The Power of Place at the Social Justice Curriculum Fair
Participants connect with local social justice organizations.
On Saturday, August 17, D.C. Area Educators for Social Justice (DCAESJ) hosted the third annual Social Justice Curriculum Fair at Inspired Teaching Demonstration School. Educators from all over the D.C. area — and a few from Baltimore, 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 2024–2025 school year.
Vanessa Williams, program manager for DCAESJ, and Nzinga Tull, Teaching for Change board chair, grounded attendees in how this year’s fair exemplified the powerful social justice work that Teaching for Change has boldly championed for 35 years. Nzinga stated,
In the past year alone, the Teaching for Change team has gone deep and wide to collaborate with a variety of people and organizations — bringing renowned go-go artists, Filmfest DC, embassies and local museums, and so many more. Our DCAESJ staff and educators modeled how pedagogy and curricula that are place-specific, culturally literate, and authentically rooted in community are the foundation for sustained advancement in social justice work.
The resources provided by the variety of workshops and dozens of local social justice organizations encouraged teachers and students to question and re-think the world inside and outside their classrooms, build a more equitable, multicultural society, and become active global citizens.
The Art of Activism: Using the Arts to Promote Social Justice
In this interactive session that was designed for the classroom teacher, participants examined materials and engaged with activities through music, theater, and visual art — all with social justice themes as the connective tissue. In the age of book bans and push back on teaching the truth, this session championed visual and performing arts as a way to engage students, educate them on issues, and introduce them to activism as a practice.
Bridging the Gap: A Cross-Generational Dialogue Between Students and Teachers
Participants gathered to explore the Speak Truth Program, a student-led model from the Center for Inspired Teaching. This program empowers students to engage in respectful and open discussions on current and controversial topics, fostering a deeper understanding of diverse perspectives. During the session, teachers learned how the program encourages students to find their voices, share ideas, and engage in public speaking, all while valuing the differences in viewpoints.
Over the past decade, Speak Truth has facilitated student-led discussions in public spaces, with adults playing a supportive role. The presenters emphasized four guiding principles: Intellect, Inquiry, Imagination, and Integrity, which help frame discussions and encourage critical thinking. Teachers were inspired to implement these conversations in their classrooms, recognizing the potential to ignite both their students‘ curiosity and their own. The workshop concluded with educators sharing strategies for incorporating Speak Truth into their teaching practices, with a focus on fostering active listening and meaningful dialogue. The session highlighted the evolving nature of the Speak Truth program and its potential for broader impact through new partnerships.
Go-Go as Public Pedagogy: Exploring Joy and Resistance through Arts and Culture
In this go-go centered workshop, facilitated on the 10th annual Chuck Brown Day, Destini Collins explored the cultural phenomenon of go-go music as a lens for understanding public pedagogy, specifically how learning happens beyond traditional classroom settings. Participants explored how go-go embodies joy and resistance, serving as a tool for community education and activism. Through interactive discussions and hands-on activities, including a Go-Go Gallery Hall, that center lived experiences and the environment, participants analyzed the role of go-go in preserving cultural heritage and challenging oppressive systems.
Harnessing the Power of Visual Learning: Using Images to Teach Palestine
Abeer‘s session offered a powerful approach to teaching about Palestine, focusing on centering joy, perspective, and critical thinking. She began the workshop by acknowledging Black Muslim ancestors, including Omar ibn Said, using his autobiography to emphasize the importance of teaching history in a way that uplifts and empowers, rather than marginalizes and erases.
Participants reflected on their own experiences of learning about Palestine, with many realizing they had been taught a biased version of history. Through her own journey of learning and unlearning, Abeer highlighted the need to approach history with a critical lens. Using Project Zero thinking routines, participants analyzed images from pre-1948 Palestine, engaging deeply with the material and drawing connections to their own lives.
Abeer guided them through exercises like See-Think-Wonder and Peel the Fruit, encouraging them to make observations, ask questions, and consider a focus on joy and resilience in their classrooms.
Honoring Family Structures in the Anti-Bias Early Childhood Classroom
The workshop began with personal storytelling, where both facilitators shared their own family experiences, setting a tone of openness and reflection. Participants engaged in a story fortunes icebreaker, allowing them to explore and share their own family structures, which fostered a sense of connection and understanding within the group. A handout on Anti-Bias Education Goals related to family structures was provided, alongside terminology and a highlight of the adoption-themed book Eyes that Weave the World‘s Wonders.
Honey‘s heartfelt recount of her trans-racial adoption journey and her current practices as a preschool educator offered concrete examples of how to model lifelong learning, use the notice/wonder framework, and meaningfully engage families in school activities. Makai complemented this by sharing strategies for building connections with families and honoring diverse structures, including thoughtful questions for a family questionnaire. The session also featured DEAR time with a curated selection of children’s books, encouraging participants to analyze them through the lens of anti-bias education and brainstorm actionable ideas. The workshop concluded with attendees sharing steps they would take to make their teaching more inclusive, such as starting a family journal collection that bridges middle school and pre-K students.
Intro to Peace & Conflict Studies: Using Galtung's Typologies of Violence to help students understand systematic oppression
In a format mirroring her secondary classroom approach, Mollie Safran guided participants through a U.S. History lesson that she uses to help students discuss systematic oppression. Her method included contextual explanations that deepened the audience‘s understanding, while her use of pop culture references made the content more relatable. Mollie paused throughout to explain her teaching strategies and how they could be adapted for various subjects and levels. Participants were actively engaged, with many nodding in agreement and laughing at the workshop‘s humorous moments.
Mollie skillfully differentiated between her roles as a teacher and a professional development facilitator, and she provided clear strategies for addressing systemic racism in the classroom without triggering students. Her session concluded with a brainstorming opportunity, encouraging participants to consider how they could integrate these concepts into their own teaching environments.
Numbers and Narratives: Teaching Central America
Tamyka Morant, assistant principal of Bruce-Monroe Elementary School at Park View in D.C., introduced participants to the innovative Identify, Interrogate, Critique, and Amplify protocol, designed to deepen students‘ critical consciousness in the math classroom. The workshop focused on how math can be a powerful tool for exploring number identity, representation, and critical topics in Central America. Morant shared how her curriculum integrates math skills with lessons on history, nature, culture, identity, and colonialism. For instance, students learn about Belize’s coral reefs and animal life, which often leads to discussions on environmental justice, or they study the Garifuna population in Belize to understand the impact of British colonialism and language diversity.
Participants in the workshop engaged by collaboratively exploring resources on Central America, creating mini-infographics, and discussing how to apply these methods in their own Teaching Central America initiatives. Morant highlighted that this curriculum, unique to her school, is a vital way to reaffirm the identities and histories of the school‘s predominantly Central American student population. The workshop also sparked interest in how this approach could be expanded beyond her school, especially as the National Gallery of Art will showcase her students‘ work in their Art Around the Corner program this fall.
Precedented: Deportations on Trial Lesson
The session challenged the notion that current U.S. immigration policies are “unprecedented” by placing them in historical context. Forbes and Williams guided participants through the Deportations on Trial lesson from the Zinn Education Project. The lesson centers the mass deportation of Americans of Mexican descent. Teachers actively participated in questioning and small group discussions, immersing themselves in the lesson. They reflected on the role of cultural responsiveness in teaching history and how the concept of the “hero” can be controversial. The presenters facilitated discussions on how to adapt the lesson, with many teachers expressing that this engaging and multifaceted approach should be more widely used in teaching history and social studies. Overall, educators quickly recognized the value of the lesson, discussing how to adapt the methodology to other subjects. This methodology provides a valuable tool for students to explore facts, defend truth, consider various perspectives, and above all, develop empathy for those affected by unjust immigration laws in the United States.
Radical Morning Meeting: A Framework to Center Identity, Joy, and Justice in the Classroom and Beyond
Tara and Brooke introduced participants to the transformative Radical Morning Meeting (RMM) framework, designed to build classroom community while fostering skills for joy and justice. The session began with participant introductions, setting the tone for an inclusive and respectful environment. Tara and Brooke then detailed the components of RMM, comparing it to the Responsive Classroom approach and highlighting unique elements like the Narration and Vibration components. They provided practical examples, such as using a clip from Black Panther for middle school students and a Christian Robinson illustrator study for lower elementary students, demonstrating how RMM can be tailored to different age groups. Participants brainstormed ways to incorporate these ideas into their own classrooms and viewed examples of student work. The workshop concluded with a powerful call and response affirmation, leaving participants inspired and equipped to bring the RMM framework into their teaching practice.
Teaching Central America Through History and Fiction
As a teacher of English Language Development in Montgomery County, Maryland, and an author, Anna Lapera shared a powerful anecdote about her Central American students searching for books about their countries in the library, only to find very few. She guided participants through two activities underscoring the limited knowledge often taught in schools about Central America’s history, culture, and its strong ties to United States involvement.
Anna then introduced a blank map of Central America that challenged participants to identify countries, and an exercise where attendees mingled while introducing historical figures from Central America and the United States through short bios. Participants reflected on figures such as Efraín Ríos Montt, a Guatemalan dictator, and Oliver North, a key figure in the Iran-Contra affair, highlighting the need for more comprehensive education in the region.
Lapera emphasized the power of fiction in bringing the immigrant experience to life, sharing novels like Danilo Was Here, Saints of the Household, and her own book, Mani Semilla Finds Her Quetzal Voice, which tells the story of a young girl’s connection to her Guatemalan heritage. These stories, aimed at middle and high school students, offer historical insights and provide opportunities for deeper learning in the classroom.
Between the workshop rounds and during the book giveaway at the end of the fair, more than two dozen D.C. area organizations were represented at exhibition tables, showcasing the myriad ways social justice educators can get involved and seek resources and support in curriculum development and organizing.
In addition to a robust selection of workshops and exhibits, participants received:
A choice of a children's or young adult book thanks to donations by Candlewick Press, Groundwood Books, Lee & Low Books, and Shout Mouse Press
A 3.5 hour professional development certificate
A chance to receive prizes from Bhakti Yoga DC, Buzz Bakeshop, Fair Trade Roots, Georgetown Cupcake, Good Company Doughnuts and Cafe, Lee's Flower Shop, Merry Pin, Rewild, and Sonny's Pizza.
Our appreciation to Inspired Teaching Demonstration School for generously hosting this event for a second year, event volunteers, workshop facilitators and exhibitors for sharing their expertise and resources, and everyone who participated. Thank you to the following organizations for donating their time and resources to ensure an enriching experience: Candlewick, Groundwood, Lee & Low, Shout Mouse Press, Bhakti Yoga DC, Buzz Bakeshop, Fair Trade Roots, Giant, Georgetown Cupcake, Good Company Doughnuts and Cafe, Lee's Flower Shop, Merry Pin, Rewild, and Sonny's Pizza.
The D.C. Area Educators for Social Justice is made possible by donations from individuals and grants from the Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation, Communities for Just Schools Fund, the Community Foundation, the Taste of Salt Fund, and The APA Fund.
Donate now to support DCAESJ activities all year!