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Millions of young people in the United States are children of immigrant families. And many immigrant children are feeling high levels of fear and anxiety right now due to the current anti-immigrant political environment. All students in the U.S. have a right to public education, “regardless of a child’s or guardian’s citizenship, immigration status, or English language proficiency. These rights were upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in its landmark 1982 decision in Plyler v.

Immigrant communities continue to strengthen our diverse democracy. Through community organizing, immigrant children and their families are finding ways to navigate difficult situations. In expanding democracy to ensure inclusivity, there is much that we can learn from these efforts and how we can all support immigrant communities and those harmed by discrimination and bias. These LFJ resources can help.

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.

We know zero-tolerance policies harm children in schools; they're harming them at our borders as well. In the wake of the Trump administration's 2018 policy on the imprisonment and separation of immigrant families, we hope you'll read and share these resources. Consider how you can support the children in your classroom—and beyond.

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.

This SPLC report, Whose Heritage?, can help teach the history behind the memorialization of Confederate symbols in public spaces.

Teach students an accurate and more complete history of Native and Indigenous peoples in celebration of Native American Heritage Month—and all year long! Including information from experts at the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, these LFJ resources can help.