Diversity Committee
Chair, Dottie Cainion
"Diversity is the art of thinking independently together." - Malcolm Forbes
Our Motto
RESPECT is the cornerstone of all our interactions and behaviors. We acknowledge the dignity and worth of one another and strive never to diminish another by our conduct or our attitudes.
**Kudos and thanks go to Mariner High School, Everett, Washington. They created this motto and provided generous approval to our committee to adopt their motto as ours. We are honored to do so in the interest of improving the quality of interpersonal relationships everywhere.
Related Reading
Miles to go to achieve a post-racial America
By LEWIS W. DIUGUID - McClatchy Newspapers, Aug 2009
Links
http://www.nwwlc.org
"Legal Voice, founded in 1978 as the Northwest Women's Law Center, has been the vanguard organization bringing groundbreaking litigation and fighting for landmark legislation to ensure justice for women in the Pacific Northwest for more than 30 years."
http://www.sccchr.org
Snohomish County Citizens Commission for Human Rights
"A group of citizens from Snohomish County has worked together for more than a year to draft a human rights ordinance for Snohomish County. This ordinance provides tools for individuals to use when they feel they have been the victims of any sort of discrimination. It seeks to bring parties together through dispute resolution methods rather than expensive and divisive litigation. The committee came together in response to incidents which had occurred in the county that demonstrated a need for such resources."
Activities
Also see our SCDCC Calendar for listing of events and activities.
With questions or to get involved with SCDCC's Diversity Committee please contact the SCDCC office at (425) 252-4728.
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There is a Race Conference in Seattle on 8/28/2010. Go to:
www.seattleraceconference.org Or, info@seattleraceconference.org.
----- Forwarded Message -----
From: "Richard Cohen" <splc@newsletter.splcenter.org>
To: polkadottie1@comcast.net
Sent: Friday, July 16, 2010 1:38:18 PM
Subject: SPLC files suit after first-grader handcuffed
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July 16, 2010 Dear Dottie, It's not right for a 6-year-old boy to be handcuffed and shackled to a chair by an armed security officer because he "acted up" in school. But that's exactly what happened at the Sarah T. Reed Elementary School in New Orleans. In keeping with our work to reform the abusive juvenile justice system in the Deep South, we've filed a lawsuit against the school district to stop the brutal and unconstitutional policy of chaining students who break minor school rules. Our client, J.W., is a typical first-grader. He's just four feet tall and weighs 60 pounds. He enjoys playing basketball, being read to by his parents, coloring and playing outside with friends. But his school treated him like an animal. Within one week, he was twice forcibly arrested, handcuffed and shackled to a chair for talking back to a teacher and later arguing with a classmate over a seat. The amount of force used was simply malicious and intended to inflict severe emotional distress. The amount of force used on J.W. was simply ridiculous and, predictably, inflicted severe emotional distress. Shockingly, this level of punishment is official school policy. We're not just fighting for the rights of J.W., but for all the students at Reed Elementary. Unfortunately, J.W.'s story is hardly unique. All across the nation, schools have adopted draconian "zero-tolerance" policies that treat children like criminals and turn schools into prison-like environments. The primary function of school is to help educate our children so that they can become productive, well-informed adults. These policies do just the opposite — they seize on any opportunity to criminalize behavior and eject children from schools, driving up dropout rates. Since being chained and shackled, J.W. has become withdrawn and afraid to go to school. His counselor reports that he has been "deeply affected and traumatized." We're determined to hold the school and school district accountable for what they've done and to stop their barbaric treatment of children so that no one else suffers like J.W. Thank you for supporting our work and for everything you do to protect children in your own community. We'll keep you apprised of any updates in this appalling case.
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