About
Founded in 2019, COAR is a volunteer-run organization dedicated to promoting education and action to address the impacts of systemic racism in our community and beyond.
LearningLead our communities in antiracist education by:
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ActionEliminate racial inequities in our community by
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April 7, 2019 |
Four Thoreau parents met to participate in a Raising Race Conscious Children webinar. We enjoyed the conversation and learned so much that we decided to meet again.
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April 24, 2019 |
The Concord-Carlisle Parent Association hosted Debby Irving as part of their Speaker Series, talking about her book, Waking Up White. Thoreau parents attended the event as the next step in their learning journey.
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May 2019 |
Our small group of Thoreau parents exchanged resources via email and invited a few more friends to join the conversation.
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June 11, 2019 |
Now a group of seven, we met again to continue our conversation about race and racism. We used episodes of Red Table Talk as the catalyst for our discussion.
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July 2019 –
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Expanding our group to eleven, we met periodically in person and also exchanged resources via email. Some members read White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo. Others attended a "Song and Story Workshop" by InterPlay focused on exploring racism through storytelling, dance and movement. Another subgroup attended a book discussion for Raising White Kids by Jennifer Harvey.
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February 2020 |
From January to February, our email list increased by 200%. Fifteen members attended an in-person discussion, many of whom were new to the group. We also began laying the groundwork to start our Thoreau Elementary parent-teacher discussion group to connect teachers in the same learning we were doing at home.
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March 2020 |
The pandemic hit, and we decided to take a moment to formalize our group. We drafted discussion guidelines and a mission statement. We officially became COAR (Communities Organizing Against Racism, Concord-Carlisle-Boston).
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Summer 2020 |
We hosted a 3-month book discussion group, reading How to Be an Antiracist by Ibram X Kendi, and grew COAR's email list from 15 to over 100 members. We also connected with over 20 community groups working on racial justice efforts in Concord and the surrounding communities. In the schools, we advocated for mandatory teacher training focused on anti-racist school practices.
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Fall 2020 –
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In the community, we hosted 8 Discussion Group meetings attended by 20+ participants each month, and facilitated 5 Action Group meetings to move initiatives forward with the support of COAR volunteers and partner community organizations.
In the schools, we facilitated 7 Parent-Teacher Learning meetings at Thoreau Elementary School. We also advocated for the creation of a district-wide Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. A Director of DEI was hired in July 2021. |
May 2021 |
To support teachers in their efforts to incorporate diversity into their classrooms, COAR coordinated a Concord Ed Fund grant for all three elementary schools to support the purchase of new multicultural books for 5th grade classrooms.
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June 2021 |
In partnership with local community organizations, COAR launched the first June Journeys, a month-long series of events exploring racial equity and social justice.
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Summer 2021 |
COAR hosted a 3-month podcast discussion group, listening to the 1619 Project Podcast by Nikole Hannah-Jones.
In the community, we advocated for the creation of a DEI Commission for the town of Concord; a DEI Commission was approved by the Select Board in August 2021. In the schools, COAR co-authored a Letter to the Editor, published in the Concord Journal, expressing support for the Concord School District's commitment to learning around DEI issues and commitment to change where needed. |
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© COAR 2022
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