Best Defense Against

Anti-CRT Chilling Effect

In the face of increased attacks on teaching honestly about history, LGBTQ identity, the climate, and more — teachers need each other. In many states, unions or a sympathetic school district administration provide support.

Isolation Breeds Fear

But in others, teachers face laws and threats alone. Here is what we hear from teachers working in isolation.

I’m terrified to say anything about enslavement because it might make students “uncomfortable.”

Books are being removed from our media center and I can no longer use certain resources in my curriculum as a U.S. History teacher.

They would not let me teach Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson for the past two years.

Strength in Numbers

Three years ago we launched Teaching for Black Lives study groups in schools around the country.

Educators join a national network of teachers and other school staff who are defying efforts to ban what students can learn in school by vowing to teach for Black lives.

Educators report that the study groups not only deepen their knowledge and improve their practice, they also increase their resolve to continue teaching honestly. And they provide a community of accountability and mutual support.

Here is what study group members tell us:

The group context gave us courage to stand in spite of the climate.

Our group was fueled to do more, be more vocal and active to fight against the current political climate because we are all in for all kids every single day.

This study group provided a safe space to confront the injustice in our school and allowed our staff to have open discussion about some tough issues.

Players Coalition Support

Join us in thanking the Players Coalition for their donation to expand the reach of our Teaching for Black Lives study groups in key states. Teachers need these study groups now more than ever.

Anti-racism education is a necessity for educators and students alike in schools across America.

We need to support organizations like the Zinn Education Project to ensure that truth is taught in schools and that generations to come will understand the holistic view of our country. — Doug Baldwin, Former Seattle Seahawks Wide Receiver, Players Coalition Task Force Member

Prentiss Charney Fellow

Spotlight

In addition to our Teaching for Black Lives Study Groups, we host the Prentiss Charney Fellowship to offer support for a cohort of people’s history educator leaders to study, learn, and organize together. Today we celebrate high school social studies teacher Nataliya Braginsky.

Outside of the classroom, Nataliya has moderated critical conversations about educational justice: “Youth Rising ,” “Beyond Schools in Crisis ,” and “Where Do We Go From Here” with Rethinking Schools (see full video to the right).

Nataliya’s article In the Wake of Uvalde: A Teacher’s Plea for Police-Free Schools in Rethinking Schools is a must-read. They write, “This moment . . . calls for reimagining what true safety means, and working with our students to make that a reality.”

This month, Nataliya joins Daisha Brabham in leading a workshop for educators in Vermont on Reconstruction in Brattleboro.