DCAESJ Working Groups Kick Off School Year at the DC History Center
DCAESJ working group members and DC History Center staff
By Lamoussa Tapsoba
Working group members map their connections across the DMV, placing stickers to show where they live, teach, work, and advocate for social justice education.
Despite the current federal attacks on D.C. community members, educators came together to learn, laugh, and connect. On September 27th, the D.C. Area Educators for Social Justice (DCAESJ) Working Groups held their first convening of the 25-26 school year at the DC History Center. Special thanks to former DCAESJ program manager, Vanessa Williams, for welcoming the group and providing a tour of the library and DC History Center’s new exhibit, Class Action: Education and Opportunity in the Nation’s Capital .
The convening brought together educators to learn more about the history of Black resistance in the education space. Working group members participated in a grounding activity called Map the Movement where participants placed stickers on a map of the D.C. metro area, responding to where they teach, where they’ve advocated, where they live, and where they have taken their classes on field trips. After a brief re-introduction to the DCAESJ program and welcoming new working group members, participants jumped right into experiencing the exhibit.
Working group members document key takeaways from the D.C. History Center exhibit to incorporate into their teaching practice.
Splitting by grade levels, educators capture lessons from the exhibit that they plan to share with their students.
The Class Action exhibit features not only historic artifacts and a library nook, but also illuminates the history of Black education in D.C., including schools established before Reconstruction and after the abolition of slavery.
The exhibit also traces the segregated school systems in D.C., as well as the Black education post Bolling v Sharpe; the efforts of organizers to integrate Black women in teaching schools; the history of Dunbar high school, the district’s first Black public school; and more.
After touring the exhibit, and, with the help of teacher facilitators, working groups separated by grade level to discuss how they will integrate their new knowledge in their classrooms. This was also a chance for teachers to check in with each other and catch up on how the school year is going.
Throughout the school year, the DCAESJ Working Group will host quarterly convenings along with additional events and opportunities for collaboration. If you are interested in joining a working group, you can fill out an application.
