Newsletter from Learning for Justice

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September 21, 2022
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** Uplift Banned Books Week and
Hispanic Heritage Month
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September is always a busy month and this week Learning for Justice recognizes two important events. “Books unite us. Censorship divides us,” is the theme for the 2022 Banned Books Week celebration that runs from September 18 through 24. And the 2022 observation of Hispanic Heritage Month—featuring the theme “Unidos: Inclusivity for a Stronger Nation”—begins September 15 and ends October 15. We at Learning for Justice resist the pressures of book bans and participate in vigorously advancing an expansive narrative that bolsters a dynamic, diverse democracy. Read the latest article ([link removed]) by LFJ Associate Editor Crystal L. Keels emphasizing our responsibility to advocate for the nation’s vibrant and vital diversity.

THE MOMENT ([link removed])
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** Fear of a Just World
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Internationally renowned Native American scholar Debbie Reese, Ph.D., asks, “What, I wonder, do the book banners want in schools? With their campaigns, they are taking away mirrors for kids who so desperately need and deserve to see themselves in books. And they’re depriving others of windows into other peoples’ lives—windows that provide perspectives that they didn’t have access to before!” Read the entire Q&A with Debbie Reese ([link removed]) in the most recent issue of
Learning for Justice magazine.
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** Unpacking the Creation of Hispanic Identity
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Educator and community organizer Stef Bernal-Martinez writes in the Fall 2018 issue of
LFJ magazine, “Federal recognition of a single Hispanic ethnic identity was a strategic goal of Hispanic community organizers, who hoped to create a collective identity that people from a group of countries colonized by Spain could use to exert political and economic power.” Learn more here ([link removed]) .
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** Advocating for LGBTQ+ Texts
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Review any list of the most commonly banned books ([link removed]) —especially during this year’s celebration of Banned Books Week—and you’ll find that LGBTQ+ texts are disproportionately represented. Although titles that feature and center LGBTQ+ characters and topics do not make up half of all published books, they make up over half of the most frequently banned books ([link removed]) . In the nation’s current anti-LGBTQ+ climate, LFJ supports advocacy for LGBTQ+ texts ([link removed]) .
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** Latinx History Is Black History
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In this webinar, LFJ Senior Writer Coshandra Dillard and former Teaching and Learning Specialist Stef Bernal-Martinez will share stories and strategies for teaching Afro-Latinx history and doing it justice. Latinx History Is Black History ([link removed]) will clarify the confusion between race and ethnicity, provide a historical primer on Afro-Latinx identities and more.
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** In-person Workshops Are Coming to Atlanta in October 2022!
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Register now ([link removed]) to join us for Social Justice Teaching 101 ([link removed]) on Friday, October 28, 2022, from 8:15 a.m.-3:30 p.m. EDT, and Advocating for Teaching Honest History: What Educators Can Do ([link removed]) on Saturday, October 29, 2022, from 8:15 a.m.-3:30 p.m. EDT.


** Check Out What We’re Reading
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“Both PEN America and the ALA have found—and The Washington Post has previously reported—that many book bans are taking place clandestinely, outside the rules.” — The Washington Post ([link removed])

“‘With this historic investment by the Treasury, HOPE will ensure that for families, entrepreneurs and communities in the Delta, in the Black Belt and in rural areas and inner cities throughout the Deep South, access to affordable financial tools will no longer be a barrier to their success.’” — Essence ([link removed])

“Here’s what you need to know about what’s causing the teacher shortage and what’s being done to rectify it.” — Teen Vogue ([link removed])

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Have a comment, question or idea for Learning for Justice? Drop us a line at [email protected] (mailto:[email protected]) .

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