Whose Renaissance Is It?

Last week, a 6-year-old black girl and another unidentified 6-year-old child were arrested at their Florida school. The girl was handcuffed and taken to a juvenile detention center. Her fingerprints and mugshot were taken, and she was charged with battery. No child deserves such treatment—and no school should excuse it. Here, we share resources for creating and supporting schools where all children feel safe to learn and grow.
The same day a Black man and a Jewish man were voted into the U.S. Senate, a mob toting Confederate and Nazi flags attacked the U.S. Capitol. As you teach about Martin Luther King Jr. ahead of his birthday observation, acknowledge the link between the racism he resisted and the violence we witnessed at the Capitol. These resources will help foster related discussions within the context of U.S. history.
On May 31, 1921, white supremacist terrorists attacked the Greenwood community in Oklahoma, killing up to 300 Black residents and burning over 1,000 homes. We don’t know the exact number: For too long, the history of this and other acts of racist terror across the United States were intentionally kept quiet. We urge you to teach the truth about Tulsa and other hard histories. These resources can help.