Cross-Posted from DC Area Educators for Social Justice
We invite you to endorse and participate in the D.C. Area Black Lives Matter Week of Action in Schools from February 5-9 to bring social justice issues into the classroom and empower students of color across the D.C. area. Sign up, download resources, and more: http://
Teaching for Change, Center for Inspired Teaching, Washington Teachers’ Union, D.C. area educators, as well as community members are collaborating on D.C. Area Black Lives Matter Week of Action in Schools. This week of action builds on the momentum of the The National Black Lives Matter Week of Action in Our Schools campaign taking place in cities across the U.S. to promote a set of local and national demands focused on improving the school experience for students of color.
In these times of emboldened racism and xenophobia, we must listen to and elevate the voices, experiences, and history of our fellow citizens and communities under attack. The thirteen guiding principles of the Black Lives Matter movement will be highlighted during this week of action as a means of challenging the insidious legacy of institutionalized racism and oppression that has plagued the United States since its founding. The Black Lives Matter movement is a powerful, non-violent peace movement that systematically examines injustices that exist in the intersections of race, class, and gender; including mass incarceration, poverty, non-affordable housing, income disparity, homophobia, unfair immigration laws, gender inequality, and poor access to healthcare.
Each day will explore two to three of the Black Lives Matter movement thirteen guiding principles. In school, teachers across the district will implement Black Lives Matter Week of Action curriculum designed for pre-K through 12th grade classrooms. In the evening, there will be events for educators, students, stakeholders, and community members to actively engage in the movement.
The goal of the Black Lives Matter Week of Action in Schools is to spark an ongoing movement of critical reflection and honest conversations in school communities for people of all ages to engage with critical issues of social justice. It is our duty as educators and community members to civically engage students and build their empathy, collaboration, and agency so they are able to thrive. Students must learn to examine, address, and grapple with issues of racism and discrimination that persist in their lives and communities.
If you are interested in obtaining curricular resources, learning about the events and or exploring the different ways you can get involved visithttp://
Big fan of grassrootsdc.org but I do not support BLM especially in our schools around our young people who need so much direction. BLM do not target the root of the problem. BLM is more racist than anything and tell half the truth. The problem is not always racist, Whites, police, or whoever else BLM seem to target. The problem is sometimes ourselves. We as Blacks need an organization that will get to the root of ourselves and not point fingers and add fuel to the wildfires.
So I can not support BLM coming into a school where my child go preaching hate to kids (including my own kids) that need direction, truth, understanding, and knowledge.
You Will Be Mad At The Truth In The Beginning But You Will Appreciate It In The Long Run!!!!
Hello Tori,
I’m wondering how you feel about the DC Area Educators for Social Justice. They put this program together with Black Lives Matter and I’m reasonably certain they wouldn’t include anything in their curriculum that preaches hate. Here’s their mission statement:
D.C. Area Educators for Social Justice is a network of educators who seek to strengthen and deepen social justice teaching. We are community of mutual support for educators to collaborate on curriculum, professional learning, and activism. We challenge systems of oppression through anti-bias, anti-racist, and multicultural education. We work with students, families, and other educators in and outside of our classrooms to create a more just and equitable world.
I also disagree with you that Black Lives Matter preaches hate. But I am curious about why you think they do?
Hello Liane,
I followed BLM on social media and had to stop once I noticed they were only telling half the story. I am a History major, I love facts/truth. I do not like when I am being feed half a story to make someone seem to be an innocent victim when they are not so innocent. I do not like how BLM make the police to be the worst. Now, I will say, we have police officers, teachers, politicians, even parents that should not be, but all police is not bad. I am not saying BLM is saying all police are bad but they are fueling our communities with a negative look. And living in the inner city we have a lot of police so our youth should not feel threaten by them.
I don’t know much about D.C. Area Educators for Social Justice but they seem to be on target with helping our youth but I do hope they know that everything starts from home. And the fact that you stated, D.C. Area Educators for Social Justice is helping families is GREAT!
Again, I love Grassroots organization and the knowledge that is feed in the community by you.
Hello Tori,
Even though we don’t always agree, I definitely appreciate your comments. I think the thing about BLM and the police is that for decades if not centuries, the media has mostly sided with the police in cases of brutality or not reported it at all. So now when things are coming to light thanks to all of the smart phone videos, it really seems like the tide has tipped in the other direction and that all we hear about is bad cops. I just caught the last few minutes of this documentary about problems in the police department in Oakland, California. Here’s a link: http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/films/the-force/
It was really interesting because no one was saying that all of the cops on the force were dirty or even unprofessional. But the question was raise, what about all of the police who know about the bad cops in their precinct and do nothing about it? It’s a cultural thing. Just like you point out that there are lots of problems in peoples homes, if the culture in the police department is to look the other way when bad things happen then it makes it difficult for the good cops to do their jobs. Sure, we need to shore up our families and individuals need to take responsibilities for their actions. But all of that is equally true within the police departments. While we leave it up to the churches and other community-based organizations to deal with families, a more political organization like BLM may be more inclined to pushing for accountability from the police.
That’s my take on it anyway.