As Martin Luther King Jr. Day approaches, educators across the nation will teach about King’s life and works. Countless others will echo his famous quotes. Few will offer a full picture of who King truly was—or of the collectivist movement that surrounded him. These resources can help you offer a fuller account of King, his peers and the ongoing legacy of their shared dreams and actions.
January 6 marks the first anniversary of a violent, primarily white mob storming the U.S. Capitol. Rooted in misinformation, the insurrection didn’t exist in a vacuum—and the ramifications of the attack are ongoing. These LFJ resources can help you have critical conversations with your students about the insurrection and teach young people digital literacy skills to stop the spread of more misinformation.
During this winter break, we hope you’ll take extra time to check in with yourself. We are especially proud of your work this year amidst all that is happening around you. Watch this webinar as a reminder of the importance of educator self-care. And take some time to check out recent books we’re reading and films we’re watching that affirm identities, celebrate diversity and highlight justice.
It’s common for teachers and schools to turn to holiday-themed worksheets and projects at this time of year. But for some students, these are not inclusive of their cultures, identities and traditions. Here are some LFJ resources that offer ways to find balance in your curriculum and facilitate classroom discussions around inclusion while respecting religious and non-religious differences.
To mark the anniversary, teach a more complex version of this historic milestone and the civil rights movement. LFJ has resources to help. Listen to this podcast episode and watch this webinar—based upon our guide by the same title—to help students delve deeper into the history of Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott. For additional context, students can discuss Browder v. Gayle, an often unheard-of civil rights case that overturned segregated public transportation in the South.
In a year during which lawmakers across the country continue to restrict the rights of transgender people—particularly transgender students—we encourage you to propose supportive policies and lead critical conversations about transgender and nonbinary students at school. These resources can help.
