January 2012 Newsletter
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Meeting for Business - Order of Worship
Report on Human Rights Learning Project of AFSC
FRIENDS MEETING OF WASHINGTON
MONTHLY MEETING FOR WORSHIP WITH A CONCERN FOR BUSINESS
December 11, 2011
12/11.1 OpeningThe Meeting opened at 12:06 pm with a period of silent worship. David Etheridge served as Clerk, Meg Greene as Alternate Clerk and Debby Churchman as Recording Clerk. The clerks read Advices, Queries and Voices concerning Caring for One Another which have been proposed by the Faith and Practice Revision Committee of Baltimore Yearly Meeting.
Advices
Friends are concerned about the welfare of every member of the Meeting community. While we need to guard against prying or invasion of privacy, it is nevertheless essential that Meetings be aware of the spiritual and material needs of members of the community and express caring concern in appropriate ways. To this end, we are to live affectionately as friends, entering with sympathy into the joys and sorrows of one another’s lives.
As we are willing to offer help, so should we be willing to make our needs known and to accept help. In bereavement, give yourself time to grieve. When others mourn, let your love embrace them with the simple things of life: praying together, talking, planning meals, caring for children, and otherwise being of comfort. In offering pastoral care, it is not necessary to find the right words; it is important to be present.
Just as we do not leave pastoral care to a pastor, so we may not leave this most essential function to a committee alone. It is also important to recognize when it may be appropriate to reach within or beyond the community to involve persons with special expertise.
Queries
In what ways do I show respect for that of God in every person?
Do I reach out to those in distress? If I find this difficult, what holds me back?
Am I comfortable making my own needs known to my meeting?
How do we share in the diverse joys and transitions in each other’s lives?
Voices
When the members of a fellowship know one another, care for one another, visit one another in their homes, consult one another, hold one another up in the silence and feel responsibility before God for one another, then when they meet together for worship they are truly open as a corporate group for the deepest working of the Spirit. --Douglas Steere, 1940
The resources of the Meeting can be important for families undergoing crises. Friends should be particularly mindful of the needs of children who are experiencing pain or loss. A Meeting can provide care and understanding, acting as an extended family. Not only are we brothers and sisters in the spirit, but we may be beloved aunts and uncles of all the children in the Meeting. The resilience of the Meeting as a nurturing community encompassing many generations supports each of us throughout the many stages of our lives. --Baltimore Yearly Meeting Advices, 1988
O God who has carried us when we knew it not, and who faithfully seeks us when we are yet afar off, lay on us this ministry of intercession for others, that we may share this deepest of all ministries that brings us down into the very matrix of your yearning for souls and makes us members of the great chain of redemptive love that girdles our world for its healing. --Douglas Steere, 1980
12/11.2 Welcome of Visitors Approximately 34 friends were present. FMW welcomed Jean-Louis Peta Ikambana, Brett McBride, and Victor Malchyev of Washington, DC.
12/11.3 Clerks’ Report
The Shoebox Project will take place on Saturday, December 17 and Sunday, December 18. Volunteers are needed for leadership roles as well as to prepare and fill the boxes. Contact C.J. Lewis for information or to volunteer.
There will be a potluck, carol sing and candlelight Meeting for Worship on Saturday, December 24 from 6:00 to 8:30 pm. Charmaine Gilbreath is the contact for any questions you may have.
There will be no evening worship on Sunday, December 25.
12/11.4 Seating in the Meeting Room
A Friend asked about the new arrangements for seating in the Meetingroom. He finds the new arrangement of concern, and prefers that we hold to the way the Meetingroom was originally designed. He finds it very unwelcoming, especially the signs on the benches that say Do Not Use. He thinks it sets people up to face a wall rather than the light.
Debby Churchman of Ministry & Worship said that this is an experiment that grew out of a response to those who have trouble hearing in this space. It will continue for another couple of months. Comments are welcome. A meeting will be held to gather responses.
A Friend asked if this is the only configuration that we are trying. There may be further tweaking, but basically this is it.
MILESTONES
12/11.5 Marriage and Family Relations Committee Susan Griffin, Clerk of Marriage and Family Relations, brought the following requests to the Meeting.
Marriage of Sasan Sabat and Elizabeth Kendall (second presentation). The oversight committee will include Ylene Larsen, Justine Kalas Reeves, and Erica Hurvitz.
A Friend spoke of his concern that we don't know these couples as well as we should to be able to fully support their marriage.
A Friend said he has known Elizabeth since he taught her in First Day School. She has deep, rooted connections with this Meeting.
A Friend longs for more regular attendance from this couple as evidence of membership in this Meeting.
Elizabeth said she respects the Friend's concern, and says that she has attended this meeting, although not as regularly as she would have liked. She asks to be judged on who she is as a person rather than external associations.
Sasan says that he is Muslim and wants to know if he is welcome here, and says that he doesn't think he should be judged on whether or not he attends Meeting and other outer evidences of his religious belief. He wants to be judged on the inner part.
A Friend who was married under the care of this Meeting spoke about how much she has been sustained by the support of this Meeting. She wants to offer that support to this couple. She pointed out that Marriage & Family Relations has labored with this couple already, and believes we need to honor the work of that committee.
A Friend, who has attended for more than 20 years, says that there are many people in this Meeting who she doesn't know. She longs for us to introduce ourselves to each other more often, perhaps at rise of Meeting.
Friends APPROVED taking this marriage under our care.
Susan Griffin also presented a request to take the marriage of Brett McBride and Victor Malchyev under our care. Brett has been attending FMW on and off since 1996. This request lies over for one month, as is our custom.
12/11.6 Membership Committee – Harry Massey, Clerkof the Membership Committee, made the following presentations.
1. Recommendation for membership: Steve Brooks (first presentation)
Martha Solt, member of the Property Committee, spoke in deep support of this recommendaton. FMW is better for having him here.
This request lies over for one month, as is our custom.
2. Transfer into Friends Meeting of Washington
- Rachel Shaw from Morristown (New Jersey) Friends Meeting
- Elisabeth Johnson from Plymouth (Pennsylvania) Friends Meeting
Friends APPROVED these transfers.
3. Transfer out of Friends Meeting of Washington of A. Richey Sharrett to Homewood Friends Meeting (Baltimore). Friends ACCEPTED this transfer. A friend spoke of our deep appreciation for this good friend.
4. Hayden Wetzel has been trying to track down associate members over the age of 25 to see if and how they would like to continue their relationship with FMW. Associate members the Membership Committee has been unable to contact are:
- Kathrin Gilbert
- Melissa Jones
- Hannah McDade
- Jesse McDade
- Robert Mays
If you have any information about these friends, please let Hayden know.
12/11.7 ANNUAL REPORTS
1. School for Friends Board – Michael Cronin presented this report (see attached). School for Friends is a world-class, nationally accredited preschool that was started more than 30 years ago by members of this Meeting. It is a jewel in this neighborhood. Many friends agreed with this assessment.
2. American Friends Service Committee DC Peace and Economic Justice Program – Joan Gildemeister presented this report (see attached). She is our liason to this program, which uses the volunteer work of five law students to teach human rights in three DC public high schools.
Jean-Louis Peta Ikambana of AFSC-DC also spoke. He has been here since 2004, when he replaced Bette Hoover. In 2008, they surveyed DC public school students and discovered that almost none of them had ever heard of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, so they created this program to fill the gap.
Sarah Ramey, a Carey Fellow, gathered and modified the curriculum for this program. Each lesson is based on the fundamental concept of human dignity. She believes in the importance of this work in allowing students to take a step back and critically think through issues through a human rights perspective. She thanks the Meeting for offering her office space in Quaker House for her year's work, and for all of the work that was put into making the spaces livable and welcoming. Those who share the work spaces in Quaker House have gathered into a community over potlucks and personal interactions.
Joan mentioned the need for financial support, and says such support will be welcome.
A friend asked about the shrinking of AFSC and AFSC-DC. David says that both organizations are about half the size they were in 2008, in terms of people and budget. Programs still exist. AFSC still has an office in Davis House.
OTHER BUSINESS
12/11.8 Nomination of Meeting officers for 2012 – Marcia Reecer, Interim Clerk of Nominating, presented the following nominations for officers:
- David Etheridge, Clerk
- Meg Greene, Alternate Clerk
- Debby Churchman, Recording Clerk
- Bob Meehan, Treasurer
- Loie Clark, Assistant Treasurer
- Financial Coordinator, Vacant
Loie Clark says the job of Financial Coordinator is no longer necessary because of the excellence of our bookkeeper, Laurie Wilner.
Friends APPROVED these nominations.
12/11.9 Peace and Social Concerns Nominating also updated the Meeting on the Peace and Social Concerns discussion, as follows. Beth Cogswell says they have held two meetings recently about this committee and have identified some volunteers and some further ideas about what this committee should do. These meetings have called for P&SC to provide education to the Meeting around the peace testimony and to serve as a support for individual leadings. Nominating will hold one more meeting on January 3, 6:30 to 8:00, about P&SC, to decide what this committee will take as its charge.
A Friend asked for more clarification about what role Nominating is playing in this. Marcia said it seemed like a good idea to find out what members of the Meeting would like the committee to be doing. When all of this is gathered, the Nominating Committee will officially nominate people to be members of this committee.
12/11.10 Search Committee: David Etheridge, member of the Search Committee, presented the following nominations to the Nominating Committee for terms ending in December 2014
- Elisabeth Johnson
- Beth Cogswell
Friends APPROVED these nominations.
12/11.11 Ministry and Worship Committee– Debby Churchman of Ministry & Worship reported the following:
- Travel Minute for Alexandra (Sasha) Bosbeer The Meeting asks that Ministry & Worship season this minute further in light of our limited acquaintance with Sasha. Possible approaches suggested were to recommend that Sasha transfer her membership to Multnomah Monthly Meeting in Portland, Oregon where she has been living and is better known or to ask that Meeting to write a minute about her that our Meeting could quote in a travel minute.
- A letter of Introduction for our attender, Rita Carey, has been provided under M&W.
12/11.12 Epistle from the Friends for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Concerns– Meg Greene read this epistle (see attached).
12/11.13 Adjournment With approximately 26 Friends present, the meeting adjourned at 1:30 p.m. to reconvene as way opens on Sunday, January 8, 2012 at 11:45 a.m.
School for Friends Annual Report
Report on the Human Rights Learning Project of AFSC
Epistle from Friends for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Concerns
School for Friends Highlights – 2010 – 2011
School for friends [SfF] is a nationally accredited preschool offering full and half day educational programs for 53 two-to-four-year-olds, Monday - Friday from 8 am to 6 pm year-round. SfF is a Quaker school and is a member of the Friends Council on Education. “The School for Friends educational curriculum reflects the Quaker values of cooperation, equality, and nonviolence.” [See http://schoolforfriends.org/]
Strategic Planning Initiative
In November 2010 the Board and the school’s Director, Jim Clay, conducted its ninth three-year strategic planning session. In January 2011, the Board adopted five priorities, for implementation by January 2014. School for Friends will begin its next three-year strategic planning cycle with a two-day retreat in the fall of 2013.
The SfF strategic plan’s 2011-2014 priorities are: 1) fundraising; 2) succession planning; 3) expanding to 75 students; 4) growing organizational capacity in non-program areas; and, 5) developing a communications and marketing plan.
Staff and Teacher Development
Jim Clay has been named to serve on committees of two national educational organizations, the Friends Council on Education [FCE] and the National Association for the Education of Young Children [NAEYC]. In 2011 teachers Sabina Zeffler researched pre-school programs in Germany during a brief Sabbatical and Makai Kellogg went on a service learning project in the Dominican Republic. In 2011 Jim Clay and Makai were among the 10,000 attending NAEYC’s annual conference; NAEYC has 90,000 members worldwide.
History, operations, philosophy, and affiliations of School for Friends
The School for Friends was co-founded in 1981 by members of FMW and neighbors who supported Quaker teaching and education.
SfF has four classrooms for up to fifty 2 to 4 year-olds, located at the Church of the Pilgrims, 2201 P St NW, two blocks from FMW. The SfF rents approximately 3400 ft2 of space for classrooms, offices, indoor activities, meeting rooms, and storage.
More than 50% of the families with children in the School identify themselves a people of color (African American, Latino, Asian American, and American Indian). Approximately 20% of students receive financial aid. The School enjoys strong parental involvement and close teacher-parent relationships.
A Quaker school promoting Quaker values, SfF “provides a loving, caring, and supportive educational environment for children.” The curriculum reflects the Quaker values of cooperation, equality, and nonviolence.
All children have a moment of silence at circle time, and the pre-kindergarten classroom at Quaker House does so in the FMW Meeting room twice a month. The SfF curriculum for three- and four-year olds includes the Quaker pillar of “service” by having children in all classes complete a community service project.
School for Friends Accreditation and Affiliation
SfF is accredited by the National Association for the Education of Young Children, and has met the naeyc Academy’s criteria for high quality early childhood programs. In 2007, School for Friends was awarded accreditation through 2012. Director Jim Clay began preparation for the next cycle of accreditation in the fall of 2011.
SfF is a member of the Friends Council on Education [founded 1931]. The Council celebrates four centuries of Friends education and promotes the theory and practice of Quaker education.
“The Council has 81 member schools in 21 states with 20,600 students, 4,560 faculty and staff and 1,190 trustees/board members. It includes 14 nursery schools, 37 elementary schools, 19 preschools, 10 secondary schools [7-12 and 9-12] and eight boarding schools. Five new schools have applied for membership. ” [http://www.friendscouncil.org/]
School for Friends is also a founding member of Washington, DC-area Friends Schools located in Washington, DC, Maryland, and Virginia.
Report on the Human Rights Learning Project of AFSC DC
Joan Gildemeister, Representative from the Program Committee of AFSC DC and Liaison from FMW to AFSC DC (Replacing Beverly Reader, M.D. who resigned as liaison in September)
This year has been very productive for AFSC DC. A year ago Jean-Louis Peta Ikambana was honored for his outstanding contribution at the Human Rights Day luncheon sponsored by the United Nations Association for the National Capital Area and the Human Rights Commission of D.C. His contribution in inaugurating teaching of human rights in public and private schools was applauded. He managed, with the support of Friends Meeting of Washington, individual donors, family foundations, and other meetings to finance another year teaching about human rights in District of Columbia high schools. This year he was ably assisted by Sara Ramey, J.D. who was given office space at Quaker House as the Carey scholar funded by AFSC to update the curriculum for teaching human rights.
Jean-Louis was assisted by interns from graduate schools and law schools in the area. They enthusiastically worked to field test the curriculum in the DC public schools. Evaluation of last year's outcomes showed that students significantly increased their knowledge of human rights. Many of those students adopted activist roles. Cardozo High School students advocated for the continuation of the D.C. Language Access Act and students from Wilson High School and Friendship Collegiate Charter School advocated for full democratic rights for D.C. residents. Of the 166 students who participated in the human rights learning project, 22 engaged in public speaking by attending the Model UN Conference at the U.S. Department of State last spring. During the summer of 2011 AFSC was invited to extend the human rights learning project to middle school.
Students are taught either by the Director or by an intern. This year interns, all law students with interest in youth understanding of human rights, are providing support for student action projects that promote human rights in their communities.
At the next opportunity to report, it is expected that a short DVD (now in progress) will give those interested in this innovative project a vivid sense of the relevance of human rights learning for youth in our public and private schools.
Friends for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Concerns
All Friends Everywhere, Midwinter Gathering 2011
We send you love from Friends for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Concerns Midwinter Gathering, held from February 18-21st, 2011 in Browns Summit, North Carolina.
There was a time when we could not say our name. We dared not say our name -- even in the Religious Society of Friends. We were the Committee of Concern. This community has grown up around the concept of “radical inclusion” – the willingness to welcome new and different kinds of people into our community even when we had not expected them, recognizing the expansion of our understanding of who we are as a form of continuing revelation. Some of those who helped form this community continue to actively be a part of our community, for which we are blessed. Others have moved on. Still others have passed on. Yet all these Friends are still very much with us, standing in their own integrity, and calling us into our own.
We came together once again to witness to the power of radical love and radical inclusion to transform and sustain us spiritually – both individually and as a community and to discern how we are called to deepen our commitment to that call. Framed by our theme, “Reclaiming our Past; Proclaiming our Future,” we heard stories of what happens when we do this well. When we are faithful, we recognize that love is a practice, that in relationship we reveal and discover our true selves. We share the stories and truth emerging from our lives; when needed, we say to one another, “You’re standing on my foot! Please get off!” And then we talk about it. We experience the gifts of receiving and giving love that is shaped by the quirks and flavors of each of our individual essences; in so doing, we invite each other into wholeness, greater integrity, a fuller understanding of who we are as a community, and even greater integrity, and thus the cycle begins again.
As we shared our truths with one another in worship, Spirit revealed to and through us how wholeness, community, love, and integrity are intimately intertwined with each other. As one Friend said, “With Quakers, I cannot lie about who I am.” He spoke about how Friends from this community “kicked me out of the closet” – not through violence, but through holding him to a higher standard of integrity and by loving him for exactly who he is. Another Friend gazed into the eyes of each speaker on a panel of our elders, expressing how she could feel the flavor of each life moving through her, transforming her. A third urged that in an unsafe and sometimes hostile world, we must nevertheless go cheerfully where we are led, understanding that only as we bring our full selves forward can we make the world safer for those who will follow. A fourth speaker, an attender for whom this gathering was hir* first experience of Quakerism, spoke powerfully at the end of the gathering of how way had opened for hir* to be here, and a sense of how “I am supposed to be where I am right now. Life is overwhelming but I can do it.” Young and young adult Friends spoke deeply of the condition of a continuum of sexual and gender identities and the urgent necessity of a place of full and unconditional love and acceptance to call forth one’s true self. They spoke of the blessing of a safe space where they could be fully known, of the feeling that FLGBTQC was a place where there was no “card check,” where all were welcome, warts and all, where they could bring their whole selves forward.
We also know our own stories of the pain it inflicts when radical love and inclusion are absent – experienced within this community and others. We know that we have work to do to more faithfully practice radical love and inclusion with people of color and Young Adult Friends and Young Friends, and those who may yearn for but not be aware of or have access to our community.
We ask for the prayers of all Friends everywhere as we do our work, and we ask you, as way opens, to support us and join with us in our struggle. We offer you our unfolding witness and testimony to the power of radical love and inclusion in this community and an invitation to join in this experience at gatherings in the future. Co-clerks can be reached via telephone at 267-270-2315 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 267-270-2315 end_of_the_skype_highlighting or via our website at flgbtqc.quaker.org or http://flgbtqc.quaker.org.
On behalf of FLGBTQC,
Deborah Fisch, co-clerk Kody Hersh, co-clerk
* Many people who identify as neither men nor women prefer to be referred to by non-gendered pronouns, and this attender is among those people. The word "hir" in this case is grammatically equivalent to "her" as the possessive ("this is hir [item]") and object form ("I gave it to hir") but carries no connotation of a female or male gender.
January 2012
William Penn House
The William Penn House, a Quaker Center on Capitol Hill, hosts monthly potluck dinners on a scheduled Sunday evening at 6:30 p.m. There is a topic, speaker, and open discussion afterwards. The potluck starts at 6:30 p.m. and the presentation will begin at 7:30 p.m. All are welcome to the potlucks- bring a dish to share! In addition to monthly potlucks, the William Penn House provides low cost accommodations and Quaker centered programs and seminars. Join the weekly Yoga class at theWilliam Penn House on Tuesdays at 6:30 p.m. All ages and all skill levels are welcome. There is a $15 charge per class.
On Sunday, January 8, 2012, at 6:30 p.m. the potluck speaker will be Dennis Chestnut from Groundwork USA. Dennis is the Executive Director for the Groundwork DC program. He works closely with Washington Quaker Workcamps as Groundwork DC is a partner organization of William Penn House. The presentation will cover the mission to create better, safer and healthier neighborhoods. The mission also is to bring about the rejuvenation, improvement and management of the physical environment by developing community based partnerships which empower people, businesses and organizations to promote environmental, economic and social well-being.
For more information contact The William Penn House. It is located at 515 East Capitol St. SE Washington, DC, 20003, (202) 543-5560 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting (202) 543-5560 end_of_the_skype_highlighting.
FMW Adult Study Group
The Adult Study Group will meet on Sunday, January 8 at 9:15 a.m. in the North Room. The topic for January 8 a report by Patrick Lynam on the book The Way to Perfection by St. Teresa of Avila, who was a 16th century Spanish mystic, and founded a contemplative convent order. On Sunday, January 22 the Adult Study Group will again meet at 9:15 a.m. in the North Room and will discuss the Quaker influence Walt Whitman’s poetry. It is not mandatory to attend every group meeting if a F/friend is interested in participating. For more information contact John Scales.
Inquirer’s Class
For newcomers to Friends, or not so new-comers to Friends, the winter Inquirer’s Class is starting on Monday, January 23, 2012. Come and learn about the Religious Society of Friends, our history and our spiritual “ways”. Perhaps attending this class will help you understand your spiritual path? Attendance at every class is not mandatory. The group will meet in the Library from January 23 at 7:00 pm. to (and including) Monday, February, 13, 2012. For more information about the class contact either Michael Cronin or Gerri Williams.
FMW’s Senior Center
Programs of slides, or talks are held on the second and fourth Wednesdays of each month in the Decatur Place Room at 1:30 p.m. On Wednesday, January 11, 2012, the program will be presented by Maurice Boyd. The program will consist of CD cuts and short biography on a potpourri of American song writers. These songs are the works of lesser known song writers, heretofor not covered in any of our previous programs. These include Irving Gordon- Unforgettable (as sung by Natalie and Nat Cole); Adamson McHugh- I Just Found Out About Love (as sung by Weslea Whitfield): Anderson & Weill- September Song (as sung by Betty Buckley). On Wednesday, January 25, Clem Swisher will present a slide show on Bermuda.
From the Vault
A monthly series of edited extracts from the historical material of the Friends Meeting of Washington.
(undated, probably mid-1960s)
For Ministry & Counsel --
A weekly 1 hr silent vigil is being planned for every Wednesday noon to express our sorrow & our protest to the Vietnam War by a group of concerned people. The place has not been determined but it is planned to be on or near F St & 11th, or some other downtown area where there are many pedestrians at lunch time. Permission will be obtained from the police. This is not sponsored by any organization but it is hoped that many individuals will feel it offers an opportunity for a recurrent, visible, corporate witness. Would Ministry & Counsel approve having a short announcement about this at the close of meeting?
Sally Cory & others
(This hand-written note is the beginning of the weekly vigils still held weekly at the Capitol grounds. Our files also include correspondence regarding our donations to the Hlekweni School in Rhodesia (Zimbabwe); we were among the school's earliest sponsors and now again are involved in support of this project.)
With best regards to all,
Hayden Wetzel, FMW Historian
Meet Kate Gould
Kate Gould is one of the newest applicants for membership in FMW. Her name should be given for first reading at the January 2012 Meeting for Worship with a Concern for Business. If accepted by the Meeting, her name would then be forwarded to the February Meeting for Business and if then approved by the Meeting, she would be a member.
Kate has expressed interest in serving on the reconstituted Peace and Social Concerns Committee.
I introduced Kate to Quakerism 15 years ago as a camper at Shiloh Quaker Camp. She attended there for a couple of years and then joined Teen Adventure. While in college, she served as a counselor at Opequon Quaker Arts Camp. These are all programs of the Baltimore Yearly Meeting. Kate graduated from Western Washington University with a degree in international development and political science and studied abroad in Bolivia, Ecuador, and Zanzibar/Tanzania. Her first career job was here with Friends Committee on National Legislation (FCNL) where she served in the Foreign Policy Program from 2007-2009. Her lobbying work at FCNL inspired her to seek first hand knowledge of the impact of U.S. policies by traveling and working in the Middle East for 9 months. Kate taught Palestinian school teachers, worked as a free lance journalist in the West Bank and engaged in other activities that promoted Middle East peace.
Kate also interned for Senator Jeff Merkely both in Southern Oregon and in DC.
Prior to re-joining FCNL's foreign policy program, Kate served as Director of Advocacy and Outreach for Just Foreign Policy.
Kate is my niece whose family lives in SW Oregon. She is someone I have known and cherished since she was born. Kate has an older sister, Dr. Rebecca Gould, and a younger sister, Elizabeth (Beth) Gould.
Kate is very congenial and eager to meet members and attenders of the Meeting.
− Maurice Boyd
Thinking about race– Racial diversity in schools and colleges
A significant policy move was reported in the New York Times on December 2, 2011:
“The Obama administration on Friday urged colleges and universities to get creative in improving racial diversity at their campuses …. ‘Post-secondary institutions can voluntarily consider race to further the compelling interest of achieving diversity,’ reads the10-page guide sent to college admissions officials.” A parallel 14-page outline for the nation’s 17,000 public school districts, explains what government lawyers consider to be acceptable ways that educators can seek to reduce racial segregation, which has been increasing nationwide [emphasis added].
“The new guidelines issued by the Departments of Justice and Education … [suggest] that institutions use other criteria — students’ socioeconomic profiles, residential instability, the hardships they have overcome — that are often proxies for race. …. The guidelines state, ‘An institution may permissibly aim to achieve a critical mass of underrepresented students.’
“For kindergarten through 12th grade, the guidelines tell school districts that they can shape policies on locating schools, drawing attendance boundaries and governing student transfers to achieve a better racial mix. ‘Diverse learning environments promote development of analytical skills, dismantle stereotypes and prepare students to succeed in an increasingly interconnected world,’ Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. said in a statement. This week, the Department of Education also released a report documenting how schools serving low-income students get less state and local money for teacher salaries than schools serving higher-income students.”