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“Teaching and learning about race, racialized power dynamics, the freedom struggles of our ancestors, and multiracial organizing and citizen engagement are essential if democracy is to succeed in our multiracial society. The nation—the world—has never had a flourishing democracy within the context of profound difference. Yet a multiracial democracy is the only kind of democracy that will succeed in the United States.” —Angela Glover Blackwell

Justice. Equity. Diversity. Inclusivity. These are the foundational principles of a thriving, multiracial and inclusive democracy. Such a democracy is essential in building a more just future for all our children. And to build that future, we need inclusive education to develop understanding of these foundational principles.

In the new Fall 2023 issue of Learning for Justice magazine, Margaret Huang, president and chief executive officer of the Southern Poverty Law Center, emphasizes that, though challenging, this is also a time of great possibility. Huang explains her hopes: “When I look across our movement today, I see so many people of different races, genders, sexual orientations, abilities and backgrounds showing up as allies for one another in the fight for justice and liberation.

In our newest Q&A, author and educator Jamilah Pitts shares her thoughts on liberation education and recommendations from her new book, Toward Liberation. Teaching is undeniably difficult, and historically racist educational institutions make it harder. But Pitts offers a vision that leaves space for joy through a teaching practice that is liberatory rather than oppressive.

On this International Holocaust Remembrance Day — which marks the 80th anniversary of the 1945 liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau — we honor the memory of the 6 million Jews and the millions of Roma, Sinti, Slavs, disabled persons, LGBTQ+ individuals, political dissidents and others who were murdered in the Holocaust. The world lost the perspectives and contributions of millions of individuals because of hate.