On September 17, 2022, the D.C. Area Educators for Social Justice early childhood, upper elementary, and secondary working groups convened to kick off their monthly meetings for the 2022–2023 school year. Educators decided to focus their convening on preparing to teach about Central America, especially during the October 3–9 Teach Central America Week. 

The convening began with a trip to the National Museum of the American Latino’s first exhibit, ¡Presente! A Latino History of the United States (currently housed within the Smithsonian National Museum of American History), and to participate in their Hispanic Heritage Month Family Festival. Educators were excited to see that parts of the exhibit highlighted Central Americans in D.C., including Mario Bencastro’s typewriter. 

The working groups then traveled to the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library for community building via team trivia on Peoples’ History of Central America and enjoying pupusas. The groups then broke into two different rooms for grade level lesson development, collaboration and planning, and resource review around teaching Central America.

This working group meeting was not only a time for returning working group members to reconnect, but also an opportunity for new folks and prospective members to meet and collaborate. Whether they joined virtually or in-person, the time was well spent. Folks shared that:

The museum presented a lot of hands-on ideas and activities to do with students.

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