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A Washington Post Article was published on February 26, 2021 about an Asian American family being harassed in Ladera Ranch. Neighbors (including LRSJC members) now stand guard each night at their home. The LRSJC and others from the community were interviewed for the article. The Wash Post article also noted the Lantern Festival of Hope, to be held on 2/26/21 in support of the family and to celebrate the end of the Chinese New Year celebrations.
"The Lantern Festival — which marks the final day of Lunar New Year celebrations — falls on Feb. 26, and “I thought it would be a nice way to show community support and solidarity,” she said. Alongside members of the Ladera Ranch Social Justice Committee and other local organizations, Huang and a group of volunteers have been planning an event called, “Lantern Festival of Hope,” which will be held Friday at a parking lot on the same block as the Si home. There will be food trucks and speeches, and traditional lanterns will be distributed to residents to honor the holiday."
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The Ladera Ranch Social Justice Committee supports the implementation of the new K-12 cultural proficiency curriculum. Unfortunately, this agenda item was pulled from the board meeting just a few hours prior to the start of the meeting. To hear the Feb 17, 2021 Board Meeting:
HTTPS://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/CHANNEL/UCVXPUERR8SK9-7PRYJUZZMQ/LIVE K-12 CULTURAL PROFICIENCY CURRICULUM: HTTPS://CAPOUSD-CA.SCHOOLLOOP.COM/FILE/1514016268888/1531973256666/8216921291288043833.PDF I grew up in Arlington, TX - a city placed between Dallas and Fort Worth. My father was a historian and is a proud civil rights advocate - the only time I’ve ever really seen him cry is when he describes the day MLK was assassinated. All of this is important because I didn’t know what Juneteenth was until a few years ago. How was this possible - I grew up in the state where it was founded? It was just another discovery into the bubble bursting of my whiteness where I discovered that I/we have SO much work to do - especially as white people. I never had anyone around me who proudly espoused segregation or white supremacy yet I was raised in a system that told the stories of our history in a way that wouldn’t upset the white people who did believe in segregation and white supremacy. I’ve now discovered that the word for this inadequacy in my education and culture is structural/systemic racism. It’s an insidious thing because it hurts all of us - to our cores. Our stories are not being shared with truth as the goal but rather conciliation. I’m tired of conciliating to people who don’t believe the tenets of our founding: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” I heard it spoken once that African Americans are the most patriotic of us because they believe and have fought for the truth in those words harder and with more passion than any white person ever could. I think there is such a beauty in that statement. The commitment to the idea that we can have a nation governed by the people - the beautiful rainbow dipped fruit bowl chocolate box assortment of people - is a dream we can have if we’re not afraid to imagine it and if we’re not afraid to let the rainbow in and stare down the darkness. Our diversity is the light that paves the way. If July 4th is a national holiday then Juneteenth should be as well. How dare we celebrate our independence from the British, while still enslaving millions of people, with such fanfare and not celebrate a day many consider to be the holiday that celebrates the emancipation of slavery. I qualify that because there are about half a dozen holidays that could mark that event and slavery never fully went away - it’s just evolved into a system of mass incarceration, redlines that made it impossible for black families to build wealth and when wealth was made they were massacred and burned to the ground (Tulsa Race Riots). The history and legacy of slavery in our country is something we need to take very seriously and we need to tell the story in all its truth. Yes, we should honor its abolishment but let’s not kid ourselves - there is work to be done. In writing this I’m reminded again of just how much pain and injustice people of this country have faced over centuries - it’s generational trauma. I fear that the stories that need to be told will be just too hard to hear. We must sit with this unease and get used to it and spill light into our corners and work at making a difference. I’ll leave you with a Netflix recommendation: ‘Avatar - The Last Airbender’. Uncle Iroh is a main character and he tells his troubled nephew something that has always stayed with me; “In the darkest times, hope is something you give yourself. That is the meaning of inner strength.” We can do this. AuthorVanessa Santos, Ladera Ranch Resident and LRSJC steering committee member As some of you may have seen on our Facebook conversations page there is a parent-led action against the Middle School GSA (Gay-Straight Alliance, though some schools call their groups a Gender and Sexuality Alliance) planned for the upcoming Capistrano Unified Board Meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 11.
Someone was handing out anti-gay, anti-GSA flyers by walking car-to-car during student pickup at LR Elementary. Both the Principal and District are aware of this and are taking action to ensure it does not continue. The person handing out these flyers was not a parent at the school in question or a CUSD district employee, and the district has notified the appropriate authorities. Nevertheless, this will surely increase the intensity of the debate about gay-straight alliances in CUSD, and also put LGBT kids and families at risk. Today alone, the Ladera Ranch Social Justice Committee was contacted by three local parents of LGBT kids with worries about school climate related to these flyers. The legal argument is that Capistrano Unified's School Board Policy 6145.4 prohibits any non-curricular clubs from meeting on school grounds. However, we have learned that the District and the School Board are planning to update this Board Policy since they recognize the importance of GSAs and other student-led clubs for middle school students. (Other local districts, including Placentia Yorba Linda, already have processes in place to allow students to start clubs, and as of 2013, there were more than 40 middle school GSAs in California alone.) Here are our action tasks in support of GSAs at CUSD Middle Schools:
You can find out more about GSAs here, and also find recent statistics about the experiences of LGBTQ children in CA schools here. There are also many resources to support parents and teachers in creating safe and affirming spaces. Here are some of our favorites:
We join you in working to ensure our schools are welcoming and affirming for all children and families, and hope to see many of you on Wednesday night. Thank you, LRSJC  Saturday, April 15th could not have been a more beautiful day for a gathering. So it was no surprise that 35 people attended the Ladera Ranch Social Justice Committee’s (LRSJC) Library Event. The families came out to learn, offer support, and gain comaraderie within the community. Unlike other events previously put on by the LRSJC, this event was to both have fun and offer people the opportunity to learn about another amazing organization that was started by another Ladera resident and mom. Operation Refugee Child (ORC) was the brainchild of Gader Abujudeh-Ibrahim.
Struck by the current refugee crisis, Gader decided to help by not only getting herself involved, but by organizing and also getting her entire community and country involved. She started ORC to “aid those who have left everything behind, providing refugee families and children with backpacks and essential supplies to ease their journey to asylum.” The backpacks are filled with everything from toiletries, diapers, blankets, clothing, toys, and school supplies. Gader collects these items from people all over the country. They send them to her storage facility where volunteers gather to sort through the supplies and pack backpacks to be sent off to places like Jordan and Greece where refugees eagerly await them. As impressed as I was with all the items sent, nothing struck my heart like the personal hand-written notes by children offering words of encouragement to the refugee children and their families. They offer a glimpse into the beauty, innocence, and humanity of our kids as they try to offer comfort while they are themselves trying to understand the chaos of the situation and the world around them. It leaves you with a tinge of sadness yet so much hope knowing that these little human beings are so aware, insightful, and are actively involved at such a young age. As I am sure that their written words offer comfort to the refugee children and families, they offered me comfort as well in knowing that these little ones are the hands, hearts, and minds of the future. So with a goal to help families and children of Ladera Ranch and surrounding areas better understand the experiences of refugees and how we can as individuals and as a community offer support to them and organizations like ORC, The LRSJC organized a library event around the children’s book, Lost & Found Cat – The True Story of Kunkush’s Incredible Journey. This book is the story of the journey of a refugee family who had to flee their home and lost their beloved pet along the way. The book depicts the struggles of the family and Kunkush the cat as they endure the tough journey and eventually find their way back to each other. It is a wonderful story to introduce children to the experiences of refugee families because it is true, honest, and sweet. Loving and losing a beloved pet is an experience most of us can empathize or sympathize with. Therefore, the children in the library were able to find a human connection to the family through this common human experience. Together we traced Kunkush and the family’s journey and we discussed our own journeys that led us to Ladera Ranch. We discovered journeys that were short and near as well as those that started across the world and went through several countries. We shared, discussed, laughed, learned, and fascinated each other with our own stories that were as diverse as you can get. And through it all, we saw the beauty in all our differences and the commonality in our very human experiences. Then as if all that was not enough, we had the honor of having Gader Abujudeh-Ibrahim grace us with her presence. She was generous enough to bring two sample backpacks already stuffed and ready to be sent off. We were able to show the children exactly what refugee children and their families were in need of. Having Gader tell us of her experience working with these families, added another dimension of reality for the children and adults alike. Not only was the story of Kunkush real but we had someone there who knows and helps families just like the family in the book. We sparked the interest and hearts of the families present and we gave them ways to support ORC in their task to aid refugee families. With that as the conclusion of the event, we left satisfied and hungry to do more, help more, learn more, grow more, and engage and commune with each other more. So we, the members of the LRSJC would like to thank all the families who came out to participate in the event, the Ladera Ranch Public Library for offering us the space to do so, and Gader Abujudeh-Ibrahim and the ORC for allowing us a glimpse into the lives of refugee families and the amazing work they do to aid them. We can’t wait to get started on our next community event and continue the process of building bridges. To find out more about LRSJC visit http://lrsjcommittee.weebly.com To find out more about ORC visit http://www.operationrefugeechild.org  More than 50 members of the Ladera Ranch Social Justice Committee gathered together to participate in the Women's March on January 21, 2017. It was an incredible showing of solidarity! So many women, men and families marched side by side in a peaceful act of resistance. This is what democracy looks like!
We're proud to share our one of our founders' blog posts for the Multicultural Children's Book Day site. The mission of MCCD "is to not only raise awareness for the kid’s books that celebrate diversity, but to get more of these of books into classrooms and libraries." It's a wonderful non-profit organization that we're proud to support. We are the Ladera Ranch Social Justice Committee, by Shereen Rahming  |
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