Opinion

After the November 2016 election, many of us in this community watched in horror as hate crimes against people of color and Jewish people began to rise. The reputable Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracked such events, rolled out a terrifying monthly toll that climbed and climbed.Rather than sit feeling helpless, a group of us felt moved to act as so many others in our community have already done. SURJ—Showing Up For Racial Justice—is a national group that organized after Barack Obama’s election drew intense, overt racism out of the woodwork, with the belief that it is up to white people to dismantle racism—specifically white supremacy.We started a local chapter, SURJ South County, to carry on SURJ National’s mission. We do not wish to be seen as “white saviors,” but rather to educate ourselves and others about the injustices against people of color, past and present, to bring awareness to the ways in which systems of oppression work against thriving communities and to hold ourselves accountable for change.We build upon the efforts of our local accountability partners, who have already been doing important, related work, like SIREN, CARAS, Indivisible South Valley, The Interfaith Council, The Learning and Loving Center, and more. We rally together with those targeted by systems of oppression. Not only do we hope to counter, with education and love, the agenda of hate that some feel emboldened to enact, we recognize that this country is founded on a history of white supremacy, violence and aggression against people of color, including the Native Americans whose lands were stolen and lives torn asunder.Since our group is not solely comprised of white folks, SURJ South County took liberties with SURJ National’s mission statement: we are a local group of individuals organizing people for racial justice. SURJ promotes all people acting as part of a multiracial society for social justice with passion and accountability.Our group also acknowledges the intersectionality of the ways in which systems of oppression affect marginalized groups (based on race, ethnicity, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, immigration status, ability/disability status, and more). SURJ provides a space to build relationships, skills and political analysis to act for change.      So if you see us standing holding signs on the street corners in defense of DACA, the “Dreamer” act, or in solidarity with any person of color who has suffered as a result of this system, know that we are here to say, as Australian Aboriginal activist Lila Watson stated so eloquently, “If you have come here to help me, then you are wasting your time…But if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together."SURJ South County will host a screening of the documentary “13th,” about how mass incarceration of people of color is a modern form of slavery, at the Morgan Hill Library, 660 W. Main Ave., with guest speakers after, from 6 to 9 p.m. Nov. 15.For more information, email Morgan Hill resident Jordan Rosenfeld at [email protected].

Teachers in Morgan Hill are committed to the students, families, and community they serve. They respect and admire their colleagues. When we negotiate, we are negotiating for ourselves, but we are also negotiating to improve education in Morgan Hill. We believe that our present negotiations represent a pivotal moment in this district.  We are asking the district for an increase in compensation that will provide an incentive for our veteran teachers to stay in this district. We are asking for an increase in compensation that will make this district competitive enough to attract well-prepared new teachers.  We are asking the district to acknowledge their 30 percent increase in revenues over the last five years has only resulted in a 12 percent increase for teachers and this is why teachers have left the district. We are asking the district to value teachers as the greatest resource our students have.We are asking our community to support us in our effort to protect public education in Morgan Hill.Nicole Dietmeier is a Special Education teacher at Central High School, the district’s continuation high school. Her assignment requires her to teach a small group of students—making sure that each has access to an appropriate education program—and work with supporting agencies who service her students. Many of her students also deal with poverty, family crisis, depression and other traumas. Unofficially, Nicole says she also “provides emotional support, counseling, and access to outside resources in order to make sure that each student receives all of the support they need in order to thrive and be successful.”   Like many teachers, Nicole has a son that is a student in the district. She began her career in Morgan Hill as a paraprofessional and went back to school to become a Special Education teacher. In the process, she earned two credentials and a master’s degree. It is distressing to a parent who is also a teacher when her son “questions the legitimacy of higher education because it has not enabled me to make enough money to support my family on my own.”She also has to sacrifice time with her son to tutor and work at a friend’s home business in order to make ends meet.When Nicole first came to Central, she said, “Students told me that I would give up on them like everyone else. I told them I wouldn’t. So, when I returned the following school year, they were all shocked, but told me they were happy that I was willing to stay and not give up on them. That one single action did more to build trust with these students than anything else I could have done.” She wants to show these students that people do believe in them and will support them.Nicole is committed to both the students and staff at Central. She is not currently looking for a new position, but she also knows that she can provide a more secure life for her son, and maybe even buy her own home, if she moves to a different district where she would make more money with better benefits.  Nicole explains that “leaving the district is not something that I am looking forward to doing or have decided upon without a significant amount of thought and conversations with family. I have built a reputation, gained a second family, and have been personally rewarded with fulfilling relationships and the success of my students while at this district. I have learned how to become a successful teacher here and would love to be able to learn more and share my expertise with the district. I have realized though that the loyalty and respect I have demonstrated to the district is not mutual. The district continues to show that it does not have loyalty or respect for its teachers.”Since last March, teachers have been asking the district and the board for an increase in compensation that would keep teachers like Nicole in this district, but have only been told that a significant raise is unsustainable. Now, we are asking our families and our community to come to the Dec. 13 Morgan Hill Unified School District Board of Education meeting and remind the board that they must invest in their greatest resource, OUR TEACHERS.Gemma Abels is a veteran high school English teacher and the president of the Morgan Hill Federation of Teachers. The Dec. 13 MHUSD board meeting will start at 6 p.m. at district headquarters, 15600 Concord Circle.

Q:Since joining this company a few weeks ago, I have noticed a lot of areas that need improvement.  However, I’m not sure how honest I should be in sharing my views with management. In my previous job, I was always very open about my opinions.  If I saw a problem, I simply described it to my boss and proposed a solution, but I’m not sure this would be welcomed in my new organization.  What do you think?