We commemorate this Fourth of July in the shadow of assaults on our human rights and bodily autonomy from those who do not uphold the values of democracy. We recognize that these efforts to strip away our rights are a backlash to positive social justice movements. Let us commit together to the movement for justice and democracy.
Learning the honest history of our nation helps us understand our diversity and strengthens us all as we work toward building on more solid national foundation of truth and justice. As we celebrate Native American Heritage Month, the Learning for Justice page offers resource to learn and teach about the diversity of Indigenous cultures and communities. To explore our historical complexity, the recent magazine article, “American Patriotic Songs: Context and Perspective,” helps us to confront the various perspectives that a single patriotic song can embody.
Parents and caregivers must be intentional about the amount of content young people in their lives consume when it comes to gun violence, especially when such violence is motivated by extremism. Exposure to media coverage of these events should be accompanied by time for young people to reflect, discuss, ask questions and contextualize gun violence. These LFJ resources can provide additional understanding for these conversations.