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Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month is celebrated during May, offering a timely reminder of why and how educators should be honoring AAPI history and identity all year long. These resources debunk the model minority myth, explain the Hawaiian concept of aloha, challenge the erasure of Sikh Americans and more.

The PBS series Reconstruction: America After the Civil War has viewers across the country learning and talking about this critical period in U.S. history. These resources offer ways for educators to carry the lessons of Reconstruction into their schools and communities and a reminder of why we must be honest with students about the hard history of American slavery.

As an onslaught of anti-LGBTQ efforts—particularly targeting trans and nonbinary youth—continues at the start of the new school year, it’s imperative for educators, parents and caregivers to help young people understand that justice requires an appreciation for the value of identity and diversity among individuals, and that there are actions to take to ensure equity. These LFJ resources can help foster such understanding. 

We can teach young people the honest history of the United States in age-appropriate ways and help them understand commonalities across cultures to develop a strong sense of self and identity as they honor diversity. To support these conversations and learning experiences, we offer parents, caregivers and educators teaching strategies, talking points and activities.

The Social Justice Standards allow educators to use backward design when planning lessons and provide a framework for discussing social justice topics at every stage of K-12 instruction. Get to know the anchor standards, grade-level outcomes and the four domains of anti-bias teaching and learning—Identity, Diversity, Justice and Action—with the resources in this edition of The Moment.

National Suicide Prevention Week is September 8-14. And while educators can’t—and shouldn’t—act as mental health professionals, they can advocate for students. They can help create schools and communities where all children know they’re valued and loved and where support is available if students find themselves in crisis. We hope these resources will help.

This year marks the 55th anniversary of the Selma-to-Montgomery march for voting rights. Hundreds of activists, students and educators organized and marched bravely in the face of racist violence and arrests. Use these resources to teach how the Selma organizers achieved one of the most significant victories of the civil rights era: the passing of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

As we continue to celebrate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, we hope educators commit to uplifting the diversity of AAPI identities year round. These resources offer ideas for including AAPI stories and valuing the lived experiences of AAPI people in our learning spaces, regardless of our own identities and those of our students.

Anti-Blackness is pervasive and has material consequences for all people, including and especially Black children whose presence is often overlooked—and, ironically, villainized—in favor of all things that uphold white supremacy. These LFJ resources offer specific actions educators, parents, caregivers and communities can take to insist upon the well-being of Black children.