Teachers are reckoning with a multitude of difficult, complex subjects that our world is facing, and how to engage with students about them. Here are just a few resources, opinions, and stories about Juneteenth, in the light of its recognition as a national holiday, and ideas for the larger conversations that it invokes. So You Want to Learn About Juneteenth? An introduction to the most recent federally-recognized national holiday: Juneteenth commemorates June 19th, 1865, when enslaved African-Americans in Texas learned of their emancipation. The history of the holiday, though, is still unfolding as legislation and cultural shifts unfold after the killing of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement. Teachers Say Laws Banning Critical Race Theory are Putting a Chill on Their Lessons As Juneteenth is commemorated, Asian-American hate crimes are on the rise, the 100-year anniversary of the Tulsa Race Massacre passes, and the Black Lives Matter Movement is still burning brightl
Our organization has had the pleasure of serving educators all over Rhode Island and other parts of the New England region and sometimes the conversations we have in our shared spaces spark incredible ideas. In May, at a Culturally Responsive Teaching Application session, I had the privilege of speaking with an educator about the need for more resources around allyship and advocacy for the LGBTQIA+ community in his building. What began as a casual back and forth inspired the programming outlined below, and spurred connections with other organizations and individuals leading this work around Rhode Island. We hope to really expand this for next year, and if you are someone who would like to partner with us, we’d love to talk more. One observation that became glaringly apparent is that the transformative, deliberate efforts to improve outcomes and create safe environments for LGBTQIA+ youth and families in our schools and communities is siloed. Many people are working on this, but haven’