Let's K12 Better

Juneteenth represents a moment in time when freedom was delayed for a large group of people. In times where society is pushing back against injustice, how do we create space to celebrate and acknowledge victories? How do we build the capacity to connect with our inner selves and with those around us? How is art a perfect medium for healing and reciprocity?  We sat down with Jen Bloomer artist, activist, facilitator, and the founder of Radici Studios to learn more about art as a community healing experience.

Join Amber and Jen on June 19th, 2021 for a virtual celebration of Juneteenth as a collective exploration of freedom, liberty, and liberation. Don’t miss it! Register now:  https://radicistudios.com/workshops

Follow Jen on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/radicistudios/   

Check out these additional resources: 

Radici Studios: https://radicistudios.com

S1. Ep.9 - Juneteenth: Celebrating the Struggle: https://letsk12better.buzzsprout.com/1036873/4234685-juneteenth-celebrating-the-struggle 

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What does justice look like if we are allowed to contribute everything we are to the communities we’re part of? The skills, tools, and processes needed to maintain community are social-emotional learning skills. Humans are innovative and we invest in the technology needed to keep our society going, but we need to begin to invest in human innovation, in the institution of the individual, and in the skills required to build deeper connections with others. 

We sat down with David Adams, CEO, The Urban Assembly. David presents an opportunity to reimagine and dream while providing an educational equity blueprint. Our favorite quote from this conversation was: “It’s difficult to hate people you’re in community with. It's difficult to strip the dignity of a person that you’re in a deep relationship with”.   We encourage you to sit back, close your eyes and join us in pursuing a better way.

Follow David's Thoughts and Work on Social Media: 

• David Adams on Twitter: https://twitter.com/DAdams_SEL
• The Urban Assembly on Twitter: https://twitter.com/UrbanAssembly
• The Urban Assembly on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theurbanassembly/ 

 
Check out The Urban Assembly Social-Emotional Learning Symposium https://urbanassembly.org/events/2nd-annual-urban-assembly-social-emotional-learning-symposium 

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It’s our anniversary! (Thank you for listening)

This podcast started with a family discussion on schooling through an apocalypse. We learned however that this podcast evolved into our year-long journey and exploration into important discussions that families need to have. We hope that this episode like all of the others serves as an invitation to have more meaningful discussions about justice, civics, race, and wellness.

In this episode, we talk about how to cultivate a justice mindset in kids. We briefly discuss the Derek Chauvin verdict. We ask that our listeners please keep the family of George Floyd as well as the witness who filmed this atrocity, Darnella Frazier in your prayers. We also encourage our listeners to start and stop the episode and have a family discussion with us!

Check out these resources: 

• Cultivating A Justice Mindset in Kids Wakelet https://wakelet.com/wake/SbMhvpManxVyDVVGrn5xq 
• Peace One Day panel "Youth Taking A Stand Against Racism" https://vimeo.com/530368145#t=13488s (cued up to 3:44:48) 
• Join me on Clubhouse on Saturdays at 11:30 am EST: https://www.joinclubhouse.com/club/equitych-equity-chat 
• I mentioned the NPR coverage of Josh and Sharnissa Secret "For Some Black Kids, Remote Learning Has Offered A Chance To Thrive"

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The public library is undoubtedly a civic space and school libraries are essential to the K12 learning journey. But how have libraries and the role of the librarian evolved to meet the needs of our students during COVID-19? 

We sat down with Dr. Corey Hall - curriculum Developer, Librarian, former middle school teacher, and 2019 American Library Association Emerging Leader - to learn more about these unsung heroes and how their work to inspire a love for reading, connects the school community in some very important ways.

Follow Corey Hall, Ph.D. on Social Media: 

• Twitter: @rchallway 
• Instagram: @library_doc

 It’s more than books! Check out these resources: 

• STEM Education Works Catalog: https://stemeducationworks.com/catalog/#p=1
• Makerspaces in Libraries: http://www.ala.org/pla/resources/tools/technology/makerspaces
• Makerspaces/Learning Commons: https://knowledgequest.aasl.org/category/blogs/maker/
• Developing Inclusive Learners and Citizens: Activity Guide and Framework https://standards.aasl.org/project/inclusive/
• 2020 State of America’s Libraries Report: http://www.ala.org/news/sites/ala.org.news/files/content/State-of-Americas-Libraries-2020-web.pdf 

STEM Education Works Resources:

• Twitter: @STEMEduWorks 
• Instagram: @stemeducationworks
• Website: www.stemeducationworks.com

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Racism shows up everywhere and we are beginning to acknowledge how that impacts different groups, but most importantly we're starting to see the benefits of working collectively to address racism. As we work together to end marginalization and discrimination, we must remember that the AAPI struggle fits into the larger push for a more just and anti-racist world. This requires each of us to work across racial and cultural groups to end oppression, racism, colorism, and xenophobia targeted at any individual or group of people. 

How do we build that capacity? How can we support the Asian and Pacific Islander community during this time?

We sat down with history educators Angela Lee, Karalee Wong Nakatsuka, Stacy Yung, and Virginia Nguyen, to discuss how we might combat hate, acknowledge hurt, engage in healing, and cultivate hope as we support our Asian and Pacific Islander family, friends, students, and colleagues.

Links For Continued Learning:

• Educate to Empower from Stacy and Virginia: https://linktr.ee/edu_to_empower
• Anti-Asian Violence Resources compiled by Healthcare Alliance for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders Employee Resource Group at Vanderbilt University Medical Center: https://anti-asianviolenceresources.carrd.co/
• Anti-AAPI Racism Resources compiled by Mass General Hospital Cross-Cultural Student Wellness Center: https://www.mghstudentwellness.org/racism
• Video by Historian Erika Lee on the Long History of Xenophobia in the US https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=NuflY5IDb9Y&feature=youtu.be
• Educator Resources from PBS’ documentary “Asian Americans” https://mass.pbslearningmedia.org/collection/asian-americans-pbs/
• Hollaback! Bystander Intervention Training to stop anti-Asian/American and xenophobic harassment https://www.ihollaback.org/bystanderintervention/ 
• This Is What No One Tells You About Being Asian In America In 2021 https://www.huffpost.com/entry/asian-hate-crimes-2021-covid_n_602c00e8c5b6c95056f3dd41?ncid=tweetlnkushpmg00000067

Follow Our Guests On Social Media:

• Karalee @historyfrog
• Virginia @VirginiaHNguyen
• Stacy @stacyyung
• Angela @mrshistorylee

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Social emotional learning (SEL) is the process of learning how to use the feedback our emotions provide us to connect with other people or to navigate social situations. We hear a lot about using social emotional skills with children, but SEL is great for adults too!

We sat down with Dr. Lorea Martínez, SEL activist, educator, and researcher; and author of Teaching with the HEART in Mind. In this episode, you’ll find answers to questions like:
How can adults continue their emotional growth journey through the entirety of life? How might we leverage social emotional learning to build rigorous curriculum and instruction and more equitable learning spaces? How can parents connect with their children through social emotional learning?

GET A FREE E-BOOK COPY OF Teaching with the HEART in Mind: 

1. Go to www.loreamartinez.com 
2. Mention the Let’s K12 Better podcast
3. Review the book

*Offer good for the first 5 people to reach out to Dr. Martínez 

Connect with Dr. Martínez on social media and her website: 

• Twitter: @loreamart
• Facebook: loreamartinezSEL
• Website: loreamartinez.com
• Book:  https://amzn.to/3bg95Rk

Read more about social emotional learning via the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) - https://casel.org/what-is-sel/

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What is intersectional tech? How does our identity bump up against the unspoken community norms in gaming and other online spaces? How do we combat harassment online, whether we experience it or not? 

In our interview with Dr. Kishonna Gray, her biggest fan Naima sits down with her to unpack what Intersectional Tech is and what it can do to democratize the digital space and make it safer for marginalized identities. 

More on Dr. Gray's work!

• Kishonna Gray website: http://www.kishonnagray.com/
• Social Media: @KishonnaGray

Follow the hashtags:

• #IntersectionalTech 
• #EquityInGaming 
• #POCinPlay 
• #BlackGirlGamers 

Learn more about intersectionality!

• Muriel Tramis - The First Black Female Game Designer https://youtu.be/rHM0U-IBqxc
• Kimberlé Crenshaw’s TED Talk: https://www.ted.com/talks/kimberle_crenshaw_the_urgency_of_intersectionality?language=en 
• The Intersectionality Wars (Vox): https://www.vox.com/the-highlight/2019/5/20/18542843/intersectionality-conservatism-law-race-gender-discrimination

Learn more about why we need to build more inclusive online spaces:

• The State of Online Harassment (Pew Research Center) https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2021/01/13/the-state-of-online-harassment/ 
• Online Harassment (Colorlines) https://www.colorlines.com/tags/online-harassment 
• The Video Game Industry Diversity Problem (The Guardian) https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/mar/15/video-game-industry-diversity-problem-women-non-white-people  
• Diversity in the Gaming Industry is Not Good (Mashable) https://mashable.com/2018/01/09/video-game-diversity/  
• Gaming star Ninja sparked controversy with his statements on kids and racism. It's not his first time in the hot seat. https://www.insider.com/ninja-interview-controversy-twitch-streamer-tyler-blevins-history-2021-1

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EXCUSE OUR  AUDIO ERROR. WE JUST UPDATED THE EPISODE. It may take time for it to update on all platforms.

Minstrelsy was an American theatrical genre present from the end of the Civil War to the early parts of the 1900s that placed white performers in the comedic enactment of racial stereotypes about Black people. Today, people are so turned off by Blackface that they’re not willing to delve into the reason why it is considered offensive in the first place... and we haven’t learned from our past. Blackface isn’t dead. In this episode, we discuss the perceptions of Black people in the media; how we have discussions about challenging historical practices (that still persist today); and Spike Lee’s movie Bamboozled.

WE COULD NOT COVER EVERYTHING in this episode. There was no way. We didn’t have enough time to talk about images, photographs, and so many other stories… like the recent renaming of the Aunt Jemima pancake mix. The Aunt Jemima pancake mix was named after "Old Aunt Jemima," an 1875 song from a minstrel show that featured performers in blackface who wore aprons and bandana headbands. Read about Aunt Jemima’s name change here.

Though some might find this topic  "challenging" or "uncomfortable", living with racial stereotypes is also challenging and uncomfortable. This is a conversation worth having. We recommend that parents consider that younger children (0-7) may not be able to understand some of the themes discussed in this episode.  It is however important that if kids are online they are often exposed to racist content and concepts and that should always be discussed.

Resources for learning more about the American tradition of Blackface:

• Are your kids ready to watch? CommonSense Media Overview of Bamboozled:  https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/bamboozled 
• A Brief Guide to 21st Century Blackface by Aisha Harris https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/09/25/opinion/blackface-tv-movies-race.html 
• Garvey's Roblox Video on Blackface: https://youtu.be/BfO_ZK0Kvj8 
• NMAAHC https://nmaahc.si.edu/blog-post/blackface-birth-american-stereotype 
• How the History of Blackface is Rooted in Racism via History.com https://www.history.com/news/blackface-history-racism-origins 
• Forms of Variety Theatre via Library of Congress: https://memory.loc.gov/ammem/vshtml/vsforms.html
• Images of Blackface via Library of Congress search: https://www.loc.gov/search/?in=&q=Blackface&new=true&st= 

Family Discussion Questions:

1. What is the difference between cultural appreciation and cultural appropriation?
2. How do the stories that others tell about us help or hinder us? 
3. How do the images we see, influence the way in which we think about other people and their culture?
4. Why should we have discussions about blackface and digital blackface?

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February is Black History Month! Black History Month started as an effort by Carter G. Woodson and Jesse E. Moorland in the early 20th century to celebrate and research accomplishments and contributions by people of African descent. Join us at the kitchen table for a family discussion about Black History Month. We can’t speak for all Black people, but we hope that this conversation inspires some thoughts about how one family interprets their Black experience.

Need resources? Check out the Black History Month toolkit we created to help families and educators begin their exploration of Black history and culture: https://www.momofallcapes.com/black-history-month-toolkit.html

Books and movies mentioned during this episode:

• Woke Gaming by Dr. Kishonna Gray
• Spirit of Intimacy by Sobonfu Some
• The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
• Antebellum (Horror/Thriller Movie, R)
• The Souls of Black Folk by W. E. B. Du Bois
• Stamped by Jason Reynolds, Ibram X. Kendi
• Bamboozled by Spike Lee
• Sister Outsider by Audre Lorde
• We Want To Do More Than Survive by Dr. Bettina Love
• From Columbus to Castro by Eric Williams

Family Discussion Questions:

1. What does BHM mean to you?
2. Even though we would rather see Black History and the history of all people of color integrated into our history classes beyond a  highlighted box on the side, why is it still important to celebrate this month? What can this lead to? 
3. How can white and non-black people of color better honor black culture and black history?

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How are you going to pursue your passion this year?

We are celebrating the start of season 2 of the Let’s K12 Better podcast all month with the What’s Your Why -a series on exploring motivation and the imperfect journey to your authentic self. We hope you join us on January 27th for a LIVE show community discussion on Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter on finding our authentic self.

“Everyone has a recording device in their pocket” so why wait for the media to tell your story? In this episode, we sit down with Clement Townsend, former sports journalist, author of “How to Become a Broadcasting Star” and the founder of Broadcasting Career Mentor (BCM) who shares with us why each of us can and should be storytellers.

Learn more about Clement’s work:

www.videojournalismpro.com

Connect with Clement on social media:

LinkedIn: Clement Townsend
Facebook: CTownsendTV
Instagram: CTownsendTV
Twitter: ClementTV_

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