Participants in Learning for Justice Virtual Professional Learning Cohorts (PLCs) engage in six months of learning with educators across the United States who are committed to creating inclusive, liberatory and just educational experiences for young people. Virtual Cohorts provide educators, free of charge, the chance to deeply engage with LFJ materials, collaborate with small groups of other educators from across the country and gain insights and feedback on implementation.

After six months of learning in community, including seven synchronous sessions via Zoom, educators will present their implementation plans at a virtual Showcase.

The 2023-2024 Virtual PLCs will focus on the following LFJ resources:

• Critical Practices for Social Justice Education
  • For information about Critical Practices cohorts, including schedules and requirements, view the syllabus here.
• Teaching Hard History: American Slavery
  • For information about Teaching Hard History cohorts, including schedules and requirements, view the syllabus here.

Applications close: September 17, 2023

Eligibility Requirements: 

1. To be considered for a Virtual PLC, applicants must be an educator who will implement the relevant LFJ resources with PK-5 or 6-12 students (for example, through a classroom, higher education, non-profit or museum setting, etc.) or who directly teaches or manages other adult educators who will implement the resources with students.
2. Educators across the United States are encouraged to apply, but there will be preference given to those teaching in Southern Poverty Law Center states: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana and Mississippi. 

>> Learn more and apply

Human Rights Education Amnesty International team offers two new online courses to combat gender-based violence.

The first course, “Combatting Gender-based Violence Online,” takes approximately 90 minutes to complete and is available in English, French, Spanish, Italian, and Polish. It covers the impact of technology on gender-based violence and the importance of creating safe and inclusive online spaces. https://academy.amnesty.org/…/combating-gender-based…

The second course, “Confronting and Countering Gender-based Violence,” takes approximately 90 minutes to complete and is available in English, French, Spanish, Hungarian, Slovenian, and Polish. Through real-world examples and interactive activities, learners will explore the root causes, impacts, and consequences of gender-based violence. https://academy.amnesty.org/…/confronting-and…

Both courses are free and accessible to learners of all backgrounds and experience levels.

Annual reports from NEA examine educator pay and school funding from pre-K through college. They reveal an alarming trend of decreased educator pay and inadequate investment in public schools and universities as teacher turnover has hit historic highs.

The reports, released by the National Education Association, show a perfect storm brewing as educator shortages continue to grip schools nationwide. >> Access resource

The Flint Water Crisis is one of the most egregious examples of environmental racism in recent memory.

Flint is not anomalous. In every corner of the country poor people and people of color are disproportionately burdened by environmental contamination — in their neighborhoods, schools, and homes.

Drawing from three recent real-world case studies (Flint, Michigan; Newark, New Jersey; and Jackson, Mississippi), we introduce a new mixer activity (suitable for middle and high school students) that surfaces both the causes and consequences of environmental racism. 

This lesson, by Matt Reed and Ursula Wolfe-Rocca, is described in the Spring issue of Rethinking Schools magazine.

Download Lesson

The book was written by Felisa Tibbitts, Chair in Human Rights Education in the Department of Law, Economics and Governance at Utrecht University, Adjunct Assistant Professor at the Institute for the Study of Human Rights, Columbia University, and UNESCO Chair in Human Rights and Higher Education.

Find the handbook here

This handbook is intended for use by university administrators, faculty, students, and higher education partners. The main aim of the handbook is to shine a light on the ways in which teaching and learning processes can be designed to reflect and promote human rights. We explore these opportunities through HRBA principles as well as examples from practice. In addition to addressing these practice-oriented aspects of HRBA, the handbook touches upon the premise of the university as a duty bearer, and the targets and potential processes of reform within the university itself. How can the university revitalize its mission to promote social justice in way that is meaningful and lasting? What would it look like to have a HRBA within a university?

“The human rights-based approach is a frame that allows us to apply human rights standards and norms holistically to education. I am grateful that RWI supported my developing this handbook for clinical legal education programming and I hope that its sections on human rights education and higher education strategies for change will be broadly useful for the higher education community. The time has come for us to explore what it means for the university to be a human rights actor” – Felisa Tibbitts

“The Indigenous Boarding Schools and Multigenerational Trauma,” is a slide presentation that will be given by Toward Right Relationship Co-Director Jerilyn DeCoteau (Turtle Mountain Chippewa). Jerilyn is a former president of the board of directors of the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition (http://boardingschoolhealing.org/). Her program will be followed by time for Q&A and discussion.

Register for this online event on March 14, 6-7:30 pm Mountain time, here:

Event: Indian Boarding Schools and Multigenerational Trauma, 8–9:15pm, Tuesday, March 14th Eastern Time USA

“The Quaker Indigenous Boarding Schools: A Call for Accountability and Healing,” is a slide presentation by Quakers Paula Palmer, Gail Melix (Herring Pond Wampanoag) and Andrew Grant. They report research on  the role Quakers played in the forced assimilation of Native children during the 19th and 20th centuries. Discussion focuses on how Friends can acknowledge the harm that was done and appropriately support healing in Native American communities.

Register for this online program on April 15, 2-4 pm Mountain time, here:  https://friendspeaceteams.org/quaker-boarding-schools-apr-2023/

“Roots of Injustice, Seeds of Change: Toward Right Relationship with Native Peoples”

is a 2-hour participatory workshop, appropriate for high school students and adults. The history of the colonization of Turtle Island, the land that is now known as the United States, will be told through the words of Indigenous leaders, European/American leaders, and Western historians. We will engage with this history through experiential exercises and small group discussions. And we’ll be invited to consider how we can build relationships with Indigenous peoples based on truth, respect, justice, and our shared humanity.

Register for the April 15th online workshop (2-4 pm Mountain time): https://friendspeaceteams.org/trr-workshop-apr-2023

NEW! Call for educators who are willing to participate in an HRE USA Teacher Feedback session three-days following the March 12th workshop on March 15th at 7pm MST. Interested teachers should contact Kristi Rudelius-Palmer at kristi@hreusa.org to join this session.

*****************************************************************************

Would you like to have a better grounding in Native American history? An opportunity to offer dynamic interactive workshops about Indigenous peoples’ rights in your classrooms? On Sunday March 12, 2-4 pm MOUNTAIN time, Toward Right Relationship with Native Peoples is offering its online workshop, “Roots of Injustice, Seeds of Change: Toward Right Relationship with Native Peoples.” Register here.

During this 2-hour participatory workshop,we experience the history of the colonization of Turtle Island, the land that is now known as the United States. The story is told through the words of Indigenous leaders, European/American leaders, and Western historians. We engage with this history through experiential exercises and small group discussions. And we consider how we can build relationships with Indigenous peoples based on truth, justice, and an understanding of Indigenous peoples’ collective human rights. 

This workshop is presented by Native and non-Native facilitators working together. It is appropriate for high school students and adults. Register here for the next online workshop, or contact co-director Paula Palmer (paulaRpalmer@gmail.com) for more information.

Some sample responses to recent Toward Right Relationship workshops:

From Native participants: 

“Everything that went into this experience and the presentation is so deeply meaningful.” 

“This workshop is the tool I’ve been searching for to begin imagining a new way forward.”  

“This workshop is an innovative and impactful step towards healing.”

From non-Native participants:

“This is a wonderful model for fostering conversations that lead to more understanding among peoples.”    

“I am thankful for the discomfort and what it opened up.”  

“Wow – that was an excellent workshop.  Best zoom educational experience I have had!”  

“I’ve known and thought about indigenous peoples’ history for a long time. Now what I can do is much more in the forefront of my mind.”