Debbie Reese on Books Bans and Native Representation
Internationally renowned scholar Debbie Reese, Ph.D., considers the reasons behind the recent uptick in book bans across the nation. According to Reese, the impetus behind the rise in such bans is “the fear of a just society.” And this ban is happening just as children who have not traditionally seen themselves reflected in literature—especially Native children—are represented more frequently in contemporary works. This is a problem for all of us, Reese explains, as narrow narratives perpetuate stereotypes and a cycle of ignorance that support continued injustice. Read more from Reese here.
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The End-of-Year Mental Health Check
As the academic year winds down, mental health professionals remind us to connect with young people and embrace community care. LFJ Senior Writer Coshandra Dillard writes, “The end of an academic year can yield a rollercoaster of emotions for an entire community. While it is celebratory for many, this time is also exhausting and stressful for others. Everyone needs a moment to breathe and to pause.” Read more here.
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Podcast: Welcome to Queer America
During this time of ongoing assaults on LGBTQ rights, we revisit this series of podcasts from Learning for Justice and hosts Leila Rupp and John D’Emilio. Queer America takes listeners on a journey that spans from Harlem to the Frontier West, highlighting LGBTQ history that we should have learned about in school.
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The Relationship Aspect
Nicole Morales serves as the school counselor at Holt Elementary School in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. She shares her thoughts with LFJ about the urgency for intentional relationship building in the current climate of public education and contends that, after two difficult school years, the way forward for school communities is to build relationships with intention—especially those connections with parents and caregivers.
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Ask Learning for Justice
In our latest issue of Learning for Justice magazine, a reader asks for advice about ways to teach honest history and navigate content with respect and sensitivity. The response can be helpful for all of us as we work to make sense of the world we live in at this particular point in history. The language we choose to use is key in such conversations. Read more here.
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Check Out What We’re Reading
“LGBTQ youth who live in a community that is accepting of LGBTQ people reported significantly lower rate attempting suicide compared to those who do not.” — The Trevor Project
“There is a huge body of research that consistently and unambiguously shows that children’s mental health in the United States was already really bad before the pandemic.” — The Washington Post
“‘Access to information is the great promise upon which public libraries were founded. We cannot sit idly by while books rejected by a few are removed from the library shelves for all.’” — The Brooklyn Public Library
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