<html><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><!--StartFragment--><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify">Community Change, Inc.<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:8.0pt"><i>Challenging Structural Racism since 1968<o:p></o:p></i></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:11.0pt">ANTIRACISM BROWN BAG DISCUSSION SERIES<o:p></o:p></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"> <span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 19px; "></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 19px; ">QUALITY EDUCATION FOR ALL:</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size:14.0pt">THE PARENTS’ ANALYSIS OF THE BPS BUDGET CRISIS</span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify">A proposal in response to the severe cuts to the Boston Public Schools budget calls for school reassignments, school closings, and transportation cuts that disproportionately penalize already under resourced schools in neighborhoods of color. Myriam Ortiz, Acting Director of the Boston Parent Organizing Network (BPON), will give a presentation/discussion on what parents are saying about<o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"> <span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span><span style="font-family:Symbol">·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span>The potential solutions presented by district</p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:1.0in;text-align:justify;text-indent: -.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list 1.0in"><span style="font-family:Symbol">·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span>The solutions to the budget crisis from the parents’ perspective<b><o:p></o:p></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left:1.0in;text-align:justify;text-indent: -.25in;mso-list:l0 level1 lfo1;tab-stops:list 1.0in"><span style="font-family:Symbol">·<span style="font:7.0pt "Times New Roman""> </span></span>What can be done to improve the quality of education for all students<b><o:p></o:p></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><font class="Apple-style-span" size="4"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px;"> March 18, 2009 (Wednesday)</span></font></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style=""><font class="Apple-style-span" size="4"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px;">12 noon – 1:30 pm</span></font><font class="Apple-style-span" size="4"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px;"><o:p></o:p></span></font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; "><font class="Apple-style-span" size="4"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px;">Community Change Library on Racism</span></font><font class="Apple-style-span" size="4"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px;"><o:p></o:p></span></font></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: black; "><font class="Apple-style-span" size="4"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px;">14 Beacon Street, Room 605</span></font><font class="Apple-style-span" size="4"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px;"><o:p></o:p></span></font></span></p> <h3 style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal;">Boston MA 02108</span><o:p></o:p></span></h3><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-weight: normal; ">The Boston Parent Organizing Network (BPON) supports and advocates for the improvement of the Boston Public Schools. Because of BPON’s effectiveness, parents and families who are marginalized by socioeconomic status, race, language, disability and immigration status directly influence decision making at all levels of the Boston Public School System.</span></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><o:p></o:p></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><span style="color:black"> <span style="color: black; "><font class="Apple-style-span" size="1">The current public discourse around race assumes that we live in a color-blind society where the American Dream is attainable by all individuals who work hard enough. This deeply flawed discourse obscures the racial disparities in employment, education, criminal justice, housing, health care, etc. and provides a powerful but faulty rationale for leaving our systems and institutions the way they are. The issues presented at the Community Change Brown Bag Discussion Series are concrete examples of the structural racism that affects the lives of all, most acutely communities of color. The 2009 Series places these issues in their social/historical context and gives attendees a truthful discourse, as well as ways to put that discourse into action, in order to challenge institutional and systemic racis</font></span><span style="font-size:8.0pt;color:black">m.</span></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-right:15.3pt;text-align:justify"><span style="font-size:10.0pt;color:black"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 12px; ">Please bring your lunch. Beverages will be provided. $5 contribution requested.</span></b></span></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify"><b>RSVP (617) 523-0555 or <u><a href="mailto:janet@communitychangeinc.org">janet@communitychangeinc.org</a><o:p></o:p></u></b></p><p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify">Community Change, Inc 617-523-0555 <span style="font-family:"Lucida Sans""><a href="http://www.communitychangeinc.org/"><span style="font-family:"Times New Roman"">www.communitychangeinc.org</span></a></span><o:p></o:p></p> <!--EndFragment-->
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