Saturday February 19, 2022

David P. Donery, Town Manager

The San Anselmo Racial Equity Ad Hoc Committee Presents a Celebration of Black History Month

This week, we will cover the ways (and there are plenty!) you can commemorate Black History Month. From supporting Black-owned businesses to donating to charities supporting anti-racism efforts and watching educational documentaries, here are activities to take part in — not just this month, but all year round. 

• Learn about the Black history in your area – check if your Marin home has a Racially Restrictive Covenant and take steps to modify it. Don’t know how? Visit San Anselmo’s Racial Covenant Modification Guide.  
• Celebrate Black leadership in your local community – such as San Anselmo’s very own Councilmember Brian Colbert!
• Join or donate to organizations that support anti-racism, equity and equality – such as, Marin Organizing for Racial Equity, Marin Community Foundation, SURJ Marin, Blackbird, Color of Change, Bold, Black Lives Matter, Black Futures Lab, etc.
• Purchase, read and share books by Black authors, and read a book (or a few) to your children. Don’t know where to start? How about The 1619 Project: Born on the Water for the kids and the classic Beloved for you, or you can always visit Whyte’s Booksmith in San Anselmo’s downtown for more ideas.
• Support your local Black owned businesses – if you don’t know where to start you can always visit SURJ Marin’s list of BIPOC Businesses to Support in the Bay Area.
• Virtually visit (and don’t forget the kids) museums that center Black history and culture, such as Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) which offers a range of virtual events and conversations that affirm and preserve the accomplishments of African Americans throughout history, or virtually visit Boston’s Art by African Americans in the Museum of Fine Arts which has a free online exhibit of renowned collections by Black artists, including quilt maker and folk artist Harriet Powers and celebrated photographer Gordon Parks.
• Attend virtual Black History Month celebrations: such as Questlove’s new animated Disney series for kids or reading up on this year’s Black History Month theme of Black health and wellness.
• Watch Black history documentaries. Check out The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross to explore Black identity through diverse social and religious perspectives, 13th about the criminal justice system’s mistreatment of Black communities in the U.S., or Slavery By Another Name, which demonstrates how slavery continued well into the 20th Century under the guise of forced labor. 
• Purchase, borrow, read and share books by Black authors, and read a book (or a few) to your children. Don’t know where to start? How about The 1619 Project: Born on the Water for the kids and the classic Beloved for you, or you can always visit Whyte’s Booksmith in San Anselmo’s downtown for more ideas. Your San Anselmo Public Library has curated lists of good reads and we have a recommended list. of books from our committee members. 

Need more ideas? Visit NMAAHC’s Black History Month toolkit where you’ll find everything from curated stories to a searchable museum to a new recipe to make at home.

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Serve as a full voting member on a wide variety of Town committees. Youth Commissioner terms last one full year (July through June).

A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO:

• Serve your community
• Represent your school and the youth of San Anselmo
• Learn about and participate in the municipal process 
• Boost your college application

THE FOLLOWING COMMISSIONS ARE CURRENTLY ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS:

- ARTS COMMISSION
- BICYCLE AND PEDESTRIAN ADVISORY COMMITTEE
- HISTORICAL COMMISSION
- LIBRARY ADVISORY BOARD
- OPEN SPACE COMMITTEE
- PARKS & RECREATION COMMISSION
- CLIMATE ACTION COMMISSION

HOW TO APPLY:

To be eligible, you must be a student and San Anselmo resident, who will have completed their Freshman year of high school by June 2022. To apply, submit an application online. 
The deadline for applications is February 28th