Let's K12 Better

How does implicit bias, racism, and inequity determine the type of care that patients receive when they go to the doctor or the emergency room? What is the work being done to actively empower those disproportionately impacted by sexual health and other health disparities? How would addressing the inequities of those at the margins, improve healthcare outcomes for all? 

In this episode, we sit down with Renee Pitter MPH, who has dedicated her life to wellness and sexual health advocacy. Learn more about her work on the Center for sexuality and health disparities website: https://www.sexualityandhealth.org/ 

If you’re inspired by this episode, we encourage you to donate to work being done to improve wellness and sexual health outcomes. 

Sites for donation:

Local

https://www.ruthelliscenter.org/ (Add: TSOC in donation note section to donate to Trans Sistahs of Color)

https://www.lgbtdetroit.org/

http://www.miunified.org/home

https://www.moash.org/

National

http://www.tgijp.org/donate.html

https://www.blacktranstravelfund.com/

https://www.theokraproject.com/

*Parents, in this episode we discuss sexual health disparities. If you’ve yet to discuss this topic with your own children, please listen first and then listen as a family.

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What does independence mean to you? How has our national attitude toward independence and freedom evolved over time? In this shortened episode we discuss the sacrifices made for a free nation and what that means for all people.

Read the Declaration of Independence via National Archives site: https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/declaration-transcript

Family Discussion Questions:

1. Is there a difference between independence and freedom? 
2. How do we keep pursuing beautiful ideas like freedom, justice, independence, and equality? 
3. What does it mean to push back and fight for independence when everyone isn’t free?

Psst… subscribe to the #LetsK12Better newsletter:
https://momofallcapes.us19.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=9d903fc713ea449342e3691fb&id=8ec65c1a32

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So... What's next on the antiracist journey? If you're going to address racism, you have to understand how racism is structurally and institutionally entangled within our systems. Let's learn more about the inequities that impact black communities disproportionately. 

How are organizations using data in the fight for racial equity and the liberation of black people? We took a moment to sit down with Dr. Menna Demessie, Vice President Research and Policy Analysis for the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, to gain insight into how the CBCF uses data in the fight for an antiracist society.

Learn more about the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation and the ways that you can support their efforts here: www.cbcfinc.org 

*We had a few technical difficulties this episode but we hope that does not sully your listening experience. We’re working on learning how best to work with sound and use platforms like Zencastr and Zoom to hold interviews from afar. (we’ll get there ya’ll)

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Today is Juneteenth. Juneteenth represents a moment in time when freedom was delayed for a large group of enslaved people. In times of struggle or injustice, how do we create space to celebrate and acknowledge victories? How do we define liberation when the world is experiencing a moment of trauma and turmoil? In this episode, we talk about acknowledging and remembering the lives lost to police brutality, the importance of saying the names, and how we can find hope as we continue our antiracist work. We also cover topics of freedom and independence.

Questions for your family discussion this week:

1. Why is it important to say the names of the people who are victims of police brutality?

2. Why should we read their stories and read up on the reports of their deaths?

3. Should kids learn the details about how these people died? Why or why not?

4. Can we be free if everyone is not free? Why or Why not? 

5. Should Juneteenth be a national holiday? Why or why not?

*One kid had a loose tooth, so they had a few weird moments when talking... Mom had allergies, which made her sound weird.

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Everyone has a role to play… some of us are still trying to figure out what that is. During this time of social unrest, we need to reflect and talk about the important topics of police brutality and racism, but we can’t just talk. We need to act. In this episode, we discuss how families can engage from home; how communities can move forward; and why it is so important to think beyond just ourselves right now.

Dig deeper and do the work: We quoted Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Letter from a Birmingham Jail. We encourage you and your family to listen to the audio recording of Dr. King read his letter or read the speech together as a family: 

The Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute, Stanford University:

• An audio recording of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. reading the Letter from a Birmingham Jail: http://okra.stanford.edu/transcription/audio/630416001.mp3
• An image of the original Letter from a Birmingham Jail: https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/king-papers/documents/letter-birmingham-jail

African Studies Center - University of Pennsylvania

• Easier to read version: https://www.africa.upenn.edu/Articles_Gen/Letter_Birmingham.html

If you’re looking for more resources on how to talk to your kids about racialized violence and racism please reach out to @LetsK12Better or @MomOfAllCapes on social media.

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We do not have all of the answers and neither will you. In this episode, we share a few very simple strategies to prepare adults to have meaningful conversations with their kids. Talking to your kids about race is the first step in a long journey of work that is required of each of us. 

Check out the Edit Your Life Show Episode 156 “How to Talk to Kids About Race”. Where I share helpful analogies on how to talk to kids about race: http://www.edityourlifeshow.com/episode-156-how-to-talk-to-kids-about-race-with-amber-coleman-mortley/

We had a candid discussion about racism. In this episode, the kids shared their own definitions (of what they understand racism is). Racism, as defined by the Anti-Defamation League:

Racism is the belief that a particular race is superior or inferior to another, that a person’s social and moral traits are predetermined by his or her inborn biological characteristics.

This is just a start... If you’re looking for more resources on how to talk to your kids about racialized violence and racism please reach out to @LetsK12Better or @MomOfAllCapes on social media.

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We took a break from our regular programming to acknowledge the hurt happening all around us. In this very short episode, we encourage families to start the fight against injustice by having a conversation about racism, racialized violence, and how we can use our privileges to build safer spaces for all people. 

How do we speak up, show up, and stand up when we see or hear about injustice? Kids can have these conversations. It’s up to us to start them.

We reference the Edit Your Life Show Episode 156 “How to Talk to Kids About Race”. You can find that here: http://www.edityourlifeshow.com/episode-156-how-to-talk-to-kids-about-race-with-amber-coleman-mortley/

Standing in solidarity does not require you to fully understand everything someone is going through. If you are a white or a non-black person of color and want to learn how to be an ally, you can start by reading the simple yet actionable analogy in this post here: https://www.momofallcapes.com/blog/where-do-we-learn-to-be-allies

This is just a start... If you’re looking for more resources on how to talk to your kids about racialized violence and racism please reach out to @LetsK12Better or @MomOfAllCapes on social media.

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The internet is a very important part of our life. And with summer camps canceled and summer plans ruined, it just might mean that you’re granting your child more freedom on the web while you work. How do we ensure our children’s safety online? We’re using a well-known fairytale to help remind parents and kids what happens when your online behavior isn’t safe.

In this kid-run episode full of shenanigans, we made reference to a viral video “What You Doing With That Uh Uh Uh”, available here: https://youtu.be/PsPiiTRFqjM 

Share your thoughts on social media using the hashtag - #LetsK12Better

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Getting outside is a form of self-care. But COVID-19 has us shook. As it gets warmer and more states begin to open, we discuss whether it’s safe to go outdoors. What precautions should families take to stay safe? How is being outdoors a privilege? What do the kids think? Share your thoughts on social media using the hashtag - #LetsK12Better

*In this episode we discuss Ahmaud Arbey the runner slain on February 23rd.


(We made an error, Ahmaud Arbery's birthday is May 8th.)

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COVID-19, the Election, and the Census… What a civic moment to be alive!? Unfortunately, civics is rarely taught with the level of intention required to equip people with the knowledge and information to confidently engage in their communities in meaningful ways. We sat down with Dr. Emma Humphries, Chief Education Officer at iCivics to learn more about the importance of civic learning, not only this year... but always.

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