‘We Can Live Together in Peace, Not in Pieces’
When Dr. Cleorah Scruggs-DeBose started teaching elementary school, in 1970, she quickly realized that the curriculum did not reflect the diversity she saw in her classroom. She often spent evenings researching more diverse perspectives to incorporate into her teaching.
“I didn’t want [my students] to go through school and not have that understanding, not have that conversation, not have that learning of not only their own culture, but other cultures and how we can live together in peace, not in pieces,” says Scruggs-DeBose,who taught in Flint, Mich., and still resides there today.
In the early 1990s, Scruggs-DeBose worked with the NEA to create a multicultural curriculum guide and to adopt the third Monday in October as National Multicultural Diversity Day.
She retired in 2000, but her activism continues through the National Multicultural Diversity Day and Institute (NMDI), an organization she founded in 1993.
“No pun intended, but a teacher never loses her class, and never loses her passion,” she says.
The volunteer-led nonprofit promotes awareness, understanding, and respect among cultures, and helps to provide educational scholarships to students in need.
The group attends local concerts and festivals, hosts workshops, and organizes Multicultural Diversity Day forums. The volunteers also develop curriculum for area schools, the local Boys & Girls Club, and places of worship.
“A lot of things still need to be done in the area of multicultural diversity, but we’ve made some gains,” Scruggs-Debose reflects.
NMDI offers in-person and virtual programs. Learn more at csdministries.org/multicultural.html. To volunteer, write to [email protected].
—MADELAINE VIKSE
Announcing the 2024 NEA-Retired Communications Awards!
Every year, the NEA-Retired Executive Council Communications Committee recognizes NEA-Retired affiliates for outstanding communications work in the following categories:
- Established State Retired Newsletter (Published more than three years)
- State Retired Newsletter (Published fewer than three years)
- Established Local Retired Newsletter
- E-newsletter
- State Retired Website
- NEA-Retired Spotlight Award (State active newsletter/magazine covering NEA-Retired issues)
- Newsletter Hall of Fame
To apply, visit nea.org/retired-awards. Applications must be postmarked by April 15, 2024.
Getting ready for the 2024 elections!
Retired social studies teacher Bob Brown has served as chair of the Connecticut Education Association’s Political Action Committee for 17 years and is already fundraising for the 2024 elections.
“Every important decision about public schools is made by someone either elected or appointed by an elected official,” he says.
His biggest fundraising tip? Ask and explain: “When I go to meetings and explain that our dues money cannot go to federal elections—and all the reasons we need to be engaged in political fundraising, and all the crucial issues out there—people give.”
—MADELAINE VIKSE
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Speak Up For Students and Public Schools
