Category: Take Action

Are educators at your school or district looking for meaningful professional development and a supportive learning community?

Form a Teaching for Black Lives study group in your school, district, or statewide! You’ll receive support, resources, and encouragement to teach young people honestly about systemic racism and how to organize for justice. Educators report that the study groups not only deepen their knowledge and improve their practice — they also increase their resolve to continue teaching honestly. And they provide a community of accountability and mutual support.

Every group receives: 

• Teaching for Black Lives book copies
• Rethinking Schools subscriptions
• Study guides
• Access to a network of social justice educators
• and more!

Here are a few comments from past participants: 

This Teaching for Black Lives study group is a place of refuge and also a source of strength to fight back.

Having a space where a group of us dedicate time and energy to tending our anti-racist and anti-bias muscles in service of our students and families, ourselves and our communities, is life-sustaining work! It’s one of the most meaningful parts of my work.

This Teaching for Black Lives book study was an important entry point to starting difficult conversations when facing the realities of our students. We read, we learned, we confronted realities, we identified barriers, and we brought our learnings together to develop solutions we could implement at our school.

These study groups are a project of the Zinn Education Project, coordinated by Rethinking Schools and Teaching for Change.

HRE USA is a project of the Center for Transformative Action.

Visit this page to get up to date on the latest HRE USA news.

See past issues of the newsletter here.

HRE USA is a project of the Center for Transformative Action.

September 16 at 12 p.m.—KHRC Book Club: No Justice in the Shadows by Alina Das: 

Das’ provocative account of our immigration system’s long, racist history reveals how it has become the brutal machine that upends the lives of millions of immigrants today. Through the stories of those caught in the system, Das traces the ugly history of immigration policy to explain how the U.S. constructed the idea of the “criminal alien,” effectively dividing immigrants into the categories “good” and “bad,” “deserving” and “undeserving.” Learn more and register for the conversation.

HRE USA is a project of the Center for Transformative Action.

As part of Amnesty International’s 2026 Banned Books Week Action, we invite you to help spread the word about our Youth Art & Literature Competition, an opportunity for young people to explore human rights and freedom of expression through creative expression.

Each year during Banned Books Week, Amnesty International highlights the stories of individuals around the world who have been threatened, imprisoned, disappeared, or otherwise targeted because of their writing, art, journalism, advocacy, or other forms of creative expression. This year, we are spotlighting individuals from Algeria, Mali, Iran, Russia, the Philippines, the United States, and Palestine who have faced human rights violations for speaking out.

To engage youth in these important issues, we are inviting them to create and submit an original work of art or piece of literature inspired by one of the creative prompts featured on our submission form. Through this project, young people can examine themes of freedom of expression, censorship, and human rights while raising awareness about the experiences of individuals at risk and the importance of defending the right to speak, create, and share ideas freely.

We would greatly appreciate your help in sharing this opportunity with your networks, especially students, educators, libraries, youth groups, after-school programs, and community organizations.

Learn more and submit an entry here!

HRE USA is a project of the Center for Transformative Action.

This special edition acknowledges the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence with a new resource on the linkages between Human Rights Education and Service-Oriented Culture.

We are also pleased to share our latest episode of Human Rights Education Now! with Dr. Mary Elizabeth Curran. 

Read it here!

See past issues of the newsletter here.

HRE USA is a project of the Center for Transformative Action.

For more sponsorship and ticketing information,
contact Jill Davidson at jdavidson@kennedyhumanrights.org

HRE USA is a project of the Center for Transformative Action.

HRE USA members are encouraged to submit public comments on the incorporation of human rights principles into North Dakota’s K-12 social studies standards by June 30, 2026. 

Over the past two months, a committee of North Dakota educators has developed a first draft as a starting point in the standards revision process. ND Social Studies Content Standards DRAFT I

The Committee encourages all interested stakeholders–including educators, parents, community members, and industry representatives–to review the draft and share feedback through the survey link below. Your input will play an important role in shaping the next iteration of these standards.

>> Submit your comments: ND Social Studies Content Standards Public Comment Survey

HRE USA is a project of the Center for Transformative Action.

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 and the University and College Consortium for Human Rights Education!

About Awards >> O’Brien >> Nomination form  >> Youth >> Nomination form (En) >> Nomination form (Es) >> UCCHRE Award >> Nomination form

HRE USA is a project of the Center for Transformative Action.