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The MTA’s Human Relations Committee recently presented the Louise Gaskins Lifetime Civil Rights Award to Inclusive Eats, a student-led group tackling food insecurity through a lens of cultural sensitivity. The Committee also awarded the Kathleen Roberts Creative Leadership Award to Raising Multicultural Kids, an organization formed by parents and education professionals that is bringing BIPOC instructors into public schools to spark discussions about race and identity.

The two organizations were recognized at the HRC’s annual awards dinner, held June 14 in Worcester.

Belmont educator Denise LaPolla, chair of the HRC, presented the awards to Woburn brothers Luke and Noah Sheldon, of Inclusive Eats, and to Raising Multicultural Kids co-founders Kelly Lamb and Denise Barbosa Lane.

For 40 years, the MTA has been recognizing its members and community activists dedicated to advancing racial and social justice, LaPolla noted.

“During this time, the MTA has honored leaders, activists, advocates, role models, risk takers, organizers and innovators,” LaPolla said. “The range of award winners has been broad, but they all share a passion and commitment to enriching the lives of those they serve. Tonight, we will be adding two new organizations to this impressive list.”

Woburn resident Lisa Sullivan of the Lexington Education Association nominated Inclusive Eats for the Louise Gaskins Lifetime Civil Rights Award. The award is given to those who display leadership and tenacity in advocating for the rights of others. This award is named after a pioneer in the MTA’s ongoing commitment to fighting for the rights of women, people of color and marginalized communities.

Twins Noah and Luke Sheldon started Inclusive Eats a year ago. Noah had been volunteering at a food pantry and realized how the offerings lacked a cultural component.

“As a Brazilian-American, I cooked various Brazilian dishes with my mother,” he said. “This served as a way for me to not only learn more about my culture, but also as a way for me to love and embrace it. I recognized the disparity when I saw what this pantry looked like, combined with knowing how diverse my community is, now more than ever. After doing research, I found that one-in-five families in Massachusetts are food insecure, including one-in-three BIPOC families.”

The Sheldon brothers recruited close friends to spread awareness about the role food plays in nurturing a culturally diverse and inclusive community. Working with other social service organizations, Inclusive Eats not only collected and distributed food to pantries but also held community dinners and other events to promote the need to have culturally relevant foods in pantries and food banks.

“Long-lasting change starts with the individual sparking broader movements,” Luke Sheldon said. “Every person in this room has the power to create change. No matter how young you might be, you can create a positive impact on our society.”

Their mission is gaining momentum. Students in New Mexico and New York are opening chapters of Inclusive Eats. Closer to home, Noah Sheldon says Inclusive Eats will continue to holding events to raise funds and awareness.

“We believe events can get people to notice and realize that if a group of kids is trying this hard to bring attention to the need for culturally relevant foods, then maybe I shouldn’t get a can of clam chowder or green beans for my school’s food drive. That is the notion we want to set,” he said.

State representative and former MTA President Carol Doherty nominated Raising Multicultural Kids for the Kathleen Roberts Creative Leadership Award. Former MTA president Kay Roberts, who died in 2017 the age of 103, was a tireless advocate for public education by being a mentor, political activist and community organizer.

Raising Multicultural Kids began in Easton and is now in five communities engaging students from preK to 12.

RMK’s main goal is to expand the ranks of BIPOC educators in public schools. The group is encouraging college students to be instructors, in part by having them visit public schools to lead discussions based on books that address differing aspects of cultural and racial identity.

“Long-lasting change starts with the individual sparking broader movements. Every person in this room has the power to create change. No matter how young you might be, you can create a positive impact on our society.”

– Luke Sheldon, a co-founder of Inclusive Eats, the recipient of the Louise Gaskins Lifetime Civil Rights Award.

These conversations engender racial sensitivity and improve school climate, and the program gets young people of color interested in becoming full-time educators. 

“I don’t think Denise or I even imagined we’d receive recognition on a platform like this. When I think back to the beginning, I’m not even sure how we got to where we are today,” Lamb said.

Lamb noted that, for RMK, it all started when her daughter was in kindergarten and targeted by bullies for having brown skin. The young girl told her parents and school officials that having a Black teacher would make other students realize that brown skin is OK.

Lamb said that a strong community response made RMK’s launch successful and sustained the organization’s growth.

“We have been able to push through challenges because we have a strong community,” she said.

Each award bestowed by the HRC comes with a financial contribution to the organizations that are recognized.

MTA President Max Page applauded the HRC’s work to lift up the organizations and activists dedicated to improving the quality of life for students and families.

“We can’t have an impact on what goes on in the classroom without addressing what goes on outside of the classroom,” he said.