Pay BIPOC Educators for Their DEI Labor
![A group of educators speaking to each other.](/sites/default/files/styles/article_thumbnail_s_m_l_xl/public/2020-07/Teaching-Tolerance-professional-development-001.jpg?itok=Olx2CARD)
It’s essential that educators, students and the entire school community work to reduce stigma associated with mental health issues, especially during Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) Mental Health Month. Help interrupt school practices that disregard mental health—particularly for Black youth, who are less likely to receive adequate mental health care. Use these webinars to understand and practice self-care and address challenges students face.
Celebrate Disability Pride Month by supporting and advocating for students with disabilities. These resources include real-life examples to model accessible learning environments for all students. Center the perspectives of people with disabilities to build students' understanding of the Americans with Disabilities Act. You can also print and display this beautiful poster with a quote by educator, activist and poet Kay Ulanday Barrett.
From a policy banning swim caps designed for natural Black hair to a ruling that several Black women can’t compete because of naturally high testosterone levels, some Olympic policies reflect stereotypes and discriminatory dress codes that many Black girls and women face in schools. As you prepare for next school year, these resources can help you assess your school’s dress code, advocate for inclusion and check that you don’t reinforce harmful stereotypes about women and women athletes.
Freedom Summer not only marked the mobilization of civil rights organizers in Mississippi during the 1960s, but it also yielded the creation of Freedom Schools and historic legislation. The fight for civil rights continues today, from voting rights to efforts to keep educators from teaching truthfully about our country’s full history. Use these resources next school year to help students contextualize Freedom Summer and how it connects to movements today.