy Night returns on October 15th!

Save the date:  October 15, when we’ll host, in partnership with Norm Laviolette and the Improv Asylum, our second annual Comedy Night. Last year’s event was a huge success: a sell-out crowd enjoyed a night of raucous, and at times raunchy entertainment, and raised almost $9,000 to promote diversity equity & inclusion in our community.  More information about entertainers and how to purchase ticket will come shortly.  If you’re interested in volunteering to help in planning for the event, please contact Steering Committee member Karen Wong at karen_wong@msn.com.

Duxbury for All responds to a grant proposal from the Duxbury Public Schools

DfA has approved a $2,500 grant request from District DEI Director Caitlan Sheehan, to secure a guest speaker for the middle school read this year, as a means of drawing together the common themes of unity, community, and identity in each of the summer read books.  Approximately 690 students (the entire middle school student population) will be positively impacted by this grant

We need volunteers with communications experience

Our communication team needs more volunteers!  If you have experience with public relations, writing, or social media marketing, and would like to volunteer for an hour or two a week, let us know.  Please email Steering Committee member Bruce Rutter at brucerutter@comcast.net.

Please consider donating to support DfA’s programming

Since its inception, DfA has supported its programming and scholarships through contributions from Duxbury Rotary Club and local supporters, and fundraising events such as Comedy Night.  Tax-deductible donations are always welcome and can be made on-line here: https://duxburyrotary.eventgroovefundraising.com/dfa. 

All funds are managed by Duxbury Rotary Club, which acts as Fiscal Sponsor for DfA, in a dedicated bank account, and are overseen by DfA’s Finance Committee.