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MLK Jr. Community Day 2023

RSVP: email to bedfordembracesdiversity@gmail.com

As part of our Martin Luther King Jr. Day observance, Bedford Embraces Diversity is holding a personal care item drive to support the Middlesex Community College Food Pantry. The MCC Food Pantry has seen a greater than ever need from students and staff this year, so any donations would be incredibly beneficial for their campus community.

Collection boxes are located at Davis, Lane and Bedford High schools and also at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Bedford.  You can also bring donations with you to the breakfast.

Items on this list include:

  • deodorant
  • body wash
  • face wash
  • dish soap
  • tissues
  • feminine hygiene products
  • shampoo
  • conditioner
  • tooth paste
  • tooth brushes
  • mouth wash
  • dental floss
  • razors
  • shaving cream
  • hand sanitizer
  • paper towels
  • toilet paper
  • hair brushes
  • laundry detergent
  • fabric softener
  • Q-tips
  • cotton balls
  • diapers
  • wipes

To make things even simpler, use this Amazon wishlist link to send donations directly to the MCC pantry office. Choose “Jonathan Crockett’s Gift Registry Address” to ship items to:

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/3RWWYFETVBM0D?ref_=wl_share

Thanks for your help! See you on Monday!

Bedford Embraces Diversity

BEDFORD EMBRACES DIVERSITY

Bedford Embraces Diversity opposes all acts of discrimination or hate, regardless of time, place, or group being targeted. While such acts prevail throughout the country and world, our position is that no-hate communities like Bedford cannot accept these in any shape or form.  The Bedford Embraces Diversity group was originally formed in 2014 in response to incidents of anti-Semitism occurring on school campuses and in town. One of three task forces formed to represent concerned citizens, including Bedford Embraces Diversity (BED), co-founded by Marilou Barsam and Valerie Rushanan, which focuses on raising community awareness and multi-cultural appreciation.  A second interfaith group was formed to represent the concern of cross-denominational clergy, and a third group was organized by school superintendent Jon Sills to focus on the school system’s curriculum and teacher/student diversity training. 

One of Bedford Embraces Diversity’s first projects was to lead residents of the Bedford community in creating a “Diversity Quilt,” consisting of individual drawings that expressed the artists’ interpretations of what diversity and respect for differences meant to them. Children and adults worked on these during Bedford Day, and the Bedford Public Library hung the completed quilt in the community exhibit area for several weeks. Since that initial event, BED, now a fully operational non-profit organization, has organized three independent “Multicultural Festivals”, which have included keynote speakers, local dance performers, artisan and craft vendors, and food purveyors representing the many varied cultures and backgrounds of people that live in Bedford. Now the multicultural festival is a permanent fixture of the town’s Bedford Day. Additionally, for the last six years BED has sponsored a Martin Luther King, Jr. memorial breakfast for the community. These events have featured panels of African American students, school administrators, or METCO graduates who candidly shared their perspectives on the state of interracial relations here in Bedford and in the country in general. 

Currently, the group is focused on building stronger relationships with the Bedford school district and town agencies like the Violence Prevention Coalition to further support an all-inclusive Bedford community. The quilt, our Facebook page, and website, and our ongoing work are meant to symbolize the unity of all individuals and remind us of our obligation to ensure that every adult and child alike feel they live in a safe and welcoming community.

Our Mission Statement

  • Educate the community about the diverse cultural, religious, racial, and gender groups that make up Bedford’s population.
  • Take actions showing that Bedford stands on the side of respecting all individuals and not on the side of bullying, hate, or violence.
  • Celebrate the wonderful benefits of living in a community like Bedford that is so rich in diversity.