12:00-12:10 Greeter/Fun ambassador: Patricia Anderson
12:10 - Start Meeting
Hello & Welcome everyone, my name is Michael Scar, President of the Rotary Club of Ojai.
Pledge: Colin Jones
Invocation: Catherine Lee
Thank you, Colin for leading the pledge and Catherine Lee for the invocation, Tara for facilitating our Zoom meeting, Patricia for being our greeter today, and Andy Gilman serving as our reminder editor.
Are there any visiting Rotarians or guests to introduce?
Don Reed introduced three guests - his daughter Carolyn Kirkpatrick, Colin Kirkpatrick, and Colin’s classmate Abby Roma.
Tiffany Morse also introduced her husband Tom McCoy.
Announcements:
Therese Brown - Upcoming Programs -
Next week is a visit from District Governor, Deb Linden.
After that there will be a talk on identifying fraud and protecting yourself again financial abuse.
The last meeting in August is focused on getting acquainted with our current members.
Following that, we will have a discussion on the current issues in bio-ethics.
Membership meeting today by Jack Jacobs. Interested people stay on the zoom call after the meeting.
Induction of Tiffany Morse - We welcome Tiffany into the club as a Blue Badge holder and are grateful to have you her here.
A Paul Harris Award is given to Tiffany Morse for all of her contributions to the Club & Community.
Confessions and Fining – Cindy Frings
First edition of the Rotary Pandemic Love Game - Tara served as co-host and assistant. First Couple: Suzanne and Michael Scar. Second Couple: Bill and Sue Gilbreth. Third Couple: Betsy Watson and Bob Davis.
Questions:
1 - What is your favorite body part on your wife or special friend? - Sue and Bill win this one
2 - When your Significant Other is getting dressed in the morning, what would you like most to see her in? - No matching answers on this one.
3 - When you replace the toilet paper… does it roll over or under? - Everyone matched on this one… OVER!
4 - What is the most romantic thing you did for your wife or special friend since the start of the pandemic? - No one matched on this one.
Sue and Bill win this game! Other couples will send in a fine. Thanks all!
Extra question - Who said “I love you” first?
Great Game Cindy!!!!! Fantastic!
Program – Intro by Therese Brown
Matt Balano – Diversity & Inclusion Director at Thacher School
Matt: How does this play out in school and also in society. This will be a condensed presentation… usually this talk is about four times the length. In response to Black Lives Matter, this conversation has been in high demand.
First, starting with defining the terms is helpful. The terms diversity, equity, and inclusion are not synonymous. Each of these concepts require tremendous effort to implement and sustain.
Diversity = Numerical representation, especially social identity representation (gender, belief, race/ethnicity, etc.) But representation needs depend on context, such as differences in school admissions and hiring. Integration vs. assimilation is the goal, allowing everyone to bring their whole selves to the table, where everyone can blossom and thrive.
Equity = (not synonymous with equality). Equality is giving everyone the same thing. Equity is each getting what they need.
San Francisco was discussed as an example of diversity, while still being segregated. We believe that this is crucial to understand when we bring in students to Thacher, as they may not have had a lot of lived-in experience with people from other cultures and backgrounds. We need to help them with great intentionality to be inclusive and not just diverse.
Iceberg model -
We can guess at 10% of someone (what we can see), but not below the waterline. But we base 90% of our snap judgement on the 10% that we can see. Helping out students understand these relationships is critical. We strive to help students “lower the water line.”
Our primary education goal is to teach to the mission - We strive to inspire students to self-knowledge and a deep concern for the world in which we live, to develop leaders who have cultural competency.
Cultural Competency Model
1) Cultural Self-Awareness - critical self-reflection and empathy
2) Cultural Intelligence
3) Cross-Cultural Effectiveness Skills - learning about others and getting to interaction
4) Equity and Social Justice Advocacy
This not about blame, shame, and guilt. We were all born into it… It’s about how are change the world we live in.
Questions and Conversation:
ADA as a discussion point. Everyone benefits from addressing our most marginalized members of society.
Affirmative Action as a discussion point. Possibly the most misunderstood initiative. White women have been the greatest beneficiaries. Legacy models in schools were brought up as the first form of affirmative action. It’s a complicated topic, which we have to look at from a variety of angles.
How to better address the Black Lives Matter movement may require a deeper understanding of what it’s like to walk in another person shoes.
How do we measure efficacy of this inclusion work? What’s measurable?
Answer:
Admissions is an example. Hiring is another. Student curriculum also is shifting - including an ethnic studies requirements. There are three types of citizens:
1) Is so engaged they go buy great food for the drive
2) Recognizes the need for the drive and mobilizes people
3) Recognizes why people are hungry and wants to get to the root causes of the problem.
At Thacher we are working to build student who are ready for #3.
Are we becoming more or less segregated in our societies?
Answer: We were becoming more integrated (in San Francisco) however post 2004 (dot com bomb) is creating more segregation, based on economic factors. We are moving in the wrong direction.
Are we making progress on intolerance and prejudice, or has the circumstances of the current time making the perception of things worth?
Answer: Many things can be true at the same time. While a lot has been changed for the positive, there is a long way to go… and we also digress while making progress. There are other dimensions that have not changed, such as poverty. Housing also continues to be an issue.
About Thacher specifically: Is there a plan to make the larger Ojai community more welcoming to potential incoming staff?
Answer: An equity lens needs to be invoked, and the rubber needs to hit the road in making this happen. The school can’t control Ojai, but it can control its own practices.
Perspective and empathy need to be continually addressed. There is a steady decline in empathy in the country, and we need to be intentional as educators and community members to foster empathy. Proximity breeds empathy! Service learning is a great way to do this, and schools should focus more on this.
For more information on Thacher School's program, click here.
Closing Quote –
“Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world”.
Desmond Tutu (Nobel Peace Prize 1984)
Be safe and have a great week!
