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History Can Guide Us Toward a Just Future
“The civil rights movement offers a blueprint for creating meaningful social change,” writes Hasan Kwame Jeffries, Ph.D. Making connections for young people between past movements and present circumstances is imperative, as is having meaningful support in place for honest conversations that can sometimes be difficult. These LFJ resources can help.
- From MLK to #BlackLivesMatter: A Throughline for Young Students
- History Moves With Us
- A Care Plan for Honest History and Difficult Conversations
Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
This year, as we honor the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., we want to reflect upon the reality of his mission and share with young people the complexity of both the man and the civil rights movement. In recent years, King’s legacy has been used in attacks on critical race theory and attempts to undermine social justice education. These LFJ resources—including words of wisdom from the late Rep. John Lewis—can aid in understanding the contemporary significance of the civil rights movement in countering policies that attempt to limit teaching honest history.
- Teaching About King’s Radical Approach to Social Justice
- Reflections on a Dream Deferred
- Teaching the Movement’s Most Iconic Figure
Prevention and Resilience
The second anniversary of the assault on the U.S. Capitol approaches with the new year, reminding us that it’s critical to help young people understand, contextualize and counter manipulative and harmful disinformation. And because online hate continues to function as a crisis-level threat to democracy, digital literacy and models to prevent and build resilience against extremism must be among contemporary solutions.
- Prevention and Resilience: Supporting Young People Through Polarizing Times
- Reimagining Digital Literacy Education To Save Ourselves
- Combating Online Youth Radicalization
Rest and Reflect, Then Let Peace and Love Be Your Guide in 2023
“So I say to you, walk with the wind, brothers and sisters, and let the spirit of peace and the power of everlasting love be your guide.” —Rep. John Lewis
- James Baldwin
- Yaki's Mural
- The Night Before the Dream
Building Communities to Sustain Us
Creating communities is essential in our efforts toward a more inclusive society because, as Sarah-SoonLing Blackburn, LFJ deputy director of Learning & Engagement notes, “This work is more sustainable when we share it with others.” Whether for educators in spaces where censorship is a reality, young people and others who bear the brunt of oppressive policies and actions, or those who face targeted attempts of erasure, building connections reminds us we are not alone in this work.
- Building Connections Across Communities
- Belonging
- Visibility is Power
Creating a Society Rooted in Justice
Parents and caregivers are at the forefront in efforts to give children the foundation to build future inclusive societies. Nationally recognized anti-racist writer and educator Britt Hawthorne recommends starting early with children to create homes “rooted in justice, compassion and love.” These LFJ resources include recommendations for growing readers and their families that affirm identities, celebrate diversity and highlight justice because, as Hawthorne explains, “When we’re genuinely in and relating to our community, we’ll sense the injustices and justices of the world.”
- Creating a Society Rooted in Justice: Q&A with Britt Hawthorne
- What We're Reading
- Resisting Dominant Narratives
Educators Can Disrupt the School-to-Prison Pipeline
As journalist and educator Anthony Conwright argues in the Fall 2022 issue of Learning for Justice magazine, “Trauma-informed and restorative justice practices are among the beginning models of an equity process to disrupt the school-to-prison pipeline. And while systemic change is essential, educators have an immediate responsibility to prioritize the mental health and well-being of students.”
- Decarceration Begins With School Discipline Reform
- Toolkit: The Foundations of Restorative Justice
- From Slavery to School Discipline
Confronting Ableism on the Way to Justice
“Listening to the perspectives of those with lived experience is key to understanding that disability is not a problem to solve but part of the total human experience to embrace.” —Keith Jones
So how can we improve disability inclusion in social justice and overcome ableism? Jones explains, “As our movement seeks anti-racist legal reform, access to economic sustainability and employment, quality education, reproductive rights and bodily autonomy, we must include people with disabilities—who cut across all intersecting demographics. And we must be intentional in that inclusion.”
- Confronting Ableism on the Way to Justice
- Beautiful Differences
- Audre Lorde
Youth Activism and the Movement for Justice
Young people have always met challenges head-on, and contemporary youth activists have an ever-increasing set of issues to address—ongoing systemic racism, economic inequality, gun violence, reproductive and human rights, an accelerating climate crisis and more. The unwavering support of committed adults can help young people in their endeavors to realize their power and promote justice.
To today’s youth activists: We see you, we celebrate you and we encourage your work. You are the agents of change for the future.
- Youth in Front
- End Poverty. PERIOD.
- Don’t Stop Talking About Gun Violence