Category: News and Updates

This workshop will focus on providing middle school ELA teachers with an overview of Asian American literature including memoirs, novels, and short stories. Several AAPI authors will be highlighted, and ways to introduce these authors and their work in an age-appropriate way will be presented. Points of consideration on how to choose appropriate literature with respectful AAPI representation will be offered. Educators will leave with lesson activities based on these AAPI literature that they can use for their own classrooms and a list of AAPI authors.

May 6, 2025, 1:30pm (PT), virtual

>> Register

On Monday, May 5, 2025, historians Jarvis Givens and Imani Perry, in conversation with Rethinking Schools editor Jesse Hagopian and Rethinking Schools executive director Cierra Kaler-Jones, will discuss the Black Teacher Archive, a digital portal centralizing materials created by professional organizations of African American educators, historically referred to as Colored Teachers Associations (CTAs).

May 5, 2025, 4pm (PT)/7pm (ET), virtual

>> Register

Know a group or individual – youth or adult – who is making a real difference in human rights? Nominate them for one of the annual awards of Human Rights Educators USA!

The 2025 O’Brien Awards recognize an individual and an organizations that has made a significant contribution to human rights education in the United States.  

Nomination deadline: October 1, 2025.

>> For further information and nomination forms see: https://hreusa.org/awards-and-grant-opportunities/edward-obrien-award

To encourage a new generation of human rights activists, the 2025 Youth in Action for Human Rights Awards recognize youth leaders, one individual and one group, whose work explicitly or implicitly reflects and promotes human rights values. Because young activists must nominate themselves for the awards, HRE USA urges adults familiar with their work to urge them to apply.

Nomination deadline: October 1, 2025.

For further information and nomination forms see:
>>  English: hre-usa-youth-in-action-award.my.canva.site/en
>>  Español: hre-usa-youth-in-action-award.my.canva.site/es

In the face of the unprecedented attacks on our public schools and our democratic institutions, workers, students, parents and community members across the country are planning to take coordinated action on May Day.  If you care about public education,  join in to make the fight for public schools front and center this May Day! 

Join us to build a vision that works for the many instead of the billionaires and their corporations.

Sign up below to get resources to help you take action, including beautiful posters you can print!

>> Learn more

Join Re-Imagining Migration and Woven Teaching on Wednesday, April 30 for a dynamic webinar for educators! In a period of rapid change and upheaval, join us to receive resources for supporting students in taking action to uphold inclusive, democratic values. Help students overcome feelings of apathy and disengagement with strategies and resources from two organizations committed to educating young people about their human rights, their responsibility to each other, and fostering communities where everyone belongs. 

Fighting Apathy With Action: Civic Education Today will be an interactive webinar for high school educators. Participants will receive free lessons and materials for teaching some of the most critical issues of the moment: protecting democracy, understanding stories of migration, building civic agency, and creating classroom environments where all students experience a sense of belonging. We will be sharing powerful examples of civic action to fight intolerance, including examples of civically engaged immigrant youth standing up in society and at school, demonstrating how belonging is built through meaningful participation.

Wednesday, April 30, 2025
4:00-5:30pm PT  /  7:00-8:30pm ET
Register >

Monday, May 19, 7:00 – 8:00 pm CT
In 2022, the US acknowledged its history of boarding schools designed to erase Native identities and seize land. Similar systems existed in Canada, Australia, and China to control Indigenous peoples and resources. This webinar examines these policies and efforts for legal justice.

Registration is required by Monday, May 19, 5:00 pm CT: www.worldwithoutgenocide.org/culturalgenocides

Date: Wednesday, May 7th, at 2pm PT / 5pm ET

Event #2: Participatory Storytelling Exhibitions

What does oral history look like in practice? What goes into community-rooted storytelling projects and what are the outcomes? Voice of Witness is hosting a series of intimate conversations with practitioners who have developed and activated dynamic oral history projects.

We’ll explore the connections between storytelling and community building, liberation, ethics, civic engagement, public art, narrative change, and more. Sharing reflections and challenges, VOW staff and guest speakers will offer insights into planning, conducting, and presenting oral history projects and their potential impact.

➡ Participatory Storytelling Exhibitions (with Mark Menjívar) on 5/7

➡ Documenting Refugee Stories (with Diya Abdo) on 5/21

>> Learn more 

Tuesday, April 22, 5:00 to 6:30 p.m. (EDT)

This webinar features speakers from the American Museum of Natural History, National Geographic Society, SubjectToClimate, and CFR Education from the Council on Foreign Relations. 

Register here

There’s no better way to celebrate Earth Day than to join fellow educators dedicated to preparing students to navigate the impacts of climate change at home and across the globe. As climate change continues to disrupt our world—from agriculture and migration to health and the economy—teachers can empower students to turn climate anxiety into action in the classroom on Earth Day, and beyond. 

In this webinar, participants will 

• gain insights about global trends from a climate and energy expert at the Council on Foreign Relations;
• learn why climate change education is so crucial in 2025 through a panel of education leaders from the American Museum of Natural History, CFR Education, National Geographic Society, and SubjectToClimate;
• explore free resources and tools to integrate climate change into your class through information sessions in breakout groups on each organization; and
• ask questions! 

This webinar is tailored to K-12 educators of all subjects who want to gain the confidence, knowledge, and tools to integrate climate change education into their teaching.

Breakout Rooms

• American Museum of Natural History: Discover a dazzling array of online courses, as well as digital tools and resources, from one of the world’s largest natural history museums.
• CFR Education: Explore free, nonpartisan, multimedia teaching and learning resources on the intersection of climate change and global affairs, from the fundamental science and history to the complex societal and political concerns that the issue raises today.
• National Geographic Society: Engage with mapping tools and resources that can activate the spirit of exploration in you and your learners.
• SubjectToClimate: Explore SubjectToClimate’s free platform with teacher-designed lesson plans, curated resources, and professional development opportunities to enable all K-12 educators, across all subjects, to easily integrate climate change into what they already teach

Speakers

• Varun Sivaram, Senior Fellow for Energy and Climate, Council on Foreign Relations
• Caroline Netchvolodoff, Vice President, Education, Council on Foreign Relations
• Robert Steiner, Director, Online Teacher Education Programs, American Museum of Natural History
• Alex Tait, The Geographer, National Geographic Society
• Margaret Wang-Aghania, Executive Director & Co-Founder, SubjectToClimate

What does oral history look like in practice? What goes into community-rooted storytelling projects and what are the outcomes? Voice of Witness is hosting a series of intimate conversations with practitioners who have developed and activated dynamic oral history projects.

We’ll explore the connections between storytelling and community building, liberation, ethics, civic engagement, public art, narrative change, and more. Sharing reflections and challenges, VOW staff and guest speakers will offer insights into planning, conducting, and presenting oral history projects and their potential impact.

➡ Liberation Stories + Public Art (with Mi’Jan Celie Tho-Biaz,) on 4/23

➡ Participatory Storytelling Exhibitions (with Mark Menjívar) on 5/7

➡ Documenting Refugee Stories (with Diya Abdo) on 5/21

>> Learn more