Washington—NEA President Lily Eskelsen García issued the following statement about the tragic death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officers: “The National Education Association understands the deep racial history and trauma caused by the culture of white supremacy, and we believe that to achieve racial and social justice, we must acknowledge it as the primary root cause of institutional racism, structural racism, and white privilege. It is a privilege that manifests as white people weaponizing the police against black men and women going about their daily
Human & Civil Rights Committee
Racial Justice is Education Justice
Our education system is intended to uphold equal opportunity, but too often it also entrenches racial disparities by its design. We are engaging educators, students and allies to foster real dialogue around issues of racial justice in education, to examine policies and practices in our school systems and our communities, and to mobilize and take action for education justice.
NEA EdJustice Home Page
Growing the movement to win education justice for our students, schools and communities.
NEA EdJustice engages and mobilizes activists in the fight for racial, social and economic justice in public education.
Resources From Other Racial Justice Sites:
- Race Equity Tools: https://www.racialequitytools.org
- Teaching While White: https://teachingwhilewhite.org
- Showing Up for Racial Justice: https://www.showingupforracialjustice.org/
- Kirwin Institute: http://kirwaninstitute.osu.edu/
Racial Justice in Education Resource Guide
NEA Center For Social Justice
The Center for Social Justice is dedicated to lifting the voices of educator-leaders for the opportunity for all students no matter their zip code.
Veoleo’s Glossary of Anti-Racist, Historical and Emotional Terms & Concepts for Better Discussions with Spanish-Speaking Friends & Families
Understanding Anti-Bias Education: Bringing the Four Core Goals to Every Facet of Your Curriculum
NEA Social and racial justice classroom, community resources: COVID-19 & more
NEA EdJustice: Standing Up to Hate and Bias Related to COVID-19 Resources
As the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases continues to rise across the United States, the FBI has issued an alert, distributed to law enforcement agencies across the country, warning of an increase in hate crimes targeting Asian Americans.
Bilingual Resources on How To Raise An Ally / Como criar un aliado
Children’s Books About Racial Injustice. In a series of blog posts, we showcase numerous Mighty Girl books for both children and teens that explore racism in both historical and modern contexts, as well as celebrate the accomplishments of African American girls and women. For more reading recommendations, you can find over 500 relevant titles in our Racial & Ethnic Discrimination book section.
Your Kids Aren’t Too Young to Talk About Race: Resource Roundup
CONSEQUENCES OF PHYSICAL DISTANCING FOR LGBTQ YOUTH
Social Distancing is crucial in minimizing the impact of COVID-19, But social distancing can impact LGBTQ youth by decreasing their access to positive social interactions and increasing negative social interactions.
· An unintended consequence of physical distancing is potential loss of the social connections that protect LGBTQ youth from suicidality. Social connections have been found to buffer stress, reduce depression, and improve well-being. From a developmental perspective, loneliness is especially relevant to youth populations, as the need for social acceptance and belongingness is prominent during adolescence and young adulthood. Social connection has become a crucial component of suicide prevention, especially among LGBTQ youth, connection to the LGBTQ community has been found to buffer the impact of stigma on depression and suicidality
· To address the potential negative social impacts of physical distancing, efforts must be made to ensure that LGBTQ youth know that they are not alone and feel encouraged to seek support and social connections through means that do not rely on physical proximity. It is important for LGBTQ youth and those who support them to remember that physical distancing does not equate with social isolation. LGBTQ youth should be encouraged to maintain existing connections through virtual means such as video calls and video conferencing. Youth should also be encouraged to participate in shared activities such as online gaming, watch parties, or physical activity classes
· As schools move their academic curriculum to online delivery, there is a need to ensure that protective factors provided by schools such as supportive individuals and extracurricular activities can also be accessed virtually. Given the known benefits of activity involvement, schools should identify and promote activities that may provide similar benefits without jeopardizing physical distancing.
· For LGBTQ youth, physical distancing may have additional unintended negative consequences related to being confined to an environment that may be unsupportive or abusive. Based on existing research on rates of family rejection, many youth will spend their days confined to places that are unsupportive of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity for an indefinite amount of time. Research suggests that among LGBTQ youth, only one-third experience parental acceptance, with an additional one-third experiencing parental rejection, and the final one-third not disclosing their LGBTQ identity until they are adults
· Youth who find themselves in an environment that does not affirm their identity, or places them at risk for abuse and victimization, can benefit from access to supportive individuals to help them maintain their own safety while also providing an outlet for them to be their authentic selves. LGBTQ youth should seek affirming connections either through existing support networks or by joining safe online spaces for LGBTQ youth. An unintended consequence of physical distancing is that it may provide less opportunities for mandated reporters and other concerned individuals to observe signs of potential abuse and domestic violence.
