What we have seen happen in the past month with the death of two black men and a black woman is just a tiny fraction of the injustices that go on each and every day in our country. Below is the email I sent my email list on Monday, June 1st, in light of everything going on in our country right now.
***June 3rd update- I have added in links apart from the original I sent out in the email as they become available to me.
Does this Monday morning feel heavy for you too?
You’ll notice this email coming at you a little later today because I am just struggling to put words around what is happening in our country right now.
I struggle because I want to say something, but everyone is saying something (on Social Media). And I get that silence is violence and that is how we got here. But I am also really leery of all the people coming out and making stances but not actually putting in the work to make the change.
That’s not the person I want to be and I hope that is not the type of educator you want to be either. WE, as educators, have the amazing opportunity to educate our students on what it looks like to be anti-racist.
But first, we must do the work ourselves. And while I firmly believe that standing up, taking a stance, and calling out racism is super important, I also believe that it is equally important to be having those conversations in your home, with the people around your kitchen table.
The last year and a half or so I have been learning and growing in a lot of areas- specifically, politics, racism, my beliefs on homosexuality and the Bible, climate change and what my role in that looks like. Lots of reading, lots of learning, lots of growing and shifting of my thoughts and beliefs.
If you’d be interested in hearing more about some of those things I am learning ^^^, then click here. I’ve had a thought bubbling around in my head the past couple weeks about a podcast mini-series on some of those topics and how we can do better as educators but want to see if y’all would be interested.
Anyways, let’s move onto things to share.
This morning doesn’t seem like the day to be sending a list of “fun things” for you to check out or things I am loving this week. So, instead, I will share some of the most impactful resources I have consumed over the past months.
- Be the Bridge Facebook Group – Number 1 on my list because it’s the first thing I think of when it comes to racial justice. It is THAT good! There is a set of “units” you have to complete, along with a 3 month silence period, before contributing to the group. This has been IMMENSELY helpful in light of racial reconciliation and being the Church.
- Be the Bridge Book- I have not purchased it yet, but it is on my list!
- Seeing White- a 14 part podcast series on what it means to be white and how we got to where we are
- Just Mercy- Top book I read in 2019. It opened my eyes to a lot I didn’t know about (also, super bummed because we didn’t get to see the movie for it because it came out here in Germany right as Corona-virus shutdowns happened) (Just found out this is being streamed online!)
- Naomi O’Brien has been a great resource for me and she has a TON of resources on her TPT page about how to teach kids about racism and just how to teach social studies (because skipping out on social studies can obviously not be an option anymore!) Here is her video on how to teach kids about racism
- Naomi and LaNesha have put together this guide for white families talking about racism with their kiddos.
- I also love Vera (@thetututeacher and @diversereads) for more education and recommended books
- Melanated Faith Podcast– I shared this podcast a few weeks ago but I really can’t recommend it enough!
- Ear Hustle– a podcast featuring stories of what it’s like to be in the prison system. Again, REALLY eye-opening.
- No One Ever Asked– I LOVED this book and it was probably my first encounter with really challenging myself to see the privilege I have as a white woman. It is about racism and it is written by a white woman… I understand the issues there. However, it is a really good story and she actually addresses that at the end of the book. If you are someone who strongly believes that #alllivesmatter (yes, that’s true, but also negates with the #blacklivesmatter movement is trying to do) then maybe this would be a good place to start. Also, it takes place primarily in a school setting. It’s kinda scary to see how much it resembles what happens in our actual schools….
- 1619 Project Podcast
- This IGTV between Latasha (founder of Be the Bridge) and Kathryn (Be the Bridge Employee and host of Melanated Faith) has got me all sorts of convicted on paying Black Women for the work they are doing to educate us
- I just watched this IGTV with Priscilla Shirer and her dad, Dr. Tony Evans. A great inside look at what kinds of conversations Black parents and grandparents are having with their children that I will never have to face, as well as some ways we can do better as White people
- You may have seen this list going around on things white people can do– I’ve bookmarked it and going to start working my way through it
- The New Jim Crow– I have started this book, but it is HEAVY on stats and a book I can only read a few pages at a time, but it’s one I see on a lot of lists!
- THIS IGTV with Latasha. DANG Y’all! She does it every time! I am listening to it right now as I eat lunch and it’s SO good. If you are a follower of Jesus and want to see racism go away- she is the gal you need to be learning from!
Probably the biggest thing I am going to be doing in the coming months, is educating myself in preparation for the 2020 election. Yes, we can take a stand online, we can stand out against racial injustices, we can even call it out when we see it online. But we HAVE to vote- that is the only way to change these systems.
So, I’ve got a spreadsheet going (because of course I do 😂). I am researching all the candidates for my county and state. I’ll be inputting all that info into my spreadsheet so that when it comes time for me to cast my ballot, I can cast an educated vote. Pantsuit Politics has been a great resource for me as I have learned more about politics in the last few months.
I hope this helps you no matter where you are on your journey of racial justice. If this is your first time considering it then I really hope this list helps because these are the things I have used to help me learn. If this is something you have been doing and learning and teaching for years, thank you for doing the work!
I’d also love to hear any resources you have that you think I (or the TSOT community) should know about, feel free to send me an email!
-Kelly
P.S.- If you need something to laugh about and are curious about how the astronauts go to the bathroom in space…here ya go 🤣🤣🤣(I am also the newest Space Expert because I spent pretty much all weekend watching and researching SpaceX!)
Disclosure: I may receive some kind of affiliate commission if you purchase anything from links in this email or others that I send. However, I only ever mention products I love and would recommend whether I was being compensated or not.
Thank you!!!