Workshop Kicks Off Harriet Tubman Center Partnership

The Auburn Enlarged City School District and the Harriet Tubman Center for Justice and Peace (HTCJP) are beginning a long-term working partnership aimed at integrating discussions of human dignity and childhood into efforts to address the challenges of diversity issues of all types throughout the school system.
 
To kick off this process, members of the AECSD administrative leadership team participated Monday, November 18 in a workshop led by Dr. Lucien Lombardo, Old Dominion University professor emeritus, HTCJP board member and 1963 Auburn High School graduate.
 
During the workshop, Lombardo introduced the concept of human dignity and its links to childhood, and leadership team members reflected on their own experiences with human dignity as children.
 
In diverse communities, differences can be a source of pride or a reason for powerful people to marginalize those who are different, reflected in bullying, harassment, microaggressions and stereotypes, Lombardo said. How people experience human dignity in childhood often shapes how they confront and experience differences throughout their lives.
 
Through this partnership with HTCJP, the district intends to explore ways to apply a child-centered human dignity approach to its mission, curriculum, educational processes and recruitment efforts, building upon the AECSD’s existing efforts in implementing New York State’s Dignity for All Students Act (DASA). The workshop served as a starting point for further discussions of prospects and strategies for implementation.