In “crews” of four to five, students each picked up an instrument from Ju Ju’s percussion section of cowbells and several types of drums. Then as a whole class, with drumsticks in each hand, Ju Ju taught the students to tap out a go-go “pocket beat” and a “bounce beat” that is popular among younger go-go performers and listeners.

Go-go musician Sweet Cherie, keyboardist and singer for the all-female Bela Dona Band, joined the music class at Anacostia HS as part of the 2020 Black Lives Matter at School Week of Action. A highlight of the visit was when Sweet Cherie led the room in Junkyard Band’s go-go classic, “Sardines.” One of the drummers joined her in the circle and midway through the song added a bounce beat to the rhythm.

On Friday, February 7, at Studio Theatre in Washington, D.C., audience members gathered for a post-play discussion of Dominique Morisseau’s play Pipeline, a drama following a family navigating through systems of racism in public and private school.

I led students in a “See, Think, Wonder” routine of a photo of a Black man drinking out of a water fountain labeled “whites only” and then asked them why do they thought I was wearing this on a day where we would be talking about the Black Lives Matter Movement. Then students broke out into groups to discuss one of the 13 guiding principles of the Black Lives Matter movement.

William “Ju Ju” House led a class on the go-go pocket with second graders at Beers Elementary as part of the Black Lives Matter at School Week of Action and the and the Teach the Beat project to bring go-go to D.C. classrooms.

Twelfth-grade students in Bill Stevens’s social studies class at IDEA Public Charter School spent months conducting in-depth research and preparing multi-modal presentations that unpacked and delved into important topics in D.C. history that often do not get highlighted in the school curriculum.

Teacher artist Alex Huttinger led the 2nd annual Social Justice Printmaking Workshop, hosted by D.C. Area Educators for Social Jusitce at Halcyon Arts Lab for the Black Lives Matter at School Week of Action.

Teacher Yolanda Whitted led her eighth grade English students at DC International School through a visual rhetoric exercise where they analyzed Childish Gambino's "This is America" music video. This was a lesson during the DC Area Black Lives Matter at School Week of Action in February, 2020. 

On Monday, February 3, Inspired Teaching Demonstration PCS 1st through 5th graders participated in a community meeting to kick off the Black Lives Matter at School Week of Action.

As part of the 2020 Black Lives Matter at School Week of Action, Teaching for Change was able to donate children’s books to the school libraries at several schools in Wards 7 and 8 as part of a generous grant from the Horning Family Fund in coordination with the DCPS Partnerships team.

Thanks to the generosity of several publishers, educators received free books for use in their classrooms at several events leading up to the 2020 Black Lives Matter at School Week of Action, including the Black Lives Matter at School Curriculum Fair.

On January 21, 2020, educators from D.C., Maryland, and Virginia came together for a Black Lives Matter at School Week of Action Curriculum Fair hosted by Teaching for Change and the Howard University School of Education. More than 150 participants crowded the rooms and hallways of Howard University’s historic Miner building.

K-12 teachers are invited to learn about Indigenous knowledge, sustainability practices, and the importance of water. Attend poster or workshop sessions and explore classroom resources from Native Knowledge 360° and the Zinn Education Project’s Teach Climate Justice campaign.

From June 25-27, 2019, just days after the school year officially ended, sixteen dedicated educators gathered in Washington, D.C., for the Tellin’ Stories Race, Equity, and Family Engagement Summer Institute for Teachers and Staff.

Teaching for Change launched its first summer institute focused on principals and school leaders in Washington, D.C., from July 23-25, 2019.

D.C. Area Educators for Social Justice, Communities for Just Schools Fund, and the Early Childhood Initiative at the National Museum of African American History and Culture offered a workshop on hair representation in children’s books on November 2, 2019.

To honor Teach Central America Week, Marlena James used the Central America 101 mixer in her classes on Thursday, October 17th as an interactive activity for students to learn about significant figures in Central American history and current events.

Acclaimed children's author and illustrator Duncan Tonatiuh visited Bruce-Monroe ES at Park View in September 2019 for a powerful conversation with 50 students where he discussed his path to becoming an artist, the creative process, photo editing and much more.

We are excited to announce the launch of the DC Area Educators for Social Justice network's second annual Anti-Bias Early Childhood Working Group, a collection of classroom educators, librarians, social-emotional specialists, non-profit directors, teachers trainers, and arts educators experienced and committed to anti-bias education.