Solidarity as Social and Emotional Safety

In this issue of Teaching Tolerance magazine, learn more about the under-reported crisis of suicide among black children, the ways anti-LGBTQ organizations are targeting schools and so much more. And check out our poster featuring the advice Toni Morrison shared with her students: “If you are free, you need to free somebody else.”
Yesterday, the police officer who shot Atatiana Jefferson inside her home during a wellness check was charged with murder. But the grief and righteous anger at her killing continue today. How will you talk with your students about injustice, police violence and the fact that black lives matter? Here are a few places to begin.
This year, the Fourth of July arrives amid protests against racism and police brutality toward Black Americans and a focus on the role white supremacy has always played in the United States. As these resources show, this holiday and its symbols are tied to a long tradition of protest and demands that our nation make good on its promise of freedom for all.
After this weekend, we—like many members of our community—are mourning the police shootings that killed Trayford Pellerin in Louisiana and left Jacob Blake in serious condition in a Wisconsin hospital. We understand how hard it can be to know how to support students in the face of ongoing police violence against Black people in the United States. We hope these resources will help.