Learning for Justice has begun a process of repositioning itself to be more responsive to the communities we serve in our Deep South states. LFJ will continue to work with educators, caregivers and other community members to protect inclusive public education across our states – and ultimately our nation.
As you know, the public education space is dynamic, requiring constant and sustained innovation. But sometimes to meet the needs of today, change must be substantial, not incremental. For the last several years, LFJ has been on this journey. It began with changing the program’s name from Teaching Tolerance because we recognized that concept was no longer seen as effective, and that our work and strategies must transform.
The need to expand LFJ’s reach beyond educators to the community at large is more evident now than ever. We must counter the efforts by a reactionary group of politically motivated parents and politicians determined to undermine public education. As a result, we will work to prepare community members – including parents and caregivers – to advocate for change that is meaningful to the lives of young people. They will speak to issues that are most pressing for children of color in low-income communities. This requires us to be more intentional about where we do this work, going into cities and counties where children of color face the greatest obstacles.
We recognize that schools exist within communities. The role of LFJ’s community of educators has been transformative in leading inclusive learning environments. We are taking a more comprehensive approach to ensure that schools and other community supports have what they need to best serve the needs of young people and that leadership in these spaces, including educators, have what they need to lead a more just society.
We are working to create a shared online learning space that curates existing LFJ resources for educators and new resources for the larger community. We invite educators to remain a vital part of the larger dialogue and learning, which is critical to building a more inclusive democracy. Please rest assured that the articles, lesson plans, curriculums and more found on our website are not going anywhere. They will continue to be available.
We will have more information soon.