MLK Action
Mission Statement
The Martin Luther King, Jr. Action Team is the racial justice arm of the Nauset Interfaith Association (NIA) working in partnership with the people of Cape Cod. Our mission is to address systemic racial injustice by educating ourselves and others and building transformative relationships. Through conversations that raise awareness, community organizing, cultural events, and educational programs, we move toward more deeply integrated and equitable communities on Cape Cod.
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New & Exciting
Upcoming Events
Special Events
Open Eyes Travel Blog…
Leadership
In the News
Photo Gallery
Racial Justice Resources
Education Task Force
Criminal Justice Task Force
Birmingham Jail Study Groups
Conversations with Police Task Force
Educating All Cape Cod Students – Celebrating the Mosiac
MLK Breakfast
New & Exciting…
News & activities the MLK Action Team wants to share with our neighbors (see details below)
– Poly-Groove Records Brings Exclusive Industry Experience to the Community with “THUNDERCHILD” Listening Parties (see details below)
– New Open Eyes Travel Post – Washington, DC (added 4/12/2024)
– 2 Legislative Advocacy Opportunities the MLK Action Team urges you to support
Poly-Groove Records proudly announces a groundbreaking initiative to bridge the gap between music industry insiders and the local community. Through a series of captivating listening parties, music enthusiasts will have the unique opportunity to experience the magic behind the creation of “THUNDERCHILD,” the highly anticipated indie soul-blues album by Mwalim DaPhunkee Professor.
Scheduled for May 8th at the Karibbean Lounge (622 Main St, Hyannis), and May 9th at the Falmouth Art Center (137 Gifford St, Falmouth), these community-based events promise an intimate encounter with the soulful melodies and captivating rhythms that define “THUNDERCHILD.”
“The album was a creative result of my project through the Arts Foundation’s Fellowship program,” explained Mwalim. “The guitar is a new instrument to me. It allowed me to explore different approaches to writing.”
“THUNDERCHILD” is an album of original tunes written, performed, and produced by Mwalim, alongside drum and percussion work by The ZYG 808, and executive production by The GroovaLottos, this project exemplifies the spirit of independent music at its finest.
In an era where industry events often feel exclusive and inaccessible, Poly-Groove Records is breaking barriers by inviting the community to partake in this extraordinary celebration. While the doors are open to all, RSVPs are strongly encouraged through the link on http://linktr.ee/daphunkeeprofessor to secure a spot at these unforgettable gatherings.
Poly-Groove Records is a BIPOC-owned, independent label based in Wareham, MA, specializing in artists of the eastern New England music scene. With a commitment to fostering creativity and community, Poly-Groove Records is dedicated to bringing exceptional music experiences to audiences far and wide.
Don’t miss your chance to be part of history. Join us as we embark on a journey through the soulful sounds of “THUNDERCHILD,” a testament to the power of music to unite and inspire.
For more information, visit http://polyphonicstudios.com/pgr
Legislative Action: MLK Action Team urges careful consideration and support of several legislative policies currently under consideration in various commitees at the State House that would significantly and positively impact communities of color and/or our indigenous neighbors here in MA:
Health Equity Compact, Take Action page will give people opportunity to download a letter template and instructions of who to send it to: https://healthequitycompact.org/take-action/
MA Indigenous Legislative Agenda, via the Action Network: this link will offer the opportunity to email a templated letter, with a place to add personal testimony, to the appropriate legislators. https://actionnetwork.org/letters/we-need-your-help-urge-the-ma-joint-committee-on-education-to-move-two-important-bills-out-of-committee?clear_id=true&source=direct_link
Spread the word!!! Cape Cod Community College participates in MA Free College for All program: check their website at this link for qualification criteria and more information https://www.capecod.edu/free/
If searching for ways to talk to kids about race, check out the website EmbraceRace here https://www.embracerace.org/
Link to a list of Anti-Racism Resources including books, films, podcasts and more recently shared with us by a team member: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1BRlF2_zhNe86SGgHa6-VlBO-QgirITwCTugSfKie5Fs/edit Document compiled by Sarah Sophie Flicker, Alyssa Klein in May 2020.
Open Eyes Travel – posting photos from travel that opens our eyes to a more inclusive US History. If you want to share travel experiences that may help us broaden our understanding of the contributions of persons of color to our US history, please send them to me with brief explanation of photo at [email protected]
View MLK Action Team Public Service Announcement with Lower Cape TV here: https://vimeo.com/816645523
Upcoming Events
Special Events
Celebrating the Mosaic: Sites of Historic and Cultural Significance for the Many People Who Call ( & Have Called) Cape Cod Home, a fun, self-paced, (virtual or in person) educational scavenger hunt activity for people of all ages. PDF LINK
Past Special Events
Jazztastic Lives Up to Its Name
Jazztastic, an event celebrating women in the arts, highlighted the amazing talents of two magnificent jazz singers, Ms. Tish Adams and Ms. Candida Rose. Organized by AmplifyPOC and hosted by the Cotuit Center of the Arts, the concerts offered two very unique jazz...
Cape Cod International Women’s Day Breakfast, March 2024
The International Women's Day Breakfast, long beloved Cape Cod event returned this year after a hiatus thanks to the coming together of Cape organizations AmplifyPOC, Cape Cod Cape Verdean Museum and Cultural Center, Herring Pond Wampanoag Tribe, League of Women...
2024 MLK Annual Breakfast
The annual MLK Breakfast event was held in person after three years of being held on Zoom and was a joyous and inspiring morning. With a capacity crowd of 170 attendees, our Keynote Speaker, Rev. June Cooper of Boston combined tales of her life's work with...
MEET
Bayard Rustin, Human Rights Activist (1912 – 1987)
Bayard Rustin, Human Rights Activist (1912 – 1987)*
Rustin was a key organizer of the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom and was one of Martin Luther King Jr.’s closest advisors, especially on techniques of nonviolent resistance. Rustin was extremely active in the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) and helped to create the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC).
Once outed, Rustin was completely open about his sexuality and was never ashamed. Criticism and discrimination over his sexuality led Rustin to have a more background role in the Civil Rights Movement. He never wanted his sexuality to have a negative effect on the Movement, which is often the reason that Rustin’s efforts are not widely known.
From 1965–1979, Rustin served as the head of the A. Philip Randolph Institute, the AFL-CIO’s African American constituency group. Serving alongside A. Philip Randolph until his passing in 1979, Rustin worked to integrate unions and promote unions among African Americans.
Rustin served on several humanitarian missions to Vietnam, Cambodia, and Haiti during the 1970s and 1980s. In the 1980s, he became a part of the LGBTQ+ movement and an advocate for AIDS education. In a 1986 testimony on behalf of New York State’s Gay Rights Bill, Rustin stated that “gay people are the new barometer for social change.” He felt that injustice everywhere should not be tolerated and must be protested.
* Taken from website of National Museum of African American Museum ( https://nmaahc.si.edu/bayard-rustin )
Leadership
MLK Executive Committee and Task Force Chairpersons
Executive Committee
Karen Boujoukos, Chair
Ken Campbell, Treasurer
Sally Norris
David Purdy
Deborah Ullman
Reverend Wesley Williams
Task Force Chairpersons
Jeff Spalter
Chair, Conversations With Police
David Purdy
Chair, Criminal Justice Reform
Angelina Chilaka
Karen Boujoukos
Co-Chairs, Education Task Force
Sally Norris
Wesley Williams
Co-Chairs, MLK Breakfast Task Force
Leo Blandford
Chair, Health Equity Task Force
In the News
Fascinating article about conservative white law student in Mississippi who discovers positive truth about CRT.
A powerful example of banning books in schools as a way to silence authors and themes important to people of color. Article from Popular Information Newsletter by Judd Legum.
Editorial Written By A High School Student Regarding Education and CRT from the Wall Street Journal
Amplify POC Cape Cod co-sponsors panel discussion on racism on the Cape. Watch Here
NYT Article Regarding Wealth Gap and Financial Advisors and Influencers of Color Helping to Bridge the Gap
Racial Justice Resources
Here you can learn, learn, learn and become more aware of actions you can take to be an active antiracist. (Remember – ally is a verb!)
Annotated Racial Justice Bibliography
Annotated African-American Classics: An Essential Library
On the Topic of Being an Ally:
How to Have Tough Holiday Conversations from ARD Anti-Racism Daily written by author and ARD founder, Nicole Cardoza
Additional Readings & Resources
Regarding Inequities in Healthcare
Education Task Force
The mission of the MLK Education Task Force is to help our communities reflect deeply on the way that race and other identifiers negatively impact education through thoughtful and thought-provoking learning opportunities. Our goal is to help to create safe, kind, and equitable educational communities by offering collaborative, value-added solutions to deficits in our educational systems and by providing BIPOC residents of Cape Cod, with a particular focus on educators and students, with social and professional support.
Current Initiatives:
- DEI centered conference, free to all Cape Cod educators will be held on July 11, 2023 at the MRSD high school on Oak St. in Harwich. Watch this site for detailed information soon.
- Community Book Drive to bring literature featuring children and families from a variety of cultures and ethnicities into our local classrooms successfully concluded with approximately 40 new books going to each Nauset and Monomoy School District 3rd grade classroom library. Book drives are held on alternating years from the educators’ conference. This year’s book drive will benefit the Dennis Yarmouth School District which has one of the largest and fastest growing BIPOC student populations on the Cape.
- Educator Mentorship Network to match newly hired educators of color with current and retired educators of color to help navigate their early career years.
- Celebrating the Mosaic: Sites of Historic and Cultural Significance for the Many People Who Call ( & Have Called) Cape Cod Home, a fun, self-paced, (virtual or in person) educational scavenger hunt activity for people of all ages. NOW available through link on this webpage.
Criminal Justice Task Force
We are a non-partisan group working in alliance with others to advance racial impartiality in the Cape Cod and Islands justice system. We try to stay informed of state legislative initiatives regarding the criminal justice system and advocate for those we support with our Cape Cod legislative delegation.
Currently, The MLK Action Team supports an Act to Promote Public Safety and Better Outcomes for Young Adults (REPS. O’DAY & CRUZ H.1710/ SEN. CRIGHTON S.942). Please see the excellent testimony from the MA Legue of Women Voters detailing their support of this bill here: https://lwvma.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/LWVMA-Testimony-S.942_H.1710.pdf and if you agree, consider submiting a letter of support to the Judiciary Committee at 24 Beacon Street, Room 136, Boston, MA 02133 or by e-mail to [email protected] .
Past Initiatives:
We spent much effort in 2021 and 2022 educating ourselves and the public regarding the role and responsibilities of the District Attorney, Sheriff, Governor’s Council; and encouraging open community discussion with candidates for and those who hold these offices; and advocating for all persons a more just and equal application of the law. With the elections of 2022 behind us, we are currently considering new initiatives relating to criminal justice. All suggestions are welcome.
An excellent expanation of the roles and responsibilities of the sheriff and district attorney, two critical positions in the criminal justice system from our partner and allied organization the Interfaith Justice Committee, can be found on this link: https://nausetinterfaith.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Job-description-of-DA-Sheriff.pdf
- Know Your Sheriff: Public Education Forum, Tuesday, May 24 6 pm in partnership with ACLU MA, Cape Cod Media Center, League of Women Voters Cape Cod, NAACP Cape Cod, Cape Cod Coalition for Safe Communities and MA Women of Color Coalition (MAWOCC).
- What A Difference A DA Makes Wednesday, January 26, 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm
A Virtual Public Education Webinar Presentation by Whitney Taylor, ACLU of MA Political Director
NEW: Full Video presentation on our partner, League of Women Voters’ website with this link (scroll down to What a difference a DA Makes). - Several slides regarding public perception of our criminal justice system from the presentation can be seen in our photo gallery below.
- To view a brief summary of the What A Difference A DA Makes project launched by the ACLU of MA to highlight the key role that the Commonwealth’s district attorneys play in determining the effectiveness and fairness of the criminal legal system, view this short video.
- Take Action Today!
Keep Them Home Project of Color of Change
At the height of the pandemic, thousands of people – many of whom are elderly or immunocompromised – were released from federal prison to finish their sentences on home confinement in order to curb the spread of COVID-19, which we know runs rampant in prisons and jails that lack adequate health and safety services. Show Your Support
They were part of the webinar “What a Difference a DA Makes by the ACLU MA.
Voters Weigh In on Important Characteristics of a DA
These slides, address the public perception of Massachusetts voters of our criminal justice system.
LETTER FROM BIRMINGHAM JAIL STUDY GROUPS
Most Americans are familiar with Dr. Martin Luther King’s ” I Have A Dream,” moving address; however, fewer than 10% have read and studied his ” Letter From Birmingham Jail,” considered by most scholars as his most important work.
Conversations With Police Task Force
The mission of the Conversations with Police Task Force is to ensure a healthy relationship between the local police and communities of color. It is our intention — through discussion, education, and advocacy — to promote mutual trust and understanding between those pledged to serve and protect and all members of the community equally.
https://nausetinterfaith.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/Work-of-Conversations-with-Police-pdf.pdf
Educating ALL Cape Cod Students – Celebrating the Mosaic Educators Conference, 2021
We recommend the following articles and resources for educators, parents, students and community members:
– From The Hechinger Report, Covering Innovation and Equality in Education, “Why the narrative that critical race theory ‘makes white kids feel guilty’ is a lie” https://hechingerreport.org/opinion-why-the-narrative-that-critical-race-theory-is-a-lie/
– Facing History and Ourselves: Offers many social and racial justice resources including lesson palns and toolkits www.facinghistory.org
– Teaching for Change: Buidling Social Justice Teaching in the Classroom, www.teachingforchange.org
– Social Justice Books, Offers a great selection of multicultural and social justice books for children, YA, and educators. www.socialjusticebooks.org
– Zinn Education Project, www.zinnedproject.org
– AFT Share My Lessons: Civil Rights Lesson Plans and Resources, www.sharemylesson.org
– Voices of Rebirth: A Reading List on Being Indigenous in America, https://longreads.com/2022/08/23/indigeneous-native-american-voices-reading-list/
Build your understanding of what it means to create an equitable and inclusive classroom by We Schools, a free program for teachers across America, providing resources and training to support them in addressing critical social issues with their students.
From Education Week, “How Do You Teach Black History Without Breaking the Law. Advice From a Teacher“
Fascinating article about conservative white law student in Mississippi who discovers positive truth about CRT, “Inside Mississippi’s only class on critical race theory”.
2023 Annual MLK Breakfast
This year’s breakfast highlights the racial justice advocacy work of the MLK Action Team