The news—and disturbing footage—of police officers assaulting an unarmed black teenager in Florida last week shines yet another spotlight on the dangers black youth face every day. Your students have likely seen the video and conversation surrounding #JusticeForLucca. These resources will help you understand how this violent footage can affect students, how to discuss this news with them and how you can bring #BlackLivesMatter into your classroom.
Even if your students are too young to vote, there are plenty of ways they can get involved in the last few days of this year's election season. Try sharing our Voting and Voices pledge and Story Corner video to encourage them to talk with their families about voting. Or check out our Voting and Voices classroom resources for ready-to-use lessons, texts and activities that can get students of all ages excited about Tuesday's elections!
August 23 is International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition. With blatant, nationwide attempts to keep truth-telling out of schools, it’s especially critical to teach the whole truth about American slavery. Use our Teaching Hard History framework, its accompanying online archives and databases, and this film to help you and your students dig deeper into lessons about the slave trade and its lasting effects, as well as an often-forgotten part of our nation’s history: Indigenous enslavement.
