On Thursday, June 1 , 2017, the Five Cities Diversity Coalition, in conjunction with Lucia Mar Unified School District officials, will preside at the unveiling ceremony of a major public arts work being installed at the entrance of Arroyo Grande High School. Five Cities Diversity Coalition provides resources promoting and celebrating the inclusion and affirmation of diversity in our communities.
The 11-foot tall sculpture entitled “Arboring Our Roots of Diversity”, designed by three Arroyo Grande High School students, and constructed under the direction of Jim Trask, a well-known local sculptor and artist, will serve as a prominent public symbol of the need for an understanding and acceptance of the equality of race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation and all the physical and mental abilities, comprising our individual identities, as well as a constant reminder that this equality is an essential component of any proud, peaceful and prosperous community.
The sculpture is funded by the Coalition with the generous support of numerous local Donor organizations and individuals.
The Coalition was formed in 2011, in part as a response to a widely reported cross burning incident in Arroyo Grande. In the past five years, under the leadership of Dr. W. David Conn, it has concentrated on its conviction that the best time to reach people on such a critical issue is while they are still young, before their personal belief systems are fully formed. This resulted in such activities as co-sponsoring guest speakers at Lucia Mar middle schools, delivering a powerful “anti-bullying” message, and sponsoring the “I AM” exhibit, in which hundreds of adults and kids of all ages expressed on canvas the qualities they believe makes them unique as individuals.
Michael Boyer, the Coalition’s Board Chair, states “In the future, a major goal of the Coalition will be to expand its guest Speakership Program to also include elementary schools, providing resources and curriculum materials to teachers themselves, encouraging them to – address the subject as part of all students’ learning experience”.
Sadly, Dr. Conn did not live to see the installation of “ARBORING OUR ROOTS of DIVERSITY” as he passed away suddenly on March 15, 2017. The sculpture will be dedicated in his memory.
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