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.

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.

Elementary and Secondary Working Group Meeting

Twelve teachers from the DCAESJ elementary and secondary working groups gathered at the Teaching for Change office for a workshop on race, identity, and stereotypes in art, led by Diamond Gray of the American Visionary Art Museum.

DCAESJ Working Group Meeting

The May working group meeting was held at the Teaching for Change office, and it was a reflective time for educators across all three groups to connect over a collaborative art project.

Anti-Bias Early Childhood Working Group Meeting

The meeting kicked off with a welcome and land acknowledgement. For the icebreaker, working group members shared how they have cultivated a sense of respect for and responsibility to the earth in their classrooms and the ways their schools support or undermine environmental justice.

Elementary and Secondary Working Group Meeting

The April elementary and secondary working group meeting centered on a problem of practice that was raised by a working group member: how to find strategies for teaching about Black history that recognize both resistance and joy. Additionally, how to find ways to involve caregivers in that learning. 

Elementary and Secondary Working Group Meeting

All three working groups met at the Phillips Collection for the March meeting. They kicked it off with group trivia, composed by the education team at the museum.

By Makai Kellogg and Sara Beshawred
On Saturday, November 18th, the Anti-Bias Early Childhood Working Group met at the Teaching for Change office. The group focused on addressing holidays in the classroom with an anti-bias lens.

The anti-bias early childhood working group gathered virtually for their May meeting. After their standard land acknowledgement, the group dove into the meeting centered on gender identity in early childhood classrooms.

In lieu of a formal meeting during the month of March, all working group members were encouraged to attend and/or participate in annual events from a few of our partner organizations.