- Good afternoon Fowler Family!
- COVID UPDATE:
- Yesterday, 2/3 Dallas County reported 1356 new cases and 50 deaths
- This is sadly a record number of deaths for Dallas County
- Our numbers are starting to come down – number of new cases and the positivity rate and that is a glimmer of good news
- FOWLER UPDATES:
- Yesterday we continued with our vaccine clinics at Fowler
- 82% of our staff has been vaccinated and that is great news – this builds up one more layer of defense for our residents
- At PNCC 91% of our residents have received vaccines
- As of this Friday, 95% of our FCA assisted living will be vaccinated
- And 100% of JLC did their part to stop COVID
- We continue to work toward securing additional vaccines for our FCA independent living residents; Gentry and Billie are working every lead to protect our residents at FCA
- I heard from Annie Jones today that the briefing from Tuesday was printed in miniature size – I don’t know what happened there but we will reprint and get that out to you
- BLACK HISTORY MONTH:
- As Nicole shared on Tuesday, we will be celebrating Black History Month during our briefings and I have selected the story of Ruby Bridges to share with you today
- Before I started working in senior living, I worked for an organization that produced large expos at the convention center.
- Most of the time, our speaker was a celebrity, but one year, we invited Ruby Bridges
- Meeting Ruby, hearing her speak, is one of the most memorable experiences of my career
- I had never heard of Ruby Bridges before that; you may or may not be familiar with her story.
- Ruby was born in September 1954 in Mississippi, the oldest of 5 children. When she was 4 her family moved to New Orleans
- Three months before she was born, the Supreme Court ruled that racial segregation in public schools was unconstitutional. In Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, the unanimous decision stated that ‘separate educational facilities are inherently unequal and violated the 14th Amendment
- As is often the case, the courts rule, but the facilitation of the rulings are not decided
- In this instance, the court ruled that the states should proceed with ‘deliberate speed’
- However, most states in the south did not rush and in 1960 schools were not desegregated
- Under significant pressure from the federal government, the New Orleans School Board administered an entrance exam to students at Ruby’s school with the intention of keeping black children out of white schools
- Ruby was one of 6 children who passed the test
- On November 14, 1960 Ruby Bridges made history becoming the first black child to attend a segregated elementary school in the south
- That morning, 4 federal marshals accompanied her and her mother to school and they do so the entire school year
- Ruby walked in past picket lines, hearing racial slurs and ugly cheers
- She is the subject of a famous Norman Rockwell’s painting, The Problem We All Live With
- That year, Ruby was in a class of 1
- Only one teacher would agree to teach her and no other child was in her class
- Except for her teacher Mrs. Henry, Ruby learned alone, ate alone and played alone – she was not allowed on the playground or in the cafeteria
- Within a year, children came back to school and Ruby had classmates for 2nd grade
- There have been many movies about Ruby
- Numerous interviews on YouTube
- She is an author of children’s books, her latest book came out in November
- She has received numerous awards for her life’s work
- She is now chair of the Ruby Bridges Foundation, which she formed in 1999 to promote “the values of tolerance, respect, and appreciation of all differences” Describing the mission of the group, she says, “racism is a grown-up disease and we must stop using our children to spread it”
- This story touches me on so many levels
- As a parent, I can’t imagine the fear of her parents and admire their bravery and strength
- Ruby and I are almost the same age – but our first-grade experiences were much different, for no other reason than the color of our skin
- In my lifetime, just 60 years ago
- When I moved to Texas in 1968, our schools in Plano were fully integrated as if they always were, and I think of the progress and the change in spirit and heart in 8 short years
- And that gives me hope
- Like Martin Luther King, Ruby’s message is one of love
- Today following the briefing at 2:30pm, the movie “Ruby Bridges” will play on Channel 2 – so please switch over and enjoy!
- RESIDENT BIRTHDAYS!
- 2/02- Bill M (JLC)
- 2/04- Greg K (FCA)
- 2/05- Philip O & Sheila D (FCA)
- 2/08- Jeanette C (FCA)
- 2/09- Roscoe S (FCA)
- 2/10- Judith T (FCA)
- RESIDENT MOVE-IN ANNIVERSARIES:
- 2 years- Agnes M (FCA)
- 3 yrs- Martha K (FCA)
- 4 years- Monette J (PNCC)
- 4 years- Ruby W (FCA)
- 6 years- Tamara M (FCA)
- 7 years- Jedediah S (FCA)
- 8 years – Fannie K (FCA)
- 10 yrs- Veda S (FCA)
- 12 yrs- Becky M (FCA)
- 14 years – Wilma J(FCA)
- 32 years – Ann J (FCA)
Make it a great day on purpose!
All COVID Updates are posted on our website – www.fowlercommunities.org/covid19/
COVID Hotline: Phone: 214-515-7184 • Spanish Speaking Line: 214-515-1385
Email: Covid19info@fowlercommunities.org
COVID-19 Mental Health Support Line 24 hours a day, 7 days a week toll-free at 833-986-1919
