Sanford High School

On Wednesday, February 6, the Sanford Civil Rights Team sponsored Mr. Brandon Baldwin, the director of the Maine Civil Rights Team Project, to speak to the student body of Sanford High School about bias, its effects on communities, and the implications of what happens when bias is taken a little too far.  He highlighted the six areas that our Civil Rights Team focuses on--race and ethnicity, religion, disabilities, gender identity and expression, national origin and ancestry, and sexual orientation--which are also protected by Maine Civil Rights law.  His presentation to the students, and later workshop with the SHS and SRTC staff in the afternoon, gave everyone a common language to help the Civil Rights Team launch their ally campaign, the first of three required projects.  The Team presented students with a guide to Speak Up Against Bias and other strategies to be allies to those facing biased confrontations. The goals of the Civil Rights team are to help our school community stand up to bias, to engage in difficult conversations, to improve our climate and culture, to support career education and positive workplace interactions, and to promote a civil exchange of ideas.