On Saturday January 14, 2017 I participated in the MLK Day of Learning: Courageous Conversations on Racism at the Untied Parish in Brookline Massachusetts put on by City Mission. It was a day filled with conversation on race and how to address racism. After opening remarks from various pastors and City Mission Executive Director Reverend June Cooper, children 7-13 years of age participated in an arts and crafts activity decorating quilt squares depicting what race meant to them. The adults and children 14 and up were put in groups and various topics around race were discussed. Some topics that came up were how racism affects children, how different parts of the country react to racism, and where to go from here as far as eradicating racism. Because there was a diverse group of people as far as race and gender, there were a lot of great ideas and stories shared. At the end everyone came back together and shared a piece of what each group talked about. The children shared their quilt squares and sang some songs. The day ended with lunch and continued conversations on race.

On Monday January 16, 2017 I participated in the Many Helping Hands 7th Annual Cambridge Martin Luther King Day of Service. There were three separate locations organizing a variety of activities around Central Square Cambridge. I participated in sewing fleece scarves and blankets for homeless children and adults at the Central Square YWCA. All the blankets were designed by children and sewn by about 8 different people on sewing machines including myself and some were hand sewn by the children designers. Throughout the 3 hour event we sewed as many as we could and unfinished items were brought to a volunteer’s home were they could be picked up to be sewn at home and dropped back off.