Dear Morningside Center friends,

In this issue, you'll find a new lesson exploring the impact of social media on young people. And, in the aftermath of the tragic attack in Monterey Park and the shooting in Half Moon Bay, we share our Crisis Support Bundle lesson collection.

Also below, Morningside's Director of Strategic Partnerships, Dionne Grayman, reflects on the power and danger of competitive sports for Black boys. Plus, readings on the Lunar New Year and a new NYC Department of Education policy to make breathing exercises part of the regular school day.

In her blog, Morningside's Dionne Grayman, a retired football mom, reflects on Damar Hamlin's injury and why our society has grown so desensitized to the breaking of Black boy bodies and spirits:

"Between my two sons, I have attended over 2,000 games, stood in weather that required Mt. Everest-like gear, and visited ERs with fractures, sprains, one dislocated shoulder, and two concussions. I’ve also tended to the bruised egos, broken hearts, and crushed spirits that attend competitive sport.... " And yet: "For me as a mother of Black sons, football offered a refuge of safety."

Exploring Social Media's Benefits & Harms

Students read about and discuss some of the positive and negative impacts of social media on young people, and reflect on their own experiences through pair shares and group discussion.

Love, Art, Justice, and Dr. King

Students explore new angles on the life and ideas of Martin Luther King Jr. (including through "The Embrace," Boston's new sculpture) and consider their own commitments to justice.

Crisis Support Bundle

We offer guidelines and activities for discussing upsetting events (such as the recent shooting in Monterey Park) and for supporting students in their aftermath. 

Explorations on the Lunar New Year:

• The Year of the Water Rabbit Calls For Honoring Afro-Asian Intersections By Tao Leigh Goff
• While Many Ring in the Year of the Rabbit, Vietnam Celebrates the Cat. By Susan Nuyen at NPR.

Black Students Are Still Experiencing Pandemic Trauma

"Black parents were the most likely to report their K-12-aged children’s mental well-being has not improved from the negative toll the pandemic took. Dr. Terence Fitzgerald discusses why this is and potential solutions." By Maya Pottiger

Deep Breaths: NYC to roll out breathing exercises for all students

"As schools across the city grapple with the mental health fallout of the pandemic, Chancellor David Banks indicated this week that the education department is in the process of introducing breathing exercises for all students." By Alex Zimmerman

“As Damar Hamlin begins the process of healing and recovery, how might we also begin to heal and recover?”

- Dionne Grayman