The Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Shelter Rock in Manhasset is partnering with ERASE Racism and the Long Island Area Council of 11 UU congregations to co-sponsor a Zoom program at 7:30 P.M. on Sept. 29 titled "Why Teaching DEI in Our Schools is So Important.” Click here to register on UUCSR's website: https://uucsr.org/programs/social-justice/why-teaching-diversity-equity-and-inclusion-in-our-schools-is-so-important//

The program will be moderated by ERASE Racism Board member Jim Smith and feature ERASE Racism President Elaine Gross and Board Member Dr. Lorna Lewis. The panelists:

*Elaine Gross, Founder and President of ERASE Racism, celebrating its 20th anniversary. Elaine got her Master’s degree in social work from Boston University. She advocates on the local, state and national levels for equity in education and housing, publishes reports, runs conferences and is frequently quoted on topics related to structural racism by radio and television commentators and print reporters. She works with educators, students and parents to support and promote racially integrated schools. Elaine will discuss CR-SE (culturally responsive sustaining education), a good companion to DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion), restorative justice and the need to increase the proportion of educators of color on Long Island.

*Lorna Lewis, superintendent of the Malverne school district, former superintendent of the Plainview-Old Bethpage and East Williston districts and former president of the 800-member New York State Council of School Superintendents. Lorna has a Bachelor’s degree in Physics from Fordham University, three Master’s Degrees, and a Doctorate in Science Education from Teachers College at Columbia University. Lorna will address the April 12 New York State Education Department initiative on DEI. It calls on all schools in the state to “develop policies that advance diversity, equity and inclusion as a priority.” Lorna also will discuss staffing and the impact on students of learning from a diverse staff.

*Dr. Michael Hynes, a third-year superintendent of the Port Washington school district, who has put together a group of 35 teachers, administrators, students and others for a year’s worth of Zoom training sessions run by the NYU Metro Center and is beginning a three-year equity plan for his district. Teachers in Port Washington will receive training in the benefits of culturally responsive curricula. Hynes said the aim of the plan is to improve the academic performance of students of color, and “level the playing field.” He has a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Bethany (W.Va.) College, a Master’s in Elementary Education from Dowling College, and got his doctorate in Education Administration from Dowling. He was superintendent for a total of eight years of the Patchogue-Medford and Shelter Island school districts. He will discuss his plans for his current district.

Dr. Dan Holtzman, in his fifth year as principal at Great Neck North High School, Dan also was a principal and an assistant principal for 11 years in Shoreham-Wading River. He did his undergraduate work and received a Master’s in Liberal Arts from Stony Brook University, was certified as an administrator, and got his doctorate in Educational Leadership from St. John’s University. He is an adjunct professor at Stony Brook University. Dan will discuss the impact of DEI on the humanities: History, Social Studies and English, He is beginning a two-year racial literacy program at Great Neck North for 11th and 12th-graders. He says, “We need to educate our students to be global citizens. They need to know where our society has been, where we are and where we’re going…Our students are not going to be living and working with people who look like them.”

*Phil Andrews is the president of the Long Island African American Chamber of Commerce and has been on the boards of many other nonprofits, including the Long Island Association. He has run a public relations firm for more than a decade representing mostly nonprofits and small businesses. Andrews attended York and John Jay colleges and worked for 18 years as a corrections officer at the Rikers Island correctional facility. He will discuss how DEI training prepares students for a business world that is becoming increasingly diverse. “I think they should teach it as early as elementary school,” he says. He said he feels minority graduates of DEI training have a better shot at moving up the corporate ladder, which in turn might result in more support for minority businesses and customers.

*Shoshanna Hershkowitz, an adjunct professor at Stony Brook University. Shoshanna was a high school teacher for 10 years, is choir director at Stony Brook and is a frequent consultant to Long Island social justice nonprofits. She received a Bachelor’s degree in music education from SUNY Potsdam and a Master’s from the Crane School of Music there. She is on the executive board of the New York State chapter of the American Choral Directors Association and is an organizer for the Long Island State Action Network. She will discuss the importance of uplifting diverse voices in music programs.

After the speakers, there will be a question and answer session.