You Spoke, We Listened

Reader Reactions

Teaching Tolerance’s new film kit, Selma: The Bridge to the Ballot, generated excitement among educators. 

I received an email today about a Teaching Tolerance toolkit related to the Selma march. I cannot express to you how happy that email made me feel. … Most of my students have never and probably will never visit Selma, Alabama, in their lifetime. ...

My college advisor and mentor, Charles Burke, took me and around a dozen other students through the South in order to visit and learn about the American Civil Rights movement. … I can remember how proud he was to take us to the [Edmund] Pettus Bridge, to meet activists like Farmer, Lewis, Nash. …Teaching Tolerance & the SPLC were big parts of those journeys. Thank you, and keep up the good work.
—Submitted by James Lautzenheiser 

There are no words that can accurately describe the profound effect your films, lesson plans and articles have had and continue to have with my students. Our community has very limited diversity, and this makes me believe I have a responsibility to bring a knowledge of our history of civil rights. … [I] am so very excited about viewing this new film with my students.
—Submitted by Karen Mitchell

Letters

Readers had a lot to say about our Spring “storytelling” issue, the new film kit about Selma and much more.

Many Foot Soldiers

[On “Online Exclusive! Martin Luther King and the Montgomery Story”] I have seen photos from the comic book about King and the Montgomery Bus Boycott. It was amazing! I had one criticism, however; little was mentioned about the many people who helped to make this a success. In the storyline, it appeared that King, single-handedly, ended the boycott. This is not to take away from the information provided in the comic book. Dr. King was a “Man for All Time” who did indeed change the world!
—Anonymous, via tolerance.org

Praise for Fellow Educator

[On “Get Where You Need to Go”] What a wonderful administrator, [t]o see such joy in diversity. … I work in an elementary school, but I gleaned some ideas about conversations with students from this interview. Thank you, Manuel J. Fernandez and TT.
—Anonymous, via tolerance.org

Sharing Our Stories

[On “Student Voices Are Clear. Listen.”] I am an immigrant, and I just recently discovered how powerful it is to share that part of my identity with students. When we are authentic and openhearted about our stories, our students will feel safe and empowered to share theirs.
—Regina Santiago

Obeying the Law

[I] think there is one vital point that was not discussed in [“Ferguson, U.S.A.”] that should have been. ... [T]here are consequences to breaking the law and laws are not specific to any nationality or ethnicity. … That person decided to go from committing a minor infraction to a felony by deciding to take the actions he did. He would still be alive today had he obeyed the law. None of that was brought out in your article. Too bad you missed a teachable moment.
—Brookes Spencer, via email

Hate Symbol? 

I just wanted to point out that what you refer to [in “Hate in the Hallways”] as a “Celtic cross” … would probably be more accurately called “Odin’s cross.” I have a beautiful Celtic cross necklace from my time teaching in Scotland and an Irish one hanging in my home with a lovely blessing on it. I hate to have something I associate with my own culture and pride associated with something as hateful as the group mentioned in your article. Thank you[.]
—Heather Romano, via email

Editor’s Note: You raise an important point; renditions of this symbol are used and appreciated by non-extremists. We should have noted this explicitly in “Hate in the Hallways.”