So much has happened this year, so we want to acknowledge our new Teaching Tolerance community members. We have compiled some of our favorite resources for educators as we work together to achieve more equitable schools. Whether you’ve been with us for a while or you’re brand new to TT, welcome! We appreciate you and all you do.
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.
News of a Florida principal’s refusal to expand mandatory Holocaust education because he must remain “politically neutral” has been met with disbelief and anger. But it’s just an extreme example of a concern we hear all the time: Accusations of partisanship are used to pressure educators into silence on topics that matter. These resources are reminders that not every story has two sides—and it’s educators’ job to teach students the truth.
News right now is dominated by rhetoric that casts immigrants as dangerous and is likely leaving Americans of many identities, including some of your students, feeling fearful and angry. Today, consider using these resources to teach your students about the long legacy of mistrust and discrimination immigrants from many countries have endured and how we can all use our voices to resist myths and misinformation.
National Hispanic Heritage Month is September 15 through October 15. And while we’re grateful for teachers who respect and uplift the identities of all of their students year-round, we also appreciate heritage months that offer a special opportunity to celebrate—and center—marginalized identities. To kick off the celebration in your classroom or school, here are a few of our favorite resources for honoring, learning and teaching about Hispanic heritage.
Freedom Summer not only marked the mobilization of civil rights organizers in Mississippi during the 1960s, but it also yielded the creation of Freedom Schools and historic legislation. The fight for civil rights continues today, from voting rights to efforts to keep educators from teaching truthfully about our country’s full history. Use these resources next school year to help students contextualize Freedom Summer and how it connects to movements today.
Amid ongoing anti-trans legislation proposals, we urge you to acknowledge, uplift and teach about transgender women on this International Women’s Day—and throughout the year. This interview with transgender activist Hazel Edwards will help you reflect on ways to create a more inclusive environment for trans students. And displaying these One World posters featuring quotes by transgender women advocates will let your transgender students know you support them.