Zurya Anjum, Sartell Multicultural Committee
I would like to invite you to participate in the Multicultural Committee that is being created through the Sartell-St Stephen School District. This is an effort by the district to recognize as our community is growing, we need to be more cognizant of issues related to cultural/religious needs for our students.
Our current political climate is unfortunately creating a lot of anxiety among school-aged kids starting as young as elementary school. Kids who look different are being picked on. Muslim kids in as early as elementary school are being called terrorists. African-American kids are made fun of for their skin and hair, among other things. Obviously, kids in elementary school are not coming up with this but are only repeating what they hear from adults around them. Sartell has a reputation for having a higher socioeconomic status so kids’ assumptions about food, iPhone, iPad and access to luxury vacations take them very far away from the plight of families that are struggling to provide basic necessities of food and safe housing to their kids.
It’s time we as parents and concerned citizens of Sartell make our voices heard. This is an excellent opportunity to come together as a group, learn from each other and come up with recommendations that would improve this situation for the school board. Once we identify specific projects, we will involve students from kindergarten to 12th grade to help out with them.
I see a lot of new and established immigrant families voicing their concerns about these issues. I am asking you to please come forward, give us your valuable advice to make this something that makes a difference in the Sartell area. The committee will meet every third Thursday of the month at 7 p.m. in the District ServicesOffice. Superintendent Jeff Schwiebert will be there to listen and to help out. Please join us on July 20 for our next meeting. If you have any questions, please email them to us at: multicultural748@gapps.sartell.k12.mn.
