February 3-7, 2020 is Black Lives Matter at School Week.
"Black Lives Matter At School is a national coalition organizing for racial justice in education. We encourage all educators, students, parents, unions, and community organizations to join our annual week of action during the first week of February each year." What started during a week in Seattle in October of 2016 has spread to schools in multiple cities. This year, SU joins them.
Events at SU
Civic Reflection on Black Lives Matter at School
Additional Resources
- 26 Ways to Be in the Struggle Beyond the Streets
This list is designed to celebrate all the ways that our communities can engage in liberation. For a range of reasons, there are and always have been folks who cannot attend rallies and protests but who continue to contribute to ending police and state violence against black people. - Black Lives Matter: Ways You Can Help
Links out to resources, places to donate, people to contact, etc. - Google Doc of Bail Funds/Legal Help by CityList by city of those collecting donations for legal assistance and bail release for protestors.
- Bibliography of Anti-Racism ResourcesThis document is intended to serve as a resource to white people and parents to deepen our anti-racism work.
- We Came to Learn: A Call to Action for Police-Free Schools.
The Alliance for Educational Justice: We Came to Learn movement addresses “the stark reality that police in schools is an issue of American racial disparity that requires deep structural change”. This organization concludes that schools are supposed to be a safe and nurturing place for students, not a place where police enforce criminal laws. - Central Park Five Syllabus: A Supplementary Reading List
This website provides information on the case of the Central Park Five, the Netflix series based on the case, When They See Us, and an extensive reading list. This reading list allows students and readers “to engage critically with the historical and contemporary criminalization of working-class youth of color”. - Teaching Tolerance
Teaching Tolerance is an organization seeking to help teachers and schools educate children and youth to be active participants in a diverse democracy. Broadly this website provides free resources to educators and other practitioners on topics such as race and ethnicity, religion, ability, class, immigration, gender and sexual identity, bullying and bias, and rights and activism.
This particular link goes to their "Black Minds Matter" article.
- The National Black Lives Matter Week of Action in Our Schools FacebookThis is a great place to get started and learn some basic information about the upcoming Week of Action in February 2020, view informative videos and graphics, and read about related current events.
2020 Curriculum Resource Guide
"Annually, The National Black Lives Matter Week of Action in Our Schools invites a brilliant collective of educators and activists to bring you lessons and resource lists for every grade level that relate to the 13 principles of Black Lives Matter. Here is the 2020 Curriculum Resource Guide–free, downloadable activities, resources, and actions to challenge racism, oppression and build justice-centered classrooms."
Regional Specifics
- DC Area Educators for Social Justice
From February 3-7, 2020, Teaching for Change's D.C. Area Educators for Social Justice, D.C. area educators, and community members will collaborate on the D.C. Area Black Lives Matter at School Week of Action. Includes Lessons, books, stories, links to donate, news articles, and more. - Giving Voice to the Black Village
Inspired Teaching is a center that provides teacher preparation and professional learning programs to actively engage students. Click on the link below to learn about the history of the Week of Action and the upcoming Week of Action.
Black Lives Matter 13 Guiding Principles
D.C. Area Black Lives Matter at School Week of Action details the 13 guiding principles of the Black Lives Matter movement. Each day of the School Week of Action is directed at one or more of those principles. For a detailed explanation of the principles and the schedule, check the link below.
Black Lives Matter 13 Guiding Principles
- Restorative Justice
- Empathy
- Loving Engagement
- Diversity
- Globalism
- Queer Affirming
- Trans Affirming
- Collective Value
- Intergenerational
- Black Families
- Black Villages
- Unapologetically Black
- Black Women
Learn More about Black Lives Matter
- Learn About the Organization Itself
An organization whose “mission is to build local power and to intervene in violence inflicted on Black communities by the state and vigilantes”.
BLM Week at SU
Civic Reflection on Black Lives Matter at School
Think and talk about the meaning, value, and impact of your work in the world, develop new skills and further your professional development, and discover tools to deepen your connections with colleagues and explore your community. Registration is required and open to SI faculty, staff, and students. Breakfast is provided. This event is sponsored by PACE.
When: February 4, 2020; 8:30-10:00am
Where: Assembly Hall, Guerrieri Academic Commons
The Hate U Give Film Screening
Thursday, February 6th, SETT-SU Faculty Learning Community partners with SU Libraries Diversity & Inclusion Committee to host a screening of the film The Hate U Give (2018), adapted from the novel by Angie Thomas. It tells the story of Starr Carter, who lives in a poor, Black neighborhood and attends a wealthy white prep school. Starr's precarious existence between these two worlds is shattered when she witnesses the police shooting of her childhood friend. Thrust in the middle of a much larger racial conflict, she must learn how to use her voice to fight for justice. A panel discussion with Drs. April Logan and Erin Stutelberg will follow. Light refreshments will be provided.
When: February 6, 2020; 6:30-9:30pm
Where: Henson 243
The Hate U Give Book Discussion
The young adult novel The Hate U Give (2017) by Angie Thomas, tells the story of Starr Carter, who lives in a poor, Black neighborhood and attends a wealthy white prep school. Starr's precarious existence between these two worlds is shattered when she witnesses the police shooting of her childhood friend. Thrust in the middle of a much larger racial conflict, she must learn how to use her voice to fight for justice. Drs. April Logan and Erin Stutelberg and their students will facilitate a discussion of the novel. A limited number of free copies of the book will be available before and after the event. Light refreshments will be provided. This event is co-sponsored the Fulton Public Humanities Program, Departments of English, Education, and Environmental Science, and the SETT-SU FLC.
When: February 26, 2020; 2:00-3:00
Where: Assembly Hall, Guerrieri Academic Commons
By Angelina Lope, submitted to Black Lives Matter at School Week of Action Creative Challenge, 2018.