South Shore Unity Council Statement in Support of H.584/S.365 An Act relative to anti-racism, equity and justice in education

Testimony in support of H.584/S.365 An Act relative to anti-racism, equity and justice in education:

The South Shore Unity Council, a nonprofit comprised of the Cohasset Diversity Committee, the Hanover Unity Council, the Hingham Unity Council (HUC), Duxbury for All, Scituate Together for Representation Inclusion Diversity and Equity (STRIDE), Scituate United, and Weymouth for Inclusion, Solidarity and Equity (WISE) supports H.584/S.365 An Act relative to anti-racism, equity and justice in education.

The overarching mission of the South Shore Unity Council is to foster diversity and inclusion in our towns. We recognize that in order to achieve this mission, we must understand the history and systemic roots of racism in our communities and take meaningful steps to create communities that are more reflective of the diverse populations that make our country so rich and unique.

We strongly support this bill. The creation of a commission of various stakeholders will allow for thoughtful design of curriculum outside the realm of politics and misinformation. Furthermore, the inclusion of a fund to support resources and professional development, as well as a grant program, will allow all schools in the Commonwealth to fully implement the commission’s curriculum recommendations.

Given the unquantifiable benefits reaped by so many of us who live here in Massachusetts - starting over four hundred years ago and continuing right up to today - an investment in an educational system that will provide our children with multiple perspectives of our shared history and give them the tools to reverse historical inequities is long overdue.

We urge you to move this bill out of committee.

Learn more about South Shore Unity Council and the other groups they support, including ours, by visiting their website, www.ssunitycouncil.org.