Education Justice Now Archive

The well-being of children should concern us all. This crucial election week, we must unite in choosing a more inclusive and democratic society. Georgia educator Katie Rinderle, who was fired for reading a children’s book about acceptance, encourages us to advocate for all children, reminding us of the importance of our votes at all levels, including local school boards. And feature articles from our new fall magazine on food insecurity and the critical need to end the school-to-prison pipeline emphasize the critical need to live up to our nation’s democratic values.

Our nation deserves leaders who respect the rights and dignity of all people and who are committed to the values of our democracy. We must, therefore, unite to reject hate and bigotry and to make responsible choices. 

Dialogue creates opportunities to reach across differences and to engage with and understand one another, without losing the integrity of our work for equity and justice. In the new Fall 2024 Issue of Learning for Justice magazine, the first two features, “Dialogue Across Difference” by Brandon Haas and “The Promise of Building Bridges” by Maia Ferdman and Felicia Graham, examine how dialogue is foundational for civic engagement and democratic collective action and offer a model to foster a culture of meaningful exchange, empathy and critical thinking.

In our new fall 2024 magazine, Learning for Justice Director Jalaya Liles Dunn emphasizes the importance of coming together around a shared vision in the practice of democracy. Dunn explains that “We increase our power to foster change when we are in community with one another – deliberating, deciding and taking action.” Our democracy’s strength rests on our ability to commit to one another for a shared purpose that centers our humanity.

Being discerning about the information around us is important, especially during elections. As our access to information from a variety of media sources has increased, the benefits of wider exposure are being undermined by a media landscape filled with polarized messaging, manipulated content, disinformation and propaganda. Rhetoric and catchphrases – especially about complex and divisive issues – are abundant and often attempt to reduce complex concerns to simplified and biased explanations.