Dear SEEN Community,
Hey all – long time, no email! Between the SEEN General Meeting at the end of February, the Board of Education meeting, committee meetings and a Steering Committee meeting earlier this week and, well, all of the rest of life, we’ve been listening a lot, but not always typing it up in an email. We’ll dig back in next week, but for now, a few timely calendar items and some news from you.
Calendar
- Baldwin Saratoga. SEEN and C.R.E.A.T.E. Community Studios continue our collaboration on reading, discussion and art-making this coming Monday, March 21, from 5:30-6:30 p.m. at C.R.E.A.T.E.’s new studio at 70B Beekman (it’s right next door to the Living Resources space they were sharing). This week’s readings, “Encounter on the Seine” and “Stranger in the Village” (original from Harper’s Magazine (1953) | annotated) are some of Baldwin’s most famous explorations about what it means to be a Black American, as he dissects Black and American in piercing reflections on his experiences as an expatriate in Paris – confronting other people of the African colonization and diaspora – and in a Swiss village – where he is confronted with the singularity of his Blackness. If you can’t make it Monday, but want to join, please consider registering with C.R.E.A.T.E. for regular email communications.
- Books are available at discount at Northshire Saratoga (ask at the desk), and books are available for loan at C.R.E.A.T.E. Monday evening. It’s worth noting here that you do not have to complete the readings to participate.
- Attend or Stream. The next Board of Education meeting will take place next Thursday, March 24, at 7 p.m. at the High School. The greatest way we each have to promote educational equity in SSCSD is through engagement with the Board of Education – in meetings, with public comments, and in upcoming elections. At least one member of the Steering Committee is present at each meeting, so if this is new for you, or you’d like to have someone to sit with, you can always sit with us. The agenda and streaming link will be posted on the district website 2-3 days before the meeting.
Resources
This week’s resources are ones you’ve recommended. At the General Meeting on February 28, everyone spent time talking about what they’re reading, listening to, or watching, and it was good!
- “RIP SAT.” Scroll down in Vox’s feed to listen to the episode “RIP SAT” from their daily podcast, Today Explained, talking about the decreasing significance of the SAT as many colleges make the SAT optional—in large part as a result of the pandemic. What does it mean to be test-optional compared to test-blind? What is the impact with respect to educational equity?
- Shipwrecked. National Geographic has been running a series on the wrecked ships that were transporting enslaved people. If you think you know enough about the triangle trade or chattel slavery, this is a new set of studies. Catch the podcast, following Black scuba divers doing this work.
- Subscriptions Required. Different attendees brought up a few other things that are behind paywalls, including Ava Duvernay’s documentary, 13th, on Netflix, and The Color of Friendship, on Disney+.
~ The SEEN Team
SEEN 