Juneteenth

ACES is grieving the senseless murders of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor, and many others who died under dehumanizing injustice. My heart and the heart of the entire ACES family breaks for the pain caused by the unjust and senseless violence towards individuals who are of color. Additionally, our hearts continue to ache hearing of the painful conversations these same parents must have with their own children on this very topic. The ongoing overt and micro aggressive discrimination, which our black friends and colleagues have to endure, leading to feelings of pain, frustration, and fear is just unacceptable. Every person has the right to be safe and feel safe.

George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Ahmaud Arbery.

I have been having many open conversations now that are uncomfortable, eye opening, and inspiring. I want to acknowledge that sometimes as human beings, we feel afraid to speak up because we are unsure of what to do or don’t want to offend. It’s okay to feel uncomfortable. It is okay to allow yourself to sit in the discomfort, as you reflect on how you can help be a part of the solution. Discomfort always precedes growth and the only way we will overcome racial disparities is through sustained growth as individuals and as a community.

I have always been a person fighting for the rights of others and this is how I have lead ACES for 25 years. Our mission has always been one of creating a world of inclusion for all. When I began my career in teaching, the school I was working in was going to place our students in a portable classroom at the edge of the campus. This was a form of discrimination, highlighting their differences in a way that I felt was negative and unacceptable. I championed for our classroom to be placed in the center of the school with full mainstream immersion. It was important to educate others on this value of inclusion, understanding, acceptance, and love for all of our differences. I showed up with the heart of inclusion; a mission which we have carried forward to this day and into the way we live and breath at ACES. Every person has the right to be respected and included.

Today we are being called upon to look even closer at how we show up every day. How do we reach out with love and support to our friends of color and stand with them against this intolerable way of being? We begin by unequivocally stating, “Black Lives Matter”. We will educate. We will discuss. We will support. We will take action.

We stand with you! We love you!

On this significant day of Juneteeth, I implore each and every one of our team members to join me in our call to action today; to educate, to discuss, to support, and to act. We at ACES will be doing so by putting into place a program called Project LIGHT. ACES has lit the way for individuals with Autism and now Project LIGHT will help us shine a light on and help us understand when and how racial discrimination happens, guiding our path in reducing discrimination in our daily lives. We will work with civil rights groups and other leaders to promote the education and inclusion of minorities. We will bring speakers to ACES, educating us all about racism and racial diversity. We will create a forum of support against injustice and racism, a safe space to speak up and support those in our ACES community. We welcome all those who would like to join us in our commitment to educate, discuss, support, and act. If you are interested please email acesideas@acesaba.com.

Let’s learn together! Let’s listen together! Let’s change the world together!
Let’s love together!
We will light the way for an Inclusive World!

In our continued efforts of conscious awareness and commitment to educating ourselves:

Juneteenth is the commemoration of the ending of slavery in the United States. Dating back to 1865, it was on June 19th that the Union soldiers, led by Major General Gordon Granger, landed at Galveston, Texas with news that the war had ended and that the enslaved were now free – months after the Civil War ended, and two and a half years after the Emancipation Proclamation. As an important turning point for our nation, June 19 is a day for us all to honor and celebrate as Americans.

In celebration of Juneteeth and in support of Black Lives Matter, I am making donations to the following organizations: