2025 Social Justice Curriculum Fair
Join D.C. Area Educators for Social Justice (DCAESJ) for the third annual Social Justice Curriculum Fair on Saturday, August 23, 2025 from 9:15AM–12:45PM in person at Inspired Teaching Demonstration PCS (200 Douglas Street NE).
This fair is an opportunity for D.C. area educators to connect in person while exploring curriculum aligned with various social justice themes. Coordinated in partnership with DCAESJ working groups, this fair will feature classroom resources from the Zinn Education Project and Social Justice Books, and is designed for pre-K-12 educators. There will also be opportunities to network with D.C. area education organizations at exhibit tables. ASL interpretation will be provided.
Event tickets are $15 per registrant. Email events administrator Aileen at atapia@teachingforchange.org, to ask about group discount rates!
ALL attendees will receive professional development credits and a FREE BOOK!
We are accepting workshop proposals on a rolling basis through July 28th. Proposals that speak to various social justice topics and themes (e.g. activism, race/ethnicity, gentrification, environmental justice, dis/ability, immigration, incarceration, etc.) are strongly encouraged. Workshop sessions will be approximately 50 minutes and must align with Teaching for Change’s presenters’ guide.
Schedule
SATURDAY, AUGUST 23, 2025
9:15 AM–9:45 — REGISTRATION, COFFEE AND REFRESHMENTS
9:45–9:50 — WELCOME ADDRESS
9:55–10:45 — WORKSHOP ROUND ONE
10:45–10:50 — BREAK
10:50–11:25 — TABLING EXHIBIT WITH SOCIAL JUSTICE ORGANIZATIONS
11:25–11:30 — BREAK
11:30–12:20 — WORKSHOP ROUND TWO
12:20–12:45 PM — EVALUATION AND BOOK GIVEAWAY
Tabling Exhibit
Participants will have the opportunity to network with D.C. area education organizations at exhibit tables. Stay tuned for confirmed organizations!
We will also be tabling to share Teaching for Change projects’ resources from D.C. Area Educators for Social Justice, Social Justice Books, and the Zinn Education Project.
Interested in tabling at our event?! Email us today for more information.
Workshops
Beyond the Bell: Building Justice-Focused Thirdspaces in Schools
SUBJECTS: Arts Education, Classroom Engagement, English Language Arts, Science
GRADE LEVELS: Lower Elementary, Upper Elementary, Middle School, High School
How can extracurricular spaces become incubators for student activism and identity affirmation? This interactive workshop explores how schools can create “thirdspaces”—liberatory environments where historically marginalized youth can build community, engage critical issues, and organize for justice— beyond the classroom. Grounded in research and praxis from the Thirdspace Collective, the session blends theory with hands-on design work. Participants will analyze real-world examples, collaborate to map out justice-focused programs for their own contexts, and leave with tools to co-create spaces that center student voice, cultural responsiveness, and radical possibility.
Dr. Tia Dolet (she/her) is an intersectional education researcher, equity strategist, and founder of the Thirdspace Collective Consulting, LLC., an education consulting firm that partners with schools and non-profits to build justice-centered extracurricular programs rooted in cultural responsiveness and youth empowerment. With over a decade of experience advancing college access, workforce development, and educational justice, Dr. Dolet works at the intersection of research, strategy, and practice to transform how schools and organizations support historically marginalized youth. Whether mentoring students, designing programs, or leading educator workshops, Dr. Dolet is driven by the mission to help young people thrive unapologetically in spaces designed with them in mind. She is also the proud aunt of two amazing nieces, who remind her every day why this work matters.
Bridging the Past: Family Heirlooms as Tools for Social Justice Education
SUBJECTS: English Language Arts, History
GRADE LEVELS: Upper Elementary, Middle School, High School
This interactive workshop uses excerpts from A Paper Bridge: Love Letters from the Great Migration and family heirlooms as a springboard to explore the impact of racism, discrimination, segregation, activism, and the everyday resistance of Black families during the Great Migration. Through personal letters and family artifacts, participants will discover how history is preserved in narratives and family heirlooms and how these components can be utilized to teach social justice in meaningful and culturally responsive ways. Participants will leave with strategies to incorporate personal histories, heirlooms, and migration stories into curricula that center on Black American resilience, voice, and identity.
Dr. Wanda A. Alderman (she/her), a Senior Consultant, author, and urban sociologist, has made a significant impact on race, education, and social equality. With over two decades of experience advising educational institutions, nonprofit organizations, and cultural agencies, she has become a leading figure in issues of equity, historical preservation, and inclusive storytelling. Her book, A Paper Bridge: Love Letters from the Great Migration, is a testament to her innovative blend of archival research and narrative inquiry, which brings to light the lived experiences of Black families during the Great Migration. Her work has not only bridged academic insight with community engagement but has also inspired change in social justice conversations, making her a sought-after voice in public humanities.
Capitalism v. Cooperativism: Exploring Ways to Better Democratize Your Classroom
SUBJECTS: Classroom Engagement
GRADE LEVELS: Early Childhood, Lower Elementary, Upper Elementary, Middle School, High School
Capitalism is everywhere, including in our elementary classrooms. Like any complex and oppressive system, it may not be easy to see or identify and requires intentional effort to disrupt and counter its impact. Using a four-question framework, we will discuss how capitalism tends to show up in our classrooms, uncover its impact on our students, and infuse values of inclusion and cooperation in its place. Come learn and practice how to make your classroom a more democratic place for you and your students.
Baltimore Transformative Learning Collective, also known as Bmore Transform, is a cooperative of abolitionist educators who are deeply committed to decolonizing Baltimore’s educational ecosystem. Their innovative, comprehensive youth-serving services are strategically designed to engage, support, and empower every stakeholder in the community. They facilitate programming that fosters meaningful connections and champions growth, equity, and learning throughout Baltimore City. Together, they envision and are striving towards an educational landscape that is inclusive, transformative, and reflective of the rich diversity of their city.
The Echoes of Activism: Using Oral History Interviews to Craft a Lesson Plan
SUBJECTS: Arts Education, English Language Arts, Science
GRADE LEVELS: Upper Elementary, Middle School, High School
This workshop introduces educators to oral history as a powerful tool for social justice education. In this 50-minute interactive session, participants will engage with excerpts from the Mind, Body, and Justice Oral History Project and other DC-based archives. Through guided deep listening, we will examine themes of community care and resilience, and explore how to translate these narratives into culturally responsive, student-centered lesson plans that uplift local voices and histories.
Sari Leigh (she/her), aka the Anacostia Yogi, is a health advocate, education administrator and digital media activist living east of the Anacostia River in Washington, D.C. Sari Leigh teaches wellness classes and germinates creative projects that advocate for equitable health and wellness access for residents east of the Anacostia River. Sari recently completed the Mind, Body and Justice Project and the DC Superhero documentary about wellness and activism in Washington, D.C.
Intentional Planning: Teaching for Justice
SUBJECTS: Arts Education, English Language Arts, History, Mathematics, Science
GRADE LEVELS: Early Childhood, Lower Elementary, Upper Elementary, Middle School, High School, Adult Education
Too often, educators are expected to do the deep intellectual and emotional labor of transforming curriculum for justice—without the time, space, or community to truly plan. This workshop offers a pause. It’s a space to slow down and engage in the kind of reflective, intentional thinking that justice-centered teaching requires.
Together, we’ll move through a guided process for designing or revising meaningful lessons, units, projects, or practices that are rooted in your own teaching and learning context. I’ll share an approach to planning for justice—from the reflective questions to the ways to center students’ voices, lived experiences, and brilliance.
We’ll take time to name the tensions we hold as educators, clarify the commitments we’re making, and consider what it means to move with purpose. Most importantly, you’ll have dedicated time to imagine, plan, draft, revise, or reflect on work you’ll carry forward—because justice work deserves time, care, and community.
Dr. Tamyka Morant (she/her) brings almost 25 years of comprehensive experience as a Black Feminist PK-8 educator in Washington, D.C. Her teaching and learning approach is deeply rooted in the tenets of Black feminism, Black feminist pedagogy, and justice praxis/liberatory education and she is unwavering in her dedication to collaborating with fellow educators, students, families, and community partners to advance educational equity and justice for all students.
Joy Is the Standard: Designing Liberatory Learning
SUBJECTS: Classroom Engagement & Design
GRADE LEVELS: Middle School, High School, Adult Education
This workshop invites educators to center joy as a powerful tool for social justice, healing, and transformation in the classroom. Participants will explore what it means to design liberatory learning experiences that affirm student identities, build community, and spark curiosity across middle school, high school, and adult education settings. Drawing on the Black Lives Matter at School guiding principles, especially loving engagement, restorative justice, and collective value, this session blends practical strategies with reflective practice. Through hands-on activities, storytelling, and collaborative lesson redesign, participants will leave with concrete tools and inspiration to bring joyful, justice-centered pedagogy to their own classrooms.
Kim Kelley (she/her) is a passionate educator at an adult high school in Washington, DC, where she teaches reading, math, and history to adult learners. With deep experience across K–12 and adult education, Kim specializes in designing joyful, inclusive, and culturally responsive learning environments for students who have experienced educational trauma. Her interdisciplinary lessons weave together academic skill-building, creative expression, and community care, always centering joy, curiosity, and a sense of belonging. Kim also leads professional development on joyful teaching practices, and her work is grounded in the belief that every learner, regardless of age, deserves rigorous instruction, meaningful connection, and the chance to feel brilliant. She brings a lens of trauma-informed care, special education expertise, and a commitment to racial and educational justice to every classroom and conversation.
Using Zines as Organizing Tools and Spaces to Hold Memory
SUBJECTS: Arts Education, History
GRADE LEVELS: Early Childhood, Lower Elementary, Upper Elementary, Middle School, High School, Adult Education
In this workshop, people will read a zine about educators experience teaching in DC public schools. We will study the pedagogy of feminist scholar Sara Ahmed and her organizing framework described in her book, Complaint! Ahmed teaches us that complaints are non-productive labor, a way to vocalize what we don't want to reproduce. Participants will create their own mini-zines as a tool for reflection, a space to hold memory and think about their own labor practices and non-reproductive labor practices, what they do and do not want to reproduce as educators within their classrooms. These memories and reflections can also be used to build organizing campaigns within their local union, or other community spaces. Educators hold many stories from the social nature of their work, and often get to know generations of families and students through their time working in the classroom. Participants will use this space to reflect and archive their stories from teaching.
Electra B (she/her) creates art and teaches in Washington, D.C. She has previously taught in Brazil too.
Voices in Action: Amplifying Middle School Civic Engagement through Public Testimony
SUBJECTS: English Language Arts, History
GRADE LEVELS: Middle School
This interactive workshop will explore how educators can empower middle school students to engage in civic life through the authentic and transformative practice of public testimony. Participants will learn how to support students in delivering testimony to local governing bodies such as school boards, advisory neighborhood commissions, and city councils on issues that directly impact their lives. Drawing from my experience supporting 5th graders as they testified about the effects of gentrification in Ward 4 and guiding 7th graders in addressing rising ICE-related fears before our State Board of Education Representative, this session will model how educators can connect classroom learning with real-world action. Participants will engage in hands-on activities simulating the testimony preparation process—analyzing qualitative and quantitative data, drafting persuasive narratives, and crafting personal stories for impact. This workshop offers a replicable framework for fostering students’ research, writing, and public speaking skills while affirming their lived experiences and leadership in their communities.
Brittany Richardson (she/her) is the middle school Social Studies teacher at Center City Public Charter School’s Brightwood campus. She has co-authored the school’s Social Studies curriculum, ensuring culturally responsive and engaging content for her students. A passionate advocate for educational equity, Brittany is a recipient of the DC Teacher Voice Award from EmpowerEd in recognition of her impactful work both inside and outside the classroom. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Bowie State University and a Master’s in Education Leadership and Policy from American University.
