June 28th marks the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising, when a diverse group of LGBTQ people fought back against a police raid. These resources can help you understand where this event fits on the timeline of LGBTQ history, why it matters and how you can bring the story to your classroom any time of year.
LGBTQ history is American history, and all of our students deserve to know that. This October, we hope you’ll join us in celebrating LGBTQ History Month. Here are a few of our favorite resources for learning and teaching about the contributions of LGBTQ people, including lessons, posters, articles and our podcast, Queer America, devoted exclusively to recovering this understudied history.
As you discuss Thanksgiving with students, we hope you’ll reflect and use these resources to guide them to a more comprehensive understanding. It’s critical to address the truth and violence surrounding the day while also ensuring your students feel safe and prepared. It’s also critical to uplift the voices of Indigenous people, many of whom mourn the day and the pain that accompanies it.
June 28 marks the anniversary of the start of the Stonewall uprisings. Largely led by Black and Brown trans women and gender nonconforming people of color, protesters demonstrated against routine police violence, discrimination and dehumanization. This year, we’re celebrating Pride by celebrating the intersectional history of the LGBTQ movement—and the intersectionality of current movements in support of Black lives and LGBTQ rights.
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.
Celebrate Disability Pride Month by supporting and advocating for students with disabilities. These resources include real-life examples to model accessible learning environments for all students. Center the perspectives of people with disabilities to build students' understanding of the Americans with Disabilities Act. You can also print and display this beautiful poster with a quote by educator, activist and poet Kay Ulanday Barrett.
People in the United States have long resisted domination by seeking out learning, and that tradition fuels LFJ’s current defiance against narrow views of U.S. national identity and commitment to elevate our vibrant diversity through inclusive learning. We resist the pressures of book bans and participate in advancing an expansive narrative that bolsters a dynamic, diverse democracy.
Analyzing whose perspective is centered and whose is erased in significant conversations and spheres of influence paints a clear picture—an inconvenient truth— about the pervasiveness of systemic racism. And it’s particularly important that Black children see themselves represented in these narratives—especially in those spaces where Black people are intentionally rendered invisible. These LFJ resources highlight what’s at stake in the choices we make.