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The latest issue of Learning for Justice magazine focuses on the South in the fight for democracy and justice. That entails acknowledging those at the center of an unjust system, whose very survival served as a form of resistance. In these new stories, Amber N. Mitchell details the ways in which the Whitney Plantation experiential learning tour sheds light on the lives of the people whose enslavement generated great wealth for their captors, and Lolita Bolden celebrates her Southern roots in both prose and poetry.

How can history help us resist hate in society today and work toward a more inclusive future? Opposition to equality is, unfortunately, not new to the history of the United States. Recognizing the relevance of history to today’s justice movements is crucial for understanding and countering current pushbacks against democratic values. And with the intense efforts to dismantle public education and to erase and alter our country’s history, teaching accurate history — including the hard truths of our nation’s past — is essential. 

Creating communities is essential in our efforts toward a more inclusive society because, as Sarah-SoonLing Blackburn, LFJ deputy director of Learning & Engagement notes, “This work is more sustainable when we share it with others.” Whether for educators in spaces where censorship is a reality, young people and others who bear the brunt of oppressive policies and actions, or those who face targeted attempts of erasure, building connections reminds us we are not alone in this work.

Nurturing children requires a community’s efforts to come together, as reflected in the proverb “It takes a village to raise a child.” Our nation’s children deserve love, not just in words but in our actions. These new Learning for Justice magazine articles offer models for parents, caregivers, educators and community members to nurture children’s growth, learning and well-being. And they remind and encourage us that: “[We] are better together and more effective when we work together rather than in isolation.