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WHAT IS TITLE VI?

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Title VI information

Save Your VI is a grassroots movement dedicated to protecting the rights of students. Founded by a group of concerned parents in Northern California, our organization is committed to ensuring that all students have access to a safe, equitable, and inclusive learning environment.
Inspired by our personal experiences with discrimination in our children's schools, we have become passionate advocates for student rights. We believe that every student deserves to be treated with dignity and respect, regardless of their race, ethnicity, or background.
Our mission is to raise awareness of students' Title VI rights and empower individuals to take action. We provide resources, support, and guidance to students, parents, and educators who are facing discrimination or harassment.

Through our efforts, we aim to:

Promote educational equity: Advocate for policies that ensure all students have equal access to educational opportunities.
Combat discrimination: Raise awareness of discrimination and harassment in schools and provide resources for victims.
Empower students: Equip students with the knowledge and tools to protect their rights.
Foster a positive school climate: Create a safe and inclusive learning environment for all students.

We are grateful for the support of our dedicated volunteers, donors, and partners. Together, we are making a difference in the lives of students across the country.

Join us in the fight for student rights and help create a brighter future for all.

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Raquel Mack

(she/her) is a founding member of Save Your Six and has been a Title VI educator for over seven years. Raquel’s work is centered on ensuring that Black and Brown students have access to equal educational opportunities. As an advocate, her goal is to fight against these injustices and to work to ensure that Black and Brown students have access to the same quality education as their peers. Through her efforts, Raquel seeks to promote Title VI awareness in education, and to hold accountable those who violate the Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Raquel resides in San Rafael with her husband, two kids, two cats and one dog.

Celeste Winders

(she/her/ella) is a founding member of Save Your Six. She lives in Sonoma, CA with her husband and children. She is the parent of three BIPOC children with IEPs for a variety of disabilities. She has had to advocate for the civil rights of her own children who belong to multiple protected classes. This journey led Celeste to seek extensive training in the area of the intersection of disability and Title VI and Title IX in public education. This training along with her own large body of advocacy work and knowledge on the subject of the intersection of disability, race, and gender has led Celeste to leading trainings on the subject through consulting firm, Strategic Education Advocacy.

D’mitra Smith

(she/her/ella) was the Chair and Vice Chair of the Sonoma County Commission on Human Rights from 2012-2020. She authored the 2018 report “Discrimination and Bullying in Our Schools”; and co-authored the 2020 report “Human Rights Violations in Santa Rosa: Policing the Black Lives Matter Protests”, garnering an award from the San Jose State Human Rights Institute. She is the founder of the Sonoma County Human Rights Visibility Project, an online reporting tool in eighteen languages; and a founding member of the essential workers’ collective Food for All – Comida para Todos in Sonoma Valley. Dmitra is a founding member of Save Your VI, providing education and advocacy for BIPOC students through Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Johanna Pino

(she/her) is a Brand Strategist & Creative Director and founding member of Save Your Six living and working in Marin County, California. She has worked in corporate branding, strategy, and information design for over 25 years and brings her professional expertise to Title VI awareness and advocacy. Since 2015, she has brought Title VI information to her local school district, school board meetings, and local politicians and action groups. She participated in the 2-year “Equity Learning and Action Working Group” for the Miller Creek School District in Marin county.

Kirstyne Lange

(she/her) has dedicated her life to diversity, equity and inclusion. As a long- term resident of the San Francisco Bay Area, Kirstyne prides herself on creating policies of inclusion in education, government and law enforcement. She received her Master’s Degree in Public Administration with an emphasis in Nonprofit Management from Sonoma State University, and was a founding board member of the Sonoma County IOLERO – CAC, advocating for safer policing. Kirstyne was on the Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion hiring committees for a number of K12 independent private schools and is the founder of KL Consulting, an inclusivity consulting firm in the North Bay area.

Whether you’re a student, a concerned adult, or an educator, you can help make our schools safe places to learn.

Save Your Six has developed these resource toolkits to help students, trusted adults, and school employees help themselves.

SAVEYOURSIX

We would like to gather data about schools, school districts, and colleges across the country, and their compliance with Title VI. We’re asking you to send us information about your school and school district.

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