A Social Justice Newsletter for Educators

Summer is here (at least where I am)!

I drafted a version of this newsletter over a week ago. When I revisited it, I decided to start over. The contrast between my thinking then and now is too great. New information has given me pause. Things I’ve heard, seen and experienced remind me how quickly matters can change, even when we believe we’re paying attention.

You know how the end of a school year works. We pack in an inordinate number of ceremonies, celebrations and big events alongside report card completion, room tidying, transition-management and generally showing up to work every day. It can be and often is an emotional rollercoaster. Physically, the final weeks can feel like scaling a mountain peak but at an accelerated pace. And we repeat this ritual year after year.

That’s not to say that this concluding intensity is not without highlights. There are many occasions to acknowledge a year’s worth of growth in students and ourselves. Teaching and learning change us. That’s why so much political energy is being thrust into reshaping what and how schools, libraries and universities operate. Our work as educators is often contested and the more recent attacks on learners’ access to accurate, reality-based information sources as well as to qualified professionals, culturally relevant curricula and fundamentally safe education spaces have taken on a harsher, more troubling urgency. Book bans, the crushing of student protests, widespread defunding of public school systems, the push to incorporate AI into schools’ everyday operations, the deliberate destruction of education infrastructure as a part of a genocidal war, the normalizing of mass death – this collection of threats to our capacity to educate, inform and equip each other is staggering.

Given that, every year that we return to teach and learn represents a form of resistance. What’s central is that we use a range of means to reach and bolster each other: That we recognize care as important as content; experience criticality as invigorating as institutional praise; pursue inquiry more consistently than we celebrate fast answers. We are not warriors or heroes or mythical characters. We are educators, counselors, knowledge workers, relationship builders sharing what we know with the folks in our care. This might explain why I am both bone weary at the end of one school year yet entirely game to re-enter the process of the next one several weeks later. I am grateful for a cycle that let’s me begin again and recalibrate my priorities. No joke, I need the time and space to recharge my batteries – physical, emotional and ethical. (Also, the idea of recharging our ethical batteries feels particularly compelling in the current moment. That’s a topic for another day…)

How will you use your break (if you have one)? What are your priorities during this transition phase?

Please appreciate this amazing Pride flag composed of NASA images by Rachel Lense. (Seen on Bluesky)

It’s still Pride!

Yes, June is indeed Pride month – a time to celebrate LQBTQIA folks and history.

I recently learned about some interesting resources which will serve year round.

• The 2024 Rainbow Map by the ILGA Europe provides an impressive overview of legal, social, health conditions in European nations for LGBTQ+ people.

• An excellent resource on supporting transgender students in K-12 schools prepared by ACLU and other advocacy agencies for human rights. US-centric, yet widely applicable.

• An article on supporting nonbinary youth from Learning for Justice

• Listen to this interview with Lyndz Amer and Tricia Friedman on the Be A Better Ally Podcast. Lyndz is the founder of Queer Kid Stuff, a media hub for kids and adults to learn about all things LGBTQ+ in a kid-friendly way.

In a surprising turn of events, it seems that the Southern Poverty Law Center which houses Learning for Justice publications has just laid of a quarter of its staff in an effort to ‘streamline operations.’ SPLC Union representatives claim that the organization is hoarding funds and seeking to intimidate recently (2019) unionized workers. For educators and others who have relied on the excellent resources shared via the Learning for Justice website, the news comes as a sober reminder that no institution, even one with a widely respected reputation as advocates for social justice, is safe from late stage capitalism’s worst managerial and political features.

A summer’s worth of options

Below you’ll find a collection of articles, events, videos, etc. that I’ve recently found worthwhile. No particular rhyme or reason. Stuff to make you think or wonder or just enjoy. It’s summer, live a little.

• Mid Year Fest (MYFest) hosted by Equity Unbound in June, July and August is one of the most generous educator spaces on the internet. So many ways to engage with people and ideas through workshops, asynchronous projects and panel talks. You can register HERE. I’ll be leading a creative writing workshop based on my book chapter in Higher Education for Good, “Counters to Despair” on July 17th.

• This essay by Timothy Burke on the world through the eyes of Gen Z simply resonated. If they are inclined to ‘burn it all down,’ could we blame them?

• Jess Calarco’s book, Holding It Together: How Women Became America’s Safety Net is out! I also highly recommend her interview with Anne Helen Petersen at Culture Study.

• A podcast I enjoyed: Anne Helen Petersen (yes, she is worth following, just sayin’) talks with Amanda Mull about why the clothes we buy are of such poor quality. Capitalism, deregulation, worker exploitation may have something to do with it.

• Essential reading about racism in Germany, “The Hatred Is Accelerating” by Musa Okwonga

• A helpful thread on what artificial intelligence is and isn’t.

• Retirement Savings should not be solely a preserve of the wealthy.

• Jewish Currents is a progressive publication which offers a range of readings. “Weaponization and Denial” by Linda Kinstler raises questions about Israel’s use of documentary film and other media to shape the historical narrative around Oct. 7th and the war in Gaza. Not a light read but a meaningful one.

• Long read: The Disturbing Truth About Hair Relaxers. Black women and our hair – the price many pay to achieve respectability through bone straight hair is linked to higher incidences of cancer and early puberty onset.

• Something for the littles in your life: If you’re looking for wholesome early childhood-friendly diversions over the summer, check out Ms. Monie’s Youtube channel. I often roll my eyes at lots of offerings for this age group but Ms. Monie  comes across a warm but not patronizing.

• It’s Black Music Month at NPR’s Tiny Desk! This whole playlist stretches back, so even if you get through the most recent women artists who are featured, you’ll enjoy a bank of additional options. Watching Chaka Kahn’s set is how I eased into the break. Perfection!

Welcome to the summer, friends! Wishing you warmth, wonder and delight!

Stay safe and be well,

Sherri