Welcome to Our Equity and Inclusion Page

Our Mission

The mission of the Office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) is to educate, inspire, empower, and maintain an environment that understands that diversity, equity, and inclusion are essential to Revere Public Schools’ vision of building an anti-racist, culturally responsive restorative, and transformative justice community.

Through its Equity Advisory Board, the Office of DEI ensures that the Guiding Principles* of equity and inclusion permeate our schools, become the central ethos our district operates on, and help us transition into a true anti-racist and culturally responsive community.

* DEI Statement of Principles (UC Santa Barbara, Office of Development).

What's New

Watch: The Life and Legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King

When the city of Boston erected "The Embrace," a sculpture honoring civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., on the Boston Common in 2023, some detractors questioned why the city was honoring Dr. King. After all, Dr. King was not born in Boston, nor did he die in this city.

However, Boston significantly influenced Dr. King's social identity and education more than any other city in the United States. Boston served as the location where Dr. King met his future wife, Coretta Scott; earned his doctorate in systematic theology; engaged in the African American movement; and functioned as an assistant preacher at Boston's Twelfth Baptist Church.

This year, in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the Office of Equity and Inclusion at Revere Public School adopted a unique approach to commemorate Dr. King's life and legacy.

On Friday, January 10, a group of over 50 Revere High School students traced the three years Dr. King spent in Boston. Rather than merely absorbing information about the field trip, the Revere High students delivered presentations for each site associated with Dr. King.

These historical sites include his first home on Saint Botolph Street; the diner on Huntington Avenue where he and Coretta had their first date; the former location of the Twelfth Baptist Church on Shawmut Avenue; and Carter Playground in the South End, where Dr. King played pickup basketball as a graduate student. The playground later served as the starting point for his famous March on Boston in 1965.

The march triggered twenty thousand residents who united to combat racial segregation and inequities in education. The trip culminated with a visit to Dr. and Coretta Scott King's Embrace sculpture, which expresses their love, relationship, and journey in Boston.

In this two-part series, students address the question: Why did Dr. King relocate to Boston? What was important about his stay here? What was the most amazing thing you discovered about Coretta Scott King? What influence did Coretta Scott King have on the Civil Rights Movement? How would you justify the phrase Dr. King experiences in Boston made him the man and leader he became"?

Family Engagement Night With MIRA

Over 100 RPS caregivers turn out for 'Know Your Rights' event

On Tuesday, Dec. 10, Jessica Chicco, Director of Training for the Massachusetts Immigrant & Refugee Advocacy Coalition (MIRA), provided vital information to Revere Public School (RPS) caregivers about their rights while living in the United States.

Chicco, the Director of Training for the Massachusetts Immigrant & Refugee Advocacy Coalition (MIRA), delivered essential insights to over 100 RPS caregivers during the district’s ‘Know Your Rights’ Family Engagement Night. At the event, Chicco emphasized the rights that individuals have while living in the United States, empowering them with knowledge to navigate their immigration status effectively. The session aimed to equip caregivers with the necessary information to support themselves and their families.

With the incoming presidential administration's immigration agenda raising concerns, the session aimed to equip families with the information needed to better support themselves and their loved ones.

Topics Chicco discussed included basic rights; rights if immigration comes to your home; family preparedness; getting legal help; rights when driving; rights if immigration comes to your work; and rights in detention.

Celebrating Native American Heritage Month

Celebrating Italian American Heritage Month

Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month

Dr. Kalise Wornum, RPS Families Discuss Becoming a Culturally Proficient Caregiver Workshop Focuses on Equity and Inclusion Best Practices

Revere Public Schools Office of Equity and Inclusion kicked off a series of discussions with parents about becoming a culturally proficient caregiver.

Dr. Kalise Wornum, a nationally sought-after speaker, educational leader, workshop facilitator, and author in the field of anti-racist education and cultural competency will lead these discussions, which will continue through January.

The first discussion for all of RPS’s elementary school caregivers took place Tuesday morning at the Hill Elementary School. Later that morning, Dr. Wornum headed to Revere High School to host a workshop for all high school families. At the Susan B. Anthony Thursday she discussed cultural proficiency with middle school families.

At each workshop, Dr. Wornum shares her dynamic vision and study of best practices for having difficult conversations around race and diversity. The tools Dr. Wornum offers to caregivers and educators has brought her to the forefront of preparing classrooms and schools for educational equity in the 20th century. Dr. Wornum emphasized the importance of being open-minded and accepting when it comes to cultural proficiency.

Check out the Equity Advisory Board's End of the Year Report that was presented to the Revere Public School Committee on June 18, 2024!

RPS Celebrates Ramadan with A Special Edition of Family Liaison Cooking Series

Last week, Estaphany Rodriguez, the Family and Community Coordinator for Revere Public Schools, hosted a special segment on RevereTV’s Family Liaison Cooking Series.

In celebration of Ramadan, Rodriguez welcomed CityLab High School’s family liaison, Ouafa Kinaoui, who demonstrates the art of making traditional Moroccan tea.

Ramadan, the holiest month of the Islamic year, started at sunset on Sunday, March 10, and will end at sunset on Tuesday, April 9, 2024. During this time, observers must abstain from eating and drinking from dawn to dusk for 30 days.

Kinaoui is known in the RPS community for her delicious Moroccan mint tea, which she serves at CityLab to guests and dignitaries visiting the school.

“Today we're here at RevereTV, where, under the suggestion of so many families who keep asking about how Ouafa (Kinaoui) makes her Moroccan tea,” Rodriguez began the episode. You can watch the full episode and follow along as Kinaoui guides us through the preparation of this delightful tea here. The show is spoken in three languages: English, Arabic, and Spanish.

How Superintendents Relate to Their DEI Coordinators Will Dictate What Progress is Possible in School Districts

Within the past few years, diversity, equity and inclusion has become a national hot topic for local school districts and their communities. Consequently, many school administrators have created DEI leadership positions within their districts, but this has not made progress any easier.

Lee Teitel, founding director of the Reimagining Integration: Diverse and Equitable Schools project at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, talks about diversity initiatives. Photo by Emercyn Randolph.

At an AASA conference session on Thursday about the relationship between superintendents and their DEI leaders, Lee Teitel, founding director of the Reimagining Integration: Diverse and Equitable Schools project at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, delivered an instructive message.

With about 90 percent of superintendents white today, many are unaware of how to effectively collaborate with those responsible for diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, Teitel said.

Darnisa Amante-Jackson, founder of the Disruptive Equity Education Project, joined him in presenting on “Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Leaders and Their Superintendents – Building Stronger Partnerships.”

Revere Public Schools Launches Black History Month Resource Page

February is Black History Month. This month allows educators to take a step back and reflect on whether their curriculum and instruction includes enough diverse voices and perspectives for students to learn about Black people who have shaped our nation and world.

Carter Woodson, the "Father of Black History," once stated, "We should emphasize not Negro History, but the Negro in history. What we need is not a history of selected races or nations, but the history of the world void of national bias, race hate, and religious prejudice."

Revere Public Schools to bring the Indigo Project to the Community

Ifé Franklin’s Indigo Project infuses multiple art practices to honor the lives, histories, cultures, and traditions of African people throughout the diaspora, with a concentration on the formerly enslaved of North America.

Revere Public Schools Assistant Superintendent of Equity and Inclusion Dr. Lourenço Garcia is proud to welcome Ifé, a local artist and filmmaker, to RPS to close out the schools’ month-long celebration of Black History Month.

On Wednesday, Feb. 28, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., RPS will host a special Black History Month event with Ifé at Revere High School’s Learning Common and celebrate this year’s Black History Month theme, African Americans and the Arts.

“Honoring Black History Month provides an opportunity for Blacks/Afro-Americans and their descendants to reconnect with and learn from their ancestral roots, reclaim their identity and dignity, act affirmatively to combat racial and ethnic exclusion, and move toward the future with a renewed sense of purpose and hope,” said Dr. Garcia.

RPS, RevereTV partner for Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Revere Public Schools’ Office of Equity and Inclusion, RPS’s Tech Dept., and the Communication Dept. produced an hour-long show in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Day in conjunction with Revere TV.

The format of this show included a roundtable discussion with RHS students, moderated by Assistant Superintendent of Equity and Inclusion Dr. Lourenço Garcia. These students discussed Dr. King’s famed “I Have a Dream” speech and how his words still resonate today.