Now is the time.

 Show your support for racial equity in Mill Valley!                   

This Monday, December 7, at 6:30pm ​the Mill Valley Task Force on Diversity Equity & Inclusion [DEI] will formally present their ​Report & Recommendations​ to the City outlining how we can begin to correct the historic and persistent racial inequities in our community.

The Task Force has worked tirelessly since its formation on October 7, gathering and reviewing public input, assessing local needs and priorities, and researching anti-racist best practices throughout the nation.

They are asking, first and foremost, for the establishment of a dedicated DEI Commission to provide the sustained leadership without which meaningful change will be impossible.

They have also developed solid recommendations across six facets of our civic and community life:

• DEI Leadership & City Government

• Law Enforcement

• Affordable Housing

• Culture & Recreation

• Economic Opportunity and

• Education

Here’s how you can help NOW: 

1. JOIN THE DEC 7 CITY COUNCIL MEETING via Zoom at 6:30pm              

https://cityofmillvalley.granicus.com/MetaViewer.php?view_id=2&event_id=937&meta_id=7494               

A large attendance will help show the City Council that racial equity is profoundly important to our community. There will be a public comment period if you would like to make a statement.       

2. SEND AN EMAIL TO THE CITY COUNCIL expressing your support for the Task Force Recommendations. ​(​cityclerk@cityofmillvalley.org​; ​apiombo@cityofmillvalley.org​)

[N​ote:​ your personal experiences with racism in our community, and comments on any of the Task Force recommendations that particularly resonate with you can be especially persuasive.]

Sample email:                   

Dear Mayor and City Council,

Thank you for supporting the creation of a Task Force on Diversity Equity and Inclusion. It is a small but important first step toward identifying and addressing Mill Valley’s historic and persistent racial segregation and inequities. For the sake of justice and the vitality of our community, we must commit to the serious ongoing work necessary to bring about systemic change.                   

I am writing to urge the Council to immediately undertake the two top priority initiatives in the DEI Task Force Report:                                   

1. Establish a permanent Commission on Diversity Equity & Inclusion to provide dedicated DEI Leadership and shepherd the ongoing work.                                                       
2. Develop a strategic Racial Equity Plan that will center equity in City government actions
and decision-making and support the implementation of the DEI Task Force recommendations.

Let's transform our City into a model of racial justice and inclusion that we can be proud of.

Sincerely,
                               

3. INVITE YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY to join us in this effort.

All across the country, cities and towns are facing a profound moment of racial awakening. Right now, in Mill Valley we have a choice: we can confront the difficult truths that undermine our collective values and potential; or we can revert to the complacency that has perpetuated decades of racial inequity and injustice.

Thank you for standing up for racial justice in Mill Valley! 

Grab your tickets for the virtual event of the year!

Got plans for the night of Dec 12?

How does “hanging with Hagar and Santana” sound?

Because the two music legends, and a slew of other extraordinary performers, are gathering that evening for the Performing Stars 30th Anniversary Virtual Gala Celebration.

Best of all, 100% of the proceeds from this magical “Circus of the Stars” event goes directly to support Performing Stars of Marin.

Founded in 1990 by our friend and dynamo Felecia Gaston, Performing Stars brings dance and theatre arts to underserved Marin children, and is also the hub of a zillion services and programs that benefit everyone in the community.

Here’s a sneak peek at some of the jaw-dropping talent slated to perform at the December 12th gala:

• Boston Ballet principal dancer and local Performing Stars alum John Lam

• Circus artists Anngela Burt, Cuream Jackson, Elena Sanders and Erin Shredder

• Prescott Circus, the Oakland-based theater and circus arts organization

• Plus magicians, musicians, inspiring speakers, and guest appearances by Carlos Santana and Sammy Hagar

According to Felicia, attendees can also expect “Spontaneous Bursts of Joyous Expression” throughout the evening.

Whatever those are, we know they’ll be GOOD—and we are IN!

Grab your tickets and we’ll see you December 12 at 6pm. And here's to the next 30 years of Performing Stars!

Let’s support the Marin City Learning Centers!

Students at learning center at Bridge the Gap, Marin City

"Every child—no matter their stripe or stature—deserves equal access to a quality education. That’s what we say, what we believe, and what’s required under the law…. Depriving a child of a fair chance to learn is wicked, it’s warped, it’s morally bankrupt, and it’s corrupt. Your skin color or zip code should not determine winners and losers."

~ California State Attorney General Xavier Becerra

 Right now, the academic support and individual care that many Marin families can give their children isn’t available to low-income families in our community.  

Not only has the pandemic disproportionately impacted black and brown families, but it has also laid bare persistent and pervasive inequities that are ravaging households already on the margins.

Too many of our teens simply don’t have the basics need to manage virtual school from home — no WiFi, no space to work, no supervision, no help, and often not enough food.

In response, with lightning speed three Marin City organizations have mobilized pop-up learning centers to provide these critical services to every single high-schooler in need.

The Hannah Project, Bridge the Gap, and the West Marin Community Center are currently providing full-day, in-person academic support and mentoring, at no cost, to over 50 students.

The Marin City Learning Centers are also providing two full meals a day and invaluable time for kids to connect with friends and caring adults — which, as any parent knows, is equally important to their health, well-being, and chance for success.

"A lot of these kids were marginalized before the pandemic," says the Hannah Project’s executive director, Bettie Hodges. "And with distance learning, they were climbing the walls. They were isolated. We're making this a community space for them."

Let’s show our support for the kids in our community, and for the Marin City organizations working tirelessly every day to keep these learning centers running.

Their vital efforts can only continue with sustaining donations from individuals and organizations. 

Find out more here, and please consider making your gift to the Marin City Learning Centers today! 

Join the MV DEI conversation Tomorrow Night

The Mill Valley DEI Task Force has been gathering — and gaining momentum — over the past few weeks, forming subcommittees to work on specific areas such as affordable housing, education, police training and recruitment, and community services. 

Mark your calendars for the Task Force’s first Public Engagement Meeting tomorrow, November 5, from 7-9 pm. Everyone in our community is invited to take part, learn more about the Task Force’s mission, and share what is important to us.

Please register now to join the Zoom conversation.

By sharing our priorities and values, our hopes and dreams, we can all help shape a more just, equitable, and inclusive community in Mill Valley.

A community where everyone BELONGS.

For more scoop on the Task Force, including goals, timeline, and ways to get involved, please visit Mill Valley’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion web page.

Thanksgiving Food Drive is ON - please donate today!

Thanksgiving is just a few weeks away, and our friends at Performing Stars are rounding up 500 turkey dinners - yep, that’s FIVE HUNDRED - to make it a warm and deliciously nourishing one for low income families in Southern Marin.

Volunteers are already hard at work assembling baskets with turkey, stuffing, and a cornucopia of the traditional trimmings.

Please donate today to help fill every basket in time for the holiday!

Imagine a world-class school

The Sausalito Marin City School District is poised to make history by unifying around an exciting new vision of a racially and socially just, top-quality educational community for our children.

HOTV, along with MVCan, Indivisible Sausalito, and many other local organizations, supports Lisa Bennett for Sausalito Marin City School Board.

Now is the time to get the word out to as many voters as possible. Can you help with phone-banking, hosting zooms, waving signs, and walking neighborhoods for some contactless, socially distanced literature drops? If you can spare even a few hours, please sign up here. 

Their Volunteer Kickoff is THIS FRIDAY, October 16 at 4:30 PM. Please join us to meet our volunteer leaders and get started!  RSVP here.

We know that together we can create a world-class, equitable and integrated school. Please help make sure every Sausalito and Marin City resident knows, too.

Ready, set, VOTE!

Blink and you could miss Election Day. Do you have a plan?

One of the main goals of Heart of the Village is to help each and every one of you create and sustain your own social justice practice. Voting in our local, state and national elections is crucial to that practice.

Whether this is your first time voting or your fiftieth, we want you to do it up this year! Most of you know how very much is at stake this election. So all of us here at HOTV challenge you to go big.

Of course, Covid is changing the voting game this election cycle, so we could all use an upgrade to our game plans.

We’re doing the usual brushing up on the issues and candidates, powwowing with friends and family, and doing our research now so we’ll be ready when the big day arrives. But there are practical decisions to be made, and details to batten down.

Here are a few tips for making it count:

VOTE BY MAIL

• Don’t forget to sign and date your ballot envelope

• Post your ballot by October 27 so it has plenty of time to arrive on time

• Or bring to your local drop box before November 3

• Track your ballot with BallotTrax - signing up is quick and easy

• Missed the deadline to mail in your ballot? No problem - just drop it off at any polling place on Nov. 3

VOTE IN PERSON

• Still need to register to vote? It’s not too late to sign up for Same Day Voter Registration

• Find your polling place now, and pre-plan your time and transportation.

• Replenish your supplies of masks, hand sanitizer and other supplies. Most experts agree voting in person is fairly low-risk with a few advance precautions.

• Want more info to plan your day? Marin County has all the details on their Voter Info Portal.



In person or by mail, for or against, in your PJs or your Halloween Costume — however you decide to vote, just get out there and do it!

Meet Mill Valley’s New DEI Task Force

Mill Valley’s DEI Task Force is afoot!

Hand-picked for their expertise, creativity, leadership and focus, over twenty new members are now tasked with providing input and recommendations to address systemic racism and injustice in Mill Valley.

Among the new ranks is HOTV’s very own Halicue Hanna, so we’ll be bringing you regular updates and action items. (Don’t forget to sign up for our email alerts!)

Task Force meetings will be open and well-publicized for continued community input and participation. After a series of meetings, the committee will produce a written report of their recommendations and present them to the City Council.

“The talents, interests, and commitment to DEI and anti-racism by everyone who applied to serve on the DEI Task Force are commendable,” says DEI Facilitator Patricia Patton. “I look forward to working with the DEI Task Force members who are amazing and dedicated to representing different voices of the Mill Valley community.”

For more scoop on the Task Force, including goals, timeline, and ways to get involved, please visit Mill Valley’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion web page.