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The start of this year’s Black History Month is bittersweet. Bitter with the murder of Tyre Nichols and so many others who have been killed by white supremacy. Bitter that yet again there is a calculated effort by the right-wing to erase the very contributions that deserve the honor of not just a month of celebration, but a year of study. Sweet in the remembering of the revolutionary, joyful, bold, and vibrant narratives of the Black experience. Sweet in the growth of the annual Black Lives Matter at School Week of Action. This is our sixth year collaborating with the national coalition of Black Lives Matter at School and engaging teachers in the D.C. metro area in this impactful week of action.
We hope you will join educators across the country February 6–10 to promote a set of national demands based on the Black Lives Matter movement's 13 guiding principles. Here are resources and learning opportunities for Black Lives Matter of Week of Action and Year of Purpose. We are also pleased to share the news of our associate director's receiving the 2023 Martin Luther King Jr. Visionary award.
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Black Lives Matter at School
Curriculum Fair Highlights
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On Saturday, January 21, hundreds of educators gathered virtually to connect, collaborate, and prepare for the 2023 National Black Lives Matter at School Week of Action (February 6–10) and Year of Purpose.
After a welcome from Black Lives Matter at School, Teaching for Change, and D.C. Area Educators for Social Justice, educators explored teaching ideas and stories before breaking out into two sessions of six workshops on a range of topics from how to identify white supremacy and anti-Black racism in the U.S. History curriculum to using children's literature to spark conversation in early childhood classrooms to liberatory, anti-racist education for Black, queer, and trans youth, even in mathematics.
See highlights from the curriculum fair, including selected workshop videos and resources from each workshop.
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Associate Director Wins MLK Jr. Visionary Award | |
Keesha Ceran fulfills the mission of this distinguished award in countless ways. She is applying what she learned as a student and employee of American University to make dramatic improvements to the internal operations and programmatic delivery of our non-profit organization. Keesha joined our staff as associate director in 2021, just a week before our annual Black Lives Matter at School Curriculum Fair and during the second year of the pandemic. She rolled up her sleeves for the curriculum fair and has been going full force ever since. Keesha brings a deep level of professionalism, passion, expertise, and dedication to this work. Her own enthusiasm encourages others to do the same. | | | |
Black Lives Matter at School Resources | |
Teaching Ideas and Stories | |
Check out our curated Padlets for each grade level filled with teaching stories and resources to inspire your Week of Action activities. Padlets will be open for comments and resource additions through Friday, February 17. | |
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Black Lives Matter at School Week of Action
February 6–10
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Black Lives Matter at School Week of Action Events
February 6–10
| Learn more and sign up for these virtual events taking place during the Black Lives Matter at School Week of Action, including a write night with Free Minds Book Club, a panel celebrating globalism and collective value, a virtual HBCU fair, an imagination lab listening project, and a Black joy party connection space. | |
Teach the Black Freedom Struggle Online Classes
One Monday / Month
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These online classes offer the chance to learn directly from leading historians and to meet peers from across the country. Classes are held at 4:00 pm PT / 7:00 pm ET for 90 minutes. In each session, a teacher interviews the historian and breakout rooms allow participants in small groups to meet each other, discuss the content, and share teaching ideas. We designed the sessions for teachers and other school staff, however, we welcome parents, students, and others. Below are upcoming sessions and more are in the works.
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Monday, February 6, 2023: Jeanne Theoharis on Starring Mrs. Rosa Parks: Film Excerpts and Behind the Scenes Commentary
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Monday, March 20, 2023: Kidada Williams on I Saw Death Coming: A History of Terror and Survival in the War Against Reconstruction
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Monday, April 24, 2023: Linda Villarosa on Under the Skin: The Hidden Toll of Racism on American Lives and on the Health of Our Nation
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Monday, May 8, 2023: Howard French on Born in Blackness: Africa, Africans, and the Making of the Modern World, 1471 to the Second World War
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Monday, June 12, 2023: Dr. Kimberlé Crenshaw on Teaching Truthfully About U.S. History
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Past Is Prologue: Lessons From the Reconstruction Era
Wednesday, February 8
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