California Educator

APRIL 2010

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2010 Human Rights Award winners T he 2010 CTA Human Rights Awards were pre- sented March 6 at CTA’s Equity and Human Rights Con- ference, whose theme for this year, “A Nation for All: Celebrat- ing the Diversity in Education,” reflects CTA’s mission of protect- ing the dignity and rights of chil- dren and youth, and securing a more just, equitable, and demo- cratic society. The goal of the Human Rights Awards Program is to “promote the development of programs for the advance- ment and protection of human and civil rights within the asso- ciation,” says CTA President David A. Sanchez. President Sanchez was joined by Vice President Dean E. Vogel and Secretary-Treasurer Gail Mendes in welcoming and hon- oring the winners of CTA’s stand- ing awards for human rights ac- tivists in the public schools. NANCY BAILEY LEADERSHIP IN LESBIAN AND GAY ISSUES HUMAN RIGHTS AWARD: Carl Bullard, a member of the Fremont Unified District Teachers Association, is a passionate advocate for gay, les- bian, bisexual and transgender rights. He has been a trainer for NEA’s GLBT Safety and Bias Cad- re, presenting workshops across the nation. Active in his local as- sociation as the Human Rights chair, he also serves as the Wash- ington High School Gay Straight Alliance (GSA) adviser. His work has had a profound impact on his campus. The annual Day of Si- lence, Student Empowerment Summits and Youth Activism Day in Sacramento are fostering the next generation of leaders to 24 California Educator | APRIL 2010 impact legislation. Under his leadership, the GSA has lobbied for a state “day of remembrance” for Harvey Milk, which is now in- cluded in the CTA calendar. The GSA has also been a past recipi- ent of the CTA Guy De Rosa GLBT Grant and Scholarship Program, which recognized the alliance’s work to attain equality for GLBT students. JIM CLARK AMERICAN INDIAN/ ALASKA NATIVE HUMAN RIGHTS AWARD: Melodie K. George-Moore, a member of the Klamath-Trinity Teachers Association, is a teacher and tribe medicine woman on the Hoopa Indian Reservation. She strives to preserve the language of the Hupa and has worked suc- cessfully to get teachers of the Hupa, Karuk and Yurok lan- guages credentialed in Califor- nia. She also developed a cultur- al curriculum. She often uses her skills to mediate between stu- dents, educators, families and the law. She has been honored for her dedication to justice and peace for her people. CTA MEMBER HUMAN RIGHTS AWARD: Susan Pease, a Unified As- sociation of Conejo Teachers member, has established a training program called Parents Making a Difference (PMAD) in Title I ele- mentary campuses, which has in- creased the involvement of parents in their child’s education. When her district was planning to close two Title I schools, the parents she trained and organized came to school board meetings and ex- plained why their schools should stay open. Because of her training, parents and faculty joined togeth- ABOVE: At the 2010 CTA Human Rights Awards ceremony (front row left to right), CTA Vice President Dean Vo- gel, Dixie Johansen, Melodie K. George-Moore, Jill Brabson, Simone Zulu, and Sandra Fink; (back row left to right) CTA Secretary-Treasurer Gail Mendes, Jose Lara, Susan D. Pease, Andy Griggs, CTA President David A. Sanchez, and Carl D. Bullard. er to keep the school open. The campus will now will become a model school for English language learners. CÉSAR CHÁVEZ “SÍ SE PUEDE” HU- MAN RIGHTS AWARD: Jose Lara, a member of United Teachers Los Angeles, is just beginning his teaching career, but is no stranger to activism. He has been active in the Hispanic community for years — as a student, a mentor to CTA photo by Rowena Russo

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