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“It's natural to wish for life ‘to just get back to normal’ as a pandemic and economic crisis upend everything around us. But we have to remember that for millions of Americans, being treated differently on account of race is tragically, painfully, maddeningly ‘normal’ — whether it's while dealing with the health care system, or interacting with the criminal justice system, or jogging down the street, or just watching birds in a park.” – Barack Obama, statement on the death of George Floyd (May 29th, 2020)
If ever there was a time for Social Studies education, this is it. Alongside a global pandemic changing school and society for the foreseeable future, many students, families, teachers, and staff are grappling with the continued racial injustice that continue to perpetuate our nation. The murders of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, and George Floyd, represent a deep history of racism, oppression, and violence. As social studies educators, we must center equity and anti-racism in our words and actions. We must facilitate learning and action about the historical roots of oppression and equip our students, our families, and ourselves with the tools to take informed actions to move toward a better reality. Our social studies team is here to support you during this challenging time.
“This shouldn't be ‘normal’ in 2020 America. It can't be ‘normal.’ If we want our children to grow up in a nation that lives up to its highest ideals, we can and must be better. It will fall mainly on the officials of Minnesota to ensure that the circumstances surrounding George Floyd's death are investigated thoroughly and that justice is ultimately done. But it falls on all of us, regardless of our race or station — including the majority of men and women in law enforcement who take pride in doing their tough job the right way, every day — to work together to create a ‘new normal’ in which the legacy of bigotry and unequal treatment no longer infects our institutions or our hearts.” – Barack Obama
There are many resources available to help teachers support themselves and their students. Please see a select list below:
Thanks to Scott Abbott and DC Public Schools for their contribution to language and resources provided on this post.
As we recognize and celebrate LGTBQ Pride Month, we offer educators the following resources and guidance:
The Educator’s Guide to LGBT Pride from the Gay, Lesbian, Straight Educators Network: https://www.glsen.org/sites/default/files/Guide%20to%20LGBT%20Pride.pdf
Teaching Stonewall from Teaching Tolerance: https://www.tolerance.org/magazine/summer-2019/teaching-stonewall
BlackPast.org provides free access to documents, transcripts, timelines, videos, and lesson suggestions. With over 6,000 pages of information, BlackPast.org is the single largest free and unrestricted resource on African American and African history on the Internet today. Through this knowledge, the site aims to promote greater understanding to generate constructive change in our society.
This resource highlights teacher-developed lessons for using BlackPast.org in the classroom and links to different sections of the BlackPast.org website.
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Listen to a conversation with three change-makers who are advocates of Holocaust education and who work in Washington's school system to raise awareness of systemic racism and close the education and opportunity gap for students of color.
Teachers - Earn 1 clock hour for attending!
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Imagine if young people had a voice to create and inspire the next era in America. That is what we aim to accomplish. The purpose of the contest is to ENGAGE students in describing dynamic stories about the American Dream, REIMAGINE an inclusive and evolving vision, and drive a bold national conversation to ADVANCE and grow the American Dream for themselves and others, now and into the future.
This exciting invitation is for rising high school seniors all across America to participate in the first ever I, Too, Am the Dream contest, sponsored by The Center for Advancing the American Dream, founded by philanthropist Michael Milken.
In the contest, open from June 2 through September 14, rising high school seniors can submit written responses up to 1,000 words which could be in the form of essays, poems, spoken word, or short stories.
See the informational flyer, and visit caad.org/itooamthedream for more details.
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 The Legislative Scholar Program will be held virtually this year and is open to all interested K-12 teachers.
When: July 20-23, 2020
The Legislative Scholar Program provides social studies, history, government and civics teachers from across Washington an opportunity to learn first-hand about the state legislative process and the ways in which the Legislature, agencies, and the state Supreme Court interact.
Registration is free and participants will receive 20+ clock hours free of charge! See the flyer for more details.
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