Petaluma group sparks diversity conversation

When Petaluma resident Paige Green listened to heart wrenching stories of local students’ experiences of racism at school during a community forum last February, the mother of two felt she had to act.

Green, who is white, felt that more could be done at schools across the city to encourage open and honest conversations about discrimination, racism and underrepresentation. With the help of about a dozen other Petaluma community members, primarily parents and members of underrepresented minorities, TIDE was born February 2019. The fledgling organization, which stands for Team for Inclusivity, Diversity and Equity, has spent the last year reaching out to schools across the city.

“Hearing those testimonials back then, I was frustrated,” Green said. “I realized what really needed to happen is there needed to be groups to discuss these issues at each individual school.”

Six elementary schools currently have their own TIDE chapters, led by a school educator or administrator that represents the campus and voices specific needs and issues to the larger TIDE organization.

The roughly 17-member group has held six trainings so far with special emphasis on reaching school staff, educators and administrators. Training session titles have included “Advocating for Equity and Inclusion Work,” “Navigating Dissent and Establishing Sustainability,” and “Intersectional Allied Behavior.”

Trainings are free to teachers and school staff, $50 to $100 for other attendees as well as a sliding scale option of $10 and up a person. While the trainings now regularly attract enough participants to meet their 50-person capacities, TIDE member Sarah Seitchik said they weren’t sure if the group would even gain traction a year ago.

“At the first training we didn’t even know if it would happen,” Seitchik said. “I put it all on my credit card and we crossed our fingers that people would show up.”

Seitchik said although the organization believes Petaluma has a serious community issue regarding inclusion and equity, they also emphasize that they want to build partnerships throughout the community, not division.

“Some people say, why are you bringing up problems? And we’re not, we’re just talking about issues that affect people and students throughout Petaluma,” Seitchik said.

She said along with expanding trainings, outreach and establishing partnerships with groups and community members, TIDE wants to establish a presence in every Petaluma school. McNear Elementary School’s Principal Liza Eichert, who has been attending nearly all of TIDE’s trainings, pointed to building bridges to reach second language learners and students with varying gender identities as a primary goal. A new student TIDE group also launched at the school last week, its first meeting slated for late this month.

Founder Jessica Musallam, parent to two McNear students, said about 50 children signed up for the group. Students are to meet every few weeks at lunch time to play games, create art projects and engage in leadership activities geared toward recognizing and acting on equity, inclusion and kindness.

“We can talk to our kids all we want about these values, but the best way for them to learn is to see bigger kids doing them on campus and learn through them,” Musallam said.

Teachers are also beginning to step into the parent-founded organization.

Loma Vista Immersion Academy teacher Chelsea Tran joined the group last November, eager to participate in a community organization that blends their interests in education and advancing social justice. Tran contributes their Spanish language skills for meeting translation and is a member of the group’s 5-member Advisory Board, which works to craft mission statements and goals as the organization continues to evolve and grow. The board group also includes members of underrepresented and marginalized groups, and acts as a diverse sounding board and source of feedback for TIDE.

Despite the magnitude of the change TIDE members are working toward, they are also placing significant energy on their current aspiration to establish a charter in each Petaluma School. Aside from the six schools TIDE is already working with, the organization is hoping to establish a line of communication with all Petaluma schools by the end of the year.

“I feel like equity work is work that teachers care about and want to be doing, but it’s not always easy to know how to do that,” Tran said. “TIDE has been working to give educators and other people the tools to be introspective so that we can make the change in ourselves to be able to spread that in the community.”

Petaluma People Services Center is the group’s fiscal agent, acting as a guide and incubator. It’s a role the nonprofit often takes on when direct funding isn’t an option, offering instead its expertise in community outreach and services to guide fledgling groups forward. Along with weekly phone calls and monthly meetings, Petaluma People Services Center is also helping TIDE apply for a grant that could provide a stable source of funds. The group will hold its first fundraising event early May.

Executive Director Elece Hempel said this support is meant to not only bolster new community organizations, but also provide them with tools that will ensure long-term success and self-sufficiency.

“One of the biggest issues with parent-sponsored programs like TIDE is that they often lose the continuity that keeps them alive, like when a kid moves on to a different school and parent involvement changes,” Hempel said. “So, we’re helping them to keep that continuity to make sure this great program is always viable.”

(Contact Kathryn Palmer at kathryn.palmer@arguscourier.com)