DCAESJ Elementary Working Group co-facilitator Raphael Bonhomme shared a blog post on AFT’s Share My Lesson challenging teachers to move beyond seasonal lessons and to embed Black history into the full American narrative. Through personal reflection and practical classroom examples — from Harlem Renaissance projects to lessons on Black Wall Street — he invites educators to rethink what students learn about history, identity and possibility.

By Tamyka Morant, Ph.D.
Our school’s participation in the Black Lives Matter at School Week of Action began in 2018, when a small group of teachers first engaged students in learning around the principles. By 2019, the work expanded into a schoolwide effort. During that year, we attempted to address all of the principles within a single week. While the experience was meaningful, we quickly realized that the depth of inquiry required for students to truly understand the principles could not be achieved within such a short period of time.

By Zeinab Dembele
Do you remember your first time in a library? Did you ever stop to appreciate the glory around you while walking down the rows of thousands of pages filled with pure magic, knowledge, and the quiet promise of finding yourself somewhere within those pages?

By Tamyka Morant
At Bruce-Monroe at Park View Elementary School in Washington, D.C., mathematics is not only about solving problems, it is about building community. During Matemanidad, a quarter-long interdisciplinary mathematics experience, students in grades pre-K–5 worked collaboratively to design original math games and participate in a school-wide tournament centered on performance assessment tasks.

Thanks for all you do to support social justice, starting in the classroom. Together we accomplished so much in 2025, and we are not done yet. We have big plans for 2026!

On Saturday, January 24, 2026, Teaching for Change’s D.C. Area Educators for Social Justice will host an online curriculum fair featuring a keynote speaker and interactive workshops that uplift the guiding principles and demands of the Black Lives Matter at School movement. These principles focus on improving the educational experiences of Black students by centering Black joy, confronting anti-Blackness, and fostering authentic partnerships with all who work toward creating equitable school communities across the nation.

Despite the current federal attacks on D.C. community members, educators came together to learn, laugh, and connect. On September 27th, the DC Area Educators for Social Justice (DCAESJ) Working Groupsheld their first convening of the 25-26 school year at the D.C. History Center.

The 700,000 residents of Washington, D.C. deserve full power over our local government. Free DC is a renewed campaign to protect Home Rule and win lasting dignity for our communities by building the cultural and political movement it will take to win. 

On Saturday, August 23, D.C. Area Educators for Social Justice (DCAESJ) hosted the fourth annual Social Justice Curriculum Fair at Inspired Teaching Demonstration School. Educators from all over the D.C. area — and a few from Philadelphia, New York City, and New Jersey — gathered to participate in powerful educator-led workshops, connect with local organizations supporting social justice education, and learn more about DCAESJ in preparation for the 2025–2026 school year.

In the wake of a newly emboldened authoritarian regime, educators across the country — and especially in the D.C. area — have faced many challenges to truth-telling and public education itself. And yet, D.C. Area Educators for Social Justice continued to show up, and create spaces for resistance, reflection, and collective care.

In late April and early May 2025, Teaching for Change partnered with Filmfest DC: The Washington, DC, International Film Festival for a 14th year to bring filmmakers into D.C. classrooms to share some of their films. 

Educators, students, families, and community members gathered in Washington, D.C., to take part in the national #TeachTruth Day of Action on June 7, 2025. Starting at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the event featured powerful speeches, Dream City Brass Band, and a march to four other Smithsonian museums.

Our deepest condolences to the family of Vincent Henry Coleman (January 18, 1962–June 16, 2025). The family requested that donations in honor of Vincent Coleman be made to Teaching for Change's Teach the Beat project.

A #TeachTruth event was held at Pike Kitchen Food Hall with a range of interactive activities including a non-fiction book swap (bring a book, take a book), photo booth, art station, and interactive Teach Truth pop-up display.

Teaching for Black Lives study groups across the United States participated in the 2025 Black Lives Matter at School Week of Action.

Walt Whitman High School’s Leadership Academy for Social Justice (LASJ) hosted a Social Justice Fair that brought together Whitman students and families, activists, educators, and organizations, including Teaching for Change, from the DMV area.

Pre-K students explore the 13 Guiding Principles of Black Lives Matter at School through storytelling.

A class of 3-5 year olds engaged in a week long book study of Hair Love by Matthew A. Cherry and focused on hair care routines. The book and experiences addressed the Black Lives Matter guiding principles of Diversity, Black Families, Empathy, Unapologetically Black, and Intergenerational. 

The Black History Month showcase at Breakthrough Montessori PCS, which featured a poetry slam, was a celebration of community, self-expression, and Black joy. 

Saturday, April 5, 2025, the D.C. Area Educators for Social Justice (DCAESJ) working group educators came together for a Spring Convening centered on advocacy.