The Mission of the Winchester Multicultural Network is to:
- Promote the recognition, understanding, and appreciation of diversity;
- Advocate for each and every person’s civil rights;
- Confront intolerance.
Our beginnings:
In March of 1990, Sandy Thompson, a long-time Winchester resident, attended a four-day workshop with VISIONS, Inc., a multicultural training and consultation organization that inspired her to work on multicultural issues in her own town. After almost a year of conversations with VISIONS consultant Althea Smith and others in the community, Sandy discovered many allies, including Maura Albert, a Winchester resident and teacher. They decided to host a day and a half VISIONS workshop. Fifteen people attended that first workshop in March of 1991. As an outcome of the workshop they decided to hold some public meetings at the Winchester Public Library, which led to the founding of the Multicultural Network. VISIONS’ philosophy and principles have guided the development and activities of the Network from the very beginning.
During that first year, Sandy also worked with Kay Tiffany at Winchester High School to plan a VISIONS workshop for high school students, resulting in the formation of the Multicultural Issues Group. That spring of 1991 collaboration with the Winchester Public Library led to a multicultural reading series and a workshop by Gail Willett on multicultural books for children. In June the Multicultural Network had its first table at Town Day. Throughout the years the Network has advanced its mission of promoting the recognition, understanding and appreciating of diversity through the following activities and programs:
Workshops and training
- Offered yearly VISIONS weekend workshops
- Support for VISIONS four-day workshops for board, other community members and educators.
- Helped organize VISIONS workshops for public school faculty and staff (1992)
- Sponsored a VISIONS workshop for the Interfaith Clergy Council (1993)
- Sponsored a VISIONS workshop for members of the Community Schools Association (1994)
Programs and Forums
- Sponsored open forum on racism and anti-Semitism as a response to racist and anti-Semitic graffiti (1993)
- Sponsored forums on “Next Steps for the Network” and “Winchester and Diversity: Where are We Now?” (1994)
- Hosted a forum on Racism and Anti-Semitism (1994)
- Hosted a screening of the film, “Of Stars and Shamrocks” with discussion
- Hosted a forum on class issues (1995)
- Hosted a forum: “Race and Racism: Where Does Winchester Stand?” (1996)
- Organized a major forum, “Not In Our Town” in response to hateful graffiti at WHS
- Held a forum: “Winchester’s Multicultural Journey, Where Are We Now? Where Are We Going?” (1999)
- Hosted a forum, “Multiculturalism: Why Does it Matter?” (2000)
Collaboration With the Public Schools
From its inception the Network has developed a strong relationship with the Winchester Public School system and values the schools’ growing commitment to strengthening multicultural educational practices, broadening the diversity of its staff, and infusing multiculturalism into the curriculum. Examples of the Network’s work with the schools include:
- Helped organize a VISIONS workshop for 24 high school students which led to the founding of MCI (the Multicultural Issues Group (1992)
- Supported training for students in MCI
- Members of the Network board facilitated a workshop for the McCall staff (1994)
- MCI sponsored student forums on racism with Susan Musinsky of the National Conference of Christians and Jews (which later became the National Conference for Community and Justice.) facilitating
- Helped facilitate NCCJ training of large group of students (1993) and encouraged students to attend leadership conferences
- Helped organize a two-day workshop retreat for 55 students, facilitated by Susan Musinsky of the NCCJ
- Sponsored MCI’s Focus Day featuring a program by Hmong performer Tou Ger Xiong (2002)
- Held forums with the theme “Promoting Children’s Understanding and Appreciation of Differences” with the Parent Teacher Organizations of all the public schools (2003-2004)
- Encouraged and supported teachers to participate in summer workshops such as those offered by Facing History, Primary Source, VISIONS, and other organizations.
- Publishes in The Journey, a newsletter that includes examples of multicultural efforts and activities in the schools.
- Supports the work of the newly founded Connect and Commit community service organization at WHS
- Consults with school administrators to increase diversity among our school staff.
Collaborations/Co-sponsorships with Community Organizations
- With the Winchester Public Library: a reading series and workshop on multicultural books for children (1991); a program “Women’s Voices” in honor of Women’s History Month (1998); a program with Ingrid Kisliuk, who discussed her childhood experiences during the holocaust (2000); a panel discussion “The Soul of Afghanistan”(2002)
- With Parent to Parent: two evenings with Valerie Batts, Executive Director of VISIONS, (1) multicultural issues in education (1992) (2) “Raising Children to Appreciate Diversity” (2000); two programs with Joyce Maguire Pavao on adoption issues: (1)“Don’t Adopt a Highway, Adopt a New Perspective” (1997) and (2) “Adoption and the Winchester Community” (2004); “An Evening With the Superintendent: Curriculum for Community” (2000); “The Fantasy Factory: Images of Boys and Girls in the Mass Media” (2001); “An Evening With the Superintendent”(2003); “Discussing Diversity With Young Children” with board member Rachel Wilson and Jon Pfeifer, a teacher at the Lesley Ellis School (2004)
- With Parent to Parent and the League of Women Voters (1997): “Constructing a Vision of Healthy Development for Boys” and “Sustaining Voice, Vision, and Courage: Raising Healthy Girls in the ’90s”
- With Parent to Parent and the WHS and McCall Parent Associations: “Parents Making a World of Difference: Creating School Communities Where All Individuals are Appreciated and Valued” by the Anti-Defamation League (1998)
- With Parent to Parent, The Community Gay-Straight Alliance, and Spectrum: “It’s Elementary: Talking About Lesbian and Gay Issues With Young Children.”
- With the Interfaith Clergy Council to present a program: “Islam: A Great World Religion Misrepresented by Terrorists” (2001)
- With the Africa Resource Institute: Black History Month celebrations (1993)
- Participated in the founding and planning of the annual Community Read (2002)
- Helped organize a Community Forum, “Safe Town, Safe Schools for Gay and Straight Youth” (2002)
- Co-sponsored with Winchester United for Justice and Peace “War and the Economy,” a workshop facilitated by a representative from United for a Fair Economy (2003)
- With the Winchester Police Department and the Library: a forum on Hate Groups (2003)
- With Winchester United for Justice and Peace and the League of Women Voters: “The Religions of Abraham: War in the Name of God” with Dr. Sol Gittleman, and “Hearing the Other Voice: The Palestinian Narrative” with Dr. Elaine Hagopian. (2004)
- Collaborated with Parent to Parent, the McCall Parent Association, and the Winchester Foundation for Educational Excellence to present Rosalind Wiseman, author of Queen Bees and Wannabees.(2004)
- Co-sponsored a showing of the documentary Let’s Get Real with Parent to Parent and the Safe Schools Committee (2005)
Community Events
- Hosted a table at Town Day (1991-2007)
- Hosted an annual celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday (1993-2008)
- Marched in the EnKa parade
- Hosted celebrations of Asian American Heritage Month (May of 1997 and 1998)
- Organized an Oxfam Hunger Banquet (1997) followed by a panel discussion, “Think Globally, Act Locally” (1997)
- Launched a “Respect for All” campaign (1998) with fliers, bumper stickers and decals on display throughout town
- Participated in the town Trivia Bee (won in 2004)
International Connections
- Organized “coffee and conversation” series for international residents (1992)
- Hosted “An Evening of Networking for International Residents” (2001)
- Welcomed international residents to a yearly open meeting/open house at the Winchester Public Library for the purposes of getting acquainted and signing up for conversation groups and other activities (2001-2008)
- Hosted yearly International Potluck suppers (2001-2007)
- Started an International Film Series with a showing of The Color of Paradise, an Iranian film about a blind boy (2005), continuing with the film “the Weeping Camel at the Griffin Museum (2006)
- Planned an International Picnic (June 2006)
- Organized drop-in coffees on Thursday mornings at Café Dolce (2006- present)
Community Relations
- Send out a newsletter , The Journey, several times a year (1992-2008)
- Developed a flyer: “101 Ways to Celebrate Multiculturalism”
- Developed a pledge to promote respect and placed a book in the Winchester Public Library with pledge signatures and companion book of positive actions that individuals and organizations have taken to promote respect (2000)
Response Committee Interventions
- Developed a protocol to respond to incidents of intolerance and bias (2001-2002)
- Took a stand against the use of the name “Sachem” and the logo of the Native American by Winchester’s athletic teams and held a meeting to discuss an ESPN TV program on logos in sports (1999)
- Responded to hate graffiti in the parking lot of the high school with a letter to the editor and by participating in meetings to discuss the issue (1999)
- A letter was sent to the editors of the Daily Times and Winchester Star regarding a derogatory remark made by a town committee member.(2003-2004)
- An intervention was made at a local elementary school relating to the targeting of an African-American student (2004)
- Members of the Response Committee have met with the Police Chief to discuss concerns raised by residents over several different issues.
- The Committee provided support for an employee of Winchester Hospital and outreach to the hospital’s professional development program.
- The board of the Multicultural Network voted to take a public stand in full support of the legal recognition of marriage between same-sex couples. (2006)