The guiding principles of Black Lives Matter at School are pro-active, not reactive, and offer a framework for building a more just society; young children are primed to learn about them. In this six-week course, you’ll learn about U.S. history and how our “peculiar institution” of slavery has reverberations that have echoed for the past 400 years; explore alternatives to the systems that uphold white supremacy; and, of course, learn about how to talk to your children or students about Black Lives Matter and what they can do to make the world a better place. Yes, there will be homework (there's a lot to cover), but no, there will be no grades. We'll be meeting on Tuesdays, 8-9:30PM, EST; classes begin 2/23, with an optional gathering for live participants 2/16. All tiers include a discounted copy of WHAT WE BELIEVE: A Black Lives Matter Principles Activity Book.

Session 1 - An Introduction to Black Lives Matter at School: Why Now?

History

• Black Lives Matter at School
• US History and the Social Contract

Systems - What They Are and Why they Matter

The Guiding Principles

Today’s Principles:

• Collective Value & Unapologetically Black

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Session 2 - Abolition, Imagination, and Using Children’s Literature

History

• Black Lives Matter at School - Demands
• Policing in the US

Today’s Principles

• Empathy, Diversity, & Restorative Justice

Session 3 - Intersectionality and Identity

History

• Some Black Women You Should Know About

Today’s Principles

• Black Women & Transgender Affirming

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Session 4 - Families, Fairness, and Intergenerational Wealth

History

• Reconstruction and Redlining

Today’s Principles

• Black Families & Intergenerational

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Session 5 - Imperialism, Exceptionalism, and Interrupting the Narrative

History

• Imperialism
• The Myth of American Exceptionalism
• Alternative Narratives

Today’s Principles

• Loving Engagement & Globalism

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Session 6 - Dreaming into the Future(s)

History

• Afrofuturism

What future do we imagine for our children?

Today’s Principles

• Queer Affirming & Black Villages