Diversifying Classroom Texts

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.
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., born January 15, 1929, became the most well known leader of the modern civil rights movement. But the truth of King’s legacy is often whitewashed and sanitized. On his birthday, MLK Day and year round, use these resources to provide students with a more complete, radical context of King's fight for justice—and discuss how his work still creates ripples today.
On this National Voter Registration Day, September 28, we urge educators to engage all students in understanding the registration process and provide eligible youth with the information they need to vote. It is an especially critical time to discuss voting, as recent legislation aimed at limiting voting rights, an ongoing pandemic and natural disasters make participation in the democratic process more challenging and more crucial. We hope these LFJ resources will help!
In fall 2023, Charles Person, the youngest of the 13 original Freedom Riders, generously opened his home for a conversation with Learning for Justice. We are honored to share with you a video excerpt from that conversation wherein Person recounts parts of his story, imparts wisdom and offers suggestions for ways people can engage in justice movements.
This conversation is the first in a series of interviews with veterans of the Civil Rights Movement.
Do you believe in strengthening our democracy? Do you support a more inclusive society? In responding to book bans, educational censorship and attempts at excluding some communities from public school spaces, Learning for Justice’s magazine and publications offer guidance and inspiration on critical issues in education.
Social justice education is crucial right now to develop the next generation of responsible decision-makers. This week’s resources from the Fall 2023 Learning for Justice magazine explain the importance of educating children early and in age-appropriate ways about their identities and key concepts about race. And they point out the significance of learning about honest history, in the classroom and in communities, as we reckon with the past to build a more just future.