Category: Current Events & News

Puerto Rican Students Deserve Better

Access to High-Quality Schools | 09/23/2026
Post author Jamayka Young
Jamayka Young Digital Communications Manager

Puerto Rico and The systemic underfunding of public schools

Puerto Rico is home to more than 240,000 U.S. public school students. The island operates as one centralized school district, funded exclusively by the territorial government and federal grants.

Until a few years ago, Puerto Rico was the 3rd largest school district in the U.S., losing that position after more than 250 schools were shut down in the wake of the devastation of Hurricane Maria.

(under) Funding in Puerto Rican Schools

Unlike states, Puerto Rico has no state or local education funding allocations, which other school districts heavily rely on to pay teachers, buy supplies, and maintain their schools.

The funding issues go even further. For example, states and Washington D.C., are entitled to reimbursement from the federal government for services provided to support students with disabilities. Yet, Puerto Rican schools are denied funding for special education services, costs which amounted to more than $433 million dollars in 2023 alone.

The Impact on students

Infrastructural collapse, on top of decades of systemic underfunding have led to disastrous results for students in Puerto Rico. In 2024, the NAEP Mathematics Assessment that all U.S. 4th and 8th grade students take, just 2% of students in Puerto Rico tested at or above proficiency levels. And that is actually an increase from 0% in 2022. Zero students meeting proficiency benchmarks in a United States school district is obscene.

This is what advocates mean when we say that ensuring fair access to high-quality education for every child goes beyond what happens in the classroom. Kids can’t learn on an empty stomach, if they are housing insecure, or when their schools and roads create dangerous conditions for students and educators alike.

There is no wonder more than 42% of the student population has left the island in the past decade, with families moving to the mainland in search of a better education for their children. This has ripple effects, impacting the students forced to move away from their home, the school communities in already under resourced, often urban school districts that absorb these students, and the students left behind in schools with even less funding.

What we can do

There needs to be a serious restructuring of the federal government’s relationship to Puerto Rico, from funding to education policy. It is the duty of our legislators to ensure every child in the U.S. – from D.C. to Hawaii to Puerto Rico – has access to a safe, high-quality public education. And the local families, students, educators, and school communities must have greater decision-making power in what happens to their children and schools.

We see that leadership in education advocates and organizations led by those living on the island, as well as Puerto Ricans in diaspora. Organizations like Flamboyan Foundation are working to ensure every early learner has the foundations they need to become lifelong readers. And Puerto Rico Rise Up is coordinating disaster relief, ensuring children have adequate clothing and working to increase STEM education on the island with their Coqui Education Program.

Dolly Parton & The Importance of Literacy

Current Events & News | 09/8/2026
Post author
Stand for Children

Dolly Parton & The Importance of Childhood Literacy

With recent news about the passing of the beloved country music icon, film and TV star, and all-around American treasure that is Mrs. Dolly Parton, we’ve collectively been reminiscing on the cultural impact of the late star.  

But before she was an internationally beloved figure, she was just a little girl growing up in a one room cabin up in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee.

Her father Robert Lee was illiterate, never being taught to read and write. Dolly would describe her father as one of the smartest men she ever met, and she also saw early on how her father’s lack of access to education in rural Appalachia impacted him and his family.

The literacy gaps for students from low-income families, from rural areas, and from communities of color as compared to their wealthier, suburban peers unfortunately persists today. The literacy gap not only impacts children’s academic potential, but their future income, likelihood of incarceration, and ability to engage with their communities.

But Dolly Parton knew that it is each of our role to do what we can in our communities to make a difference in the lives of children. For Dolly Parton, that meant starting the Dollywood Foundation’s Imagination Library, a program that provides free books and literacy resources for our youngest learners. Through this work, she has helped deliver more than 330 million books to children across the world.

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For everyday people who share Dolly’s love of children, that means voting, organizing in your community, and advocating for policies that will close existing literacy gaps, and improve literacy for every child, regardless of zip code.

Let’s remember Dolly Parton, not only through her beautiful music and nostalgic films, but through her unending love and advocacy for children.

The Pink Collar Penalty

Current Events & News | 03/2/2026
Post author Jamayka Young
Jamayka Young Digital Communications Manager

The Pink Collar Penalty

How Educators and Other Workers in Women-Dominated Industries are Underpaid and Overworked  

What Is A Pink-Collar Job? 

In 1967, William Jack Baumol coined the term “pink-collar jobs” to highlight the discrepancies faced by those working in industries historically associated with women. Pink-collar roles include nurses and medical assistants, administrative workers, cosmetologists, social workers, retail and customer service workers, and teachers. These roles span from office (or “white collar”) work to more physically intensive (or “blue collar”) work, but share a few key traits: 

  • They have historically (and presently) been primarily staffed by women. 
  • They face significant wage disparities compared to their white and blue collar counterparts. 
  • They typically involve a significant amount of emotional labor and/or service.  

While some historically women-dominated jobs, such as tobacco manufacturing, are no longer primarily staffed by women, one of the pink-collar fields that has persisted for centuries is education. 

From daycare workers to classroom teachers to language pathologists, those working in education do the critical work of preparing future generations, while being met with the obstacles and inequities that those in all pink-collar industries face. 

Who Are Public School Teachers? 

To give a quick layout of the education landscape, according to the National Center for Education Statistics, 78% of public-school teachers are women.  

That gender discrepancy skyrockets when you look at teachers of younger students. In 2022, 97% of all preschool and kindergarten teachers were women. With this stark gender imbalance in the field, it is frustrating but unsurprising that there is a massive pay gap between teachers and other comparable industries.   

The Pink-Collar Penalty  

Most public-school teachers (58%) have a master’s degree, but their median pay is nearly $20,000 lower than other workers with an advanced degree. They are also paid significantly less than other government workers with similar education requirements  

In fact, teachers are paid less than the average employee in every state in the U.S. besides Hawaii. When we consider that 98% of teachers have at least a bachelor’s degree, compared to just 38.7% of all U.S. workers, the below average pay for teachers is even more jarring.  

While teachers are making less than most workers of comparable educational attainment, they are expected to do significant amounts of emotional labor that goes far beyond their job descriptions. Many adults can share stories of when a teacher has stepped in to support them in massive ways, from providing emotional support during difficult times, to providing food and helping to secure resources for students from low-income backgrounds.  

This support is being provided to an ever-increasing number of students as classroom sizes balloon, without the teacher workforce being increased to match.  

At the same time, they’ve been thrown under the bus by bad faith actors using classrooms for political games. Teachers have faced extreme harassment for teaching accurate accounts of history, or about the theory of evolution.  

Teachers are not giving the training or resources to be doing this amount of psychological and social services support. It is no wonder that so many teachers report increased levels of anxiety and burnout—something that’s pushing many out of the field and further increasing the strain on those who stay.  

As Connecticut teacher, Elsa Batista phrased it,

“Teaching has become mentally, emotionally and physically exhausting. We are strong, resilient, and creative, but we need support; we need help in our classrooms. Right now, that’s not happening, and we cannot afford to lose more teachers.” 

Teachers deserve to be paid fairly for their work, which is essential to the functioning of any society. They also must be provided with significantly more support, from classroom resources to mental health services. Finally, our elected officials must work to increase the number of students graduating with teaching degrees and relieve the burden on already exhausted teachers.  

MLK DAY MAKE A DIFFERENCE

Current Events & News | 01/18/2026
Post author Jamayka Young
Jamayka Young Digital Storyteller
drawing of martin luther king jr giving a speech
drawing of martin luther king jr giving a speech

We All Have A Role In The Movement

This MLK Day, remember that each of us has the power to make a difference!

I’ve always been passionate about making the world a better place. I knew at an early age that I wanted to spend my life helping others. Important figures, like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. inspired me to stand up for what I believe in and speak truth to power.

But their legacies also cast a long shadow. As I grew up, I began to feel less and less sure of my ability to effect change. I thought it would be impossible to make a real difference if I didn’t have the charisma, the fearlessness, the ability to build a movement of my own.

That fear kept me frozen. I felt like nothing I did was enough. If the impact wasn’t massive, I thought, why do it at all?

“We don’t have to head a march of 100,000 people in order to be leaders in our own communities and make changes that make the lives of those around us a little safer, easier, fairer.”

A mentor of mine eventually sat me down and told me, “Jamayka, your hands are not big enough to hold the whole world. Focus on what you can change right now, right here, today.”

Like most teenagers, I rolled my eyes at that advice, and continued to let my fear of failure prevent me from seeing the real impact everyday people, like my mentor, were having on the people in our community— one hot meal, or ride to a townhall, or enlightening conversation at a time.

It wasn’t until I had the chance to really learn about the history of the Civil Rights Movement and the hundreds of thousands of regular people that changed the world, that my mentor’s advice made sense to me. Dr. King’s words and actions were inspiring and impactful, but the movement we identify him with existed long before he was born and continues to this day.

We don’t have to head a march of 100,000 people in order to be leaders in our own communities and make changes that make the lives of those around us a little safer, easier, fairer.

This MLK Day, let us all remember that each one of us is a critical part of the movement to create a just and equitable education system for every child. We all have a role to play, and each of us, when we come together with our community members, can make a real difference.

What actions will you take this MLK Day in support of students, educators, and schools? Let us know by taking our MLK Day Pledge to Act.

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Why We Need To Be Teaching Asian American and Pacific Islander History:

Current Events & News | 05/29/2024
Post author Jamayka Young
Jamayka Young Digital Communications Manager

We Need To Be Teaching Asian American and Pacific Islander History:

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In May of 2023, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed into law a bill requiring the teaching of Asian American and Pacific Islander history in K-12 curriculums in Florida public schools. This came right on the heels of Governor DeSantis barring public schools from participating in a pilot of the College Board’s course on African American Studies.

In response to the Florida Governor’s decisions, many activists were outraged and spoke out in opposition to the educational and social-emotional harm the decision against the African American Studies course would have on students in Florida. This harm would be especially impactful for the Black students being told by their leaders that the histories of their communities were not worthy of being taught in school, while the histories of their Asian American and Pacific Islander peers were deemed to be necessary. Education advocates and community members were also deeply concerned with the potential rippling effect DeSantis’ policies could have on local and state education policies in other parts of the country.

The pair of decisions to bar African American Studies while simultaneously mandating Asian American and Pacific Islander History may initially appear contradictory. Unfortunately, this would not be the first time unsavory political actors have attempted to pit Asian Americans against other ethnic and racial minority groups in the United States.

The model minority myth, a stereotype of Asian Americans that creates a hierarchy within communities of color, was invented and continues to be perpetuated to block those seeking to end the educational, economic, and social disparities facing marginalized communities. This harmful stereotype and resulting racial stratification hurts everyone, including the Asian American students and community members that are being used as tools against solidarity. 

Unfortunately, often lost in the intentionally drummed up outrage is space for conversations about the harm that being used as political pawns has on Asian American communities.  We also lose sight of the reality that there is a near complete lack of Asian American history or Pacific Islander history being taught in American public schools. Currently, just 11 states require K-12 students to learn Asian American and/or Pacific Islander history at any point in their years of schooling. This is a serious issue that does need to be addressed, and not just used for political aims. Clearly, we have a real need for a thorough and accurate Asian American History and Pacific Islander Education in our schools.

What is the model minority myth?

First popularized amid the 1960s Civil Rights Movement, the model minority myth was created to define Asian Americans in opposition to other racial and ethnic minority groups.

Relying on stereotypes and out-of-context data, this myth paints Asian Americans collectively as financially well-off, hardworking, and socially and politically docile. The model minority myth creates a monolithic story of over 26 million Americans with family ties to nearly 50 countries, erasing the vastly different backgrounds, histories, and lived experiences of dozens of different communities.

Why AAPI?

AAPI is a commonly used acronym for Asian American and Pacific Islander communities. Historically, the United States government has grouped Asian Americans with Native Hawaiian people, as well as others from islands across the Pacific including Guam, Samoa, and Tonga.

While there is a long history of these communities intentionally linking themselves in the United States as a way to form networks of solidarity and push collectively for positive social change, the grouping can also be seen as a harmful generalization. This is especially true for Pacific Islanders who may feel that the grouping erases the distinct histories and cultures of their nations and communities. Due to the fact that most education policies being pushed make this link between Asian American and Pacific Islanders, it is the framework most often used to discuss the current debates and issues in education. It is important to recognize that the term AAPI encompasses millions of Americans with heritage from dozens of different nations, and for education advocates and leaders to seek specificity when available and appropriate.

How are we teaching Asian American History now?

Like many marginalized communities in the US, most of us could sum up what we learn about Asian Americans into a few pages in our United States history textbooks— if we’re lucky. For most American public school students, that might look like a brief discussion of Japanese internment during WWII, the red scare and rise of communist China, a blip about the Vietnam war, and for current students and recent graduates, possibly a lesson on the War on Terror. That is, if they make it that far before the end of year exams.

In these limited conversations, the stories, contributions of, and impacts on Asian Americans are rarely mentioned, if at all. In all these historical moments, Asian Americans are painted as “the foreign other” to be suspicious of, never as fellow Americans. This serves to isolate Asian American students and educators in the classroom and Asian parents and families in the broader community.

Discussions of the histories of Pacific Islanders in the United States are even rarer. Few students in the United States learn anything about how the state of Hawai’i became a part of the United States, let alone anything about the island’s history pre-European contact. This is also true of other United States territories of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, and American Samoa. Millions of Americans have ancestry from these islands and other parts of the Pacific, yet their histories go completely unexamined in most American classrooms. These gaps in our textbooks end up disappearing the voices and contributions of Pacific Islander communities in the US.

The way we currently teach Asian American and Pacific Islander histories (when we do) leads to real world harm. When Asian American and Pacific Islander students see their community members exclusively painted as a threat when mentioned, and otherwise disappeared from the rest of their textbooks, that causes serious mental and emotional harm. And it has major impacts on these students’ social and educational outcomes.

Paired with the pressure of unattainable standards perpetuated by the model minority myth, Asian students report experiencing adverse mental health conditions, including alarmingly high reports of thoughts of or attempted self-harm. Pacific Islander communities similarly experience erasure of their histories from textbooks along with high rates of young people reporting mental health issues.

This also manifests into violence against Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders from people who have spent their whole lives being taught to distrust their peers and neighbors.

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When we teach an inaccurate and incomplete American history and refuse to be honest about the ways that shapes the present, all students are harmed as they are robbed of a quality education and the opportunity to learn about the contribution of Asian American and Pacific Islander communities. And Asian American and Pacific Islander students take the brunt of this harm— mentally, socially, and academically.

What can we do?

1. Resist the Bait.

Politicians have long used Asian Americans and Pacific Islander as a wedge between communities of color looking to advance goals of equity and freedom. We must avoid allowing ourselves to be distracted by these attempts to separate those of us pushing for change. Instead, form relationships and find spaces of shared struggle and solidarity with everyone in the fight for educational equity for all students!

2. Get Educated.

It is critical to educate ourselves and the people in our lives on the impacts Asian Americans have had on this country, issues facing Asian American and Pacific Islander students and communities today, and the need to join in the fight for safe, equitable education for every child.

3. Push for Change.

We have to continue to push for more opportunities for teaching Asian American and Pacific Islander history both in specialized classes but also as mandatory parts of a comprehensive United States history and civics education.

What was your experience learning about Asian American and Pacific Islander History? Let us know in the comments below or by sharing your story here.

National Library Week 2024

Current Events & News | 04/9/2024
Post author
Stand for Children

National Library Week is here, and the time to rally behind our libraries is now. As extreme politicians seek to attack education and defund libraries through harmful policies, our support during this week is more critical than ever.

That’s why we joined our partners at We Believe, PEN America, and EveryLibrary to sign the joint open Love Letter to the librarians who support our schools and communities. And now, it’s your turn!

3 Ways You Can Take Action In Support of Libraries This National Library Week:

1. Sign the Library Love Letter. Join Stand and our partners from We Believe, PEN America, EveryLibrary, and other organizations in showing your support to libraries and their staff as hubs of knowledge and community by signing onto this Library Love Letter!

2. Sign up for a library card. Sign up for a card to get access to a multitude of books, movies, and other resources all while supporting continued funding for your local library. 

3. Get Connected. Explore We Believe, PEN America, and EveryLibrary’s National Library Week Action Guide for a range of activities at various levels of engagement, from sharing virtual stickers to urging Congress to protect the freedom to read.

Your Next Library Pickup

One of the most effective ways we can all support libraries and library staff this National Book Week is by signing up for a library card and visiting our local library branches! 

Need some suggestions on your next read? We asked our staff members what books they’re reading. Here are 5 reads they can’t stop raving about:

What books are you reading this National Library Week? Let us know in the comments below or join the conversation on social! 

Become an Education Champ in 2024!

Current Events & News | 01/5/2024
Post author
Stand for Children

Become an Education Champ in 2024!

5 Ways You Can Make A Difference For Students Today

If there’s one lesson from last year, it’s that good things happen when we come together. As we step into the new year, let’s continue leveraging the power of community. Regardless of your advocacy role, here are 5 ways you can make a difference for students this year:

1. Amid ongoing book bans, consider taking action outside of the classroom. Visit your local library with your student to help expose your student to more diverse stories and improve their literacy. Signing up for a library card can go a long way in supporting your library system. Look to our library friend @mychal3ts for recommendations and inspiration.

2. Harness the power of community! Collaborate with local organizations, educators, and parents to create a supportive network for students. By working together, we can address challenges, foster inclusivity, and create a nurturing environment for learning. Join our Education Champions Facebook group to find like-minded education advocates and resources.

3. Commit to actively supporting & advocating for students. Whether it’s providing mentorship or amplifying student voices, let’s ensure they feel seen & supported. Check out Rose from Concrete, an organization working to support students in their community.

4. Think globally, act locally. Advocate for policies that prioritize student well-being and education at the community level. Together, we can build a supportive environment that fosters growth, learning, and success for EVERY student. Get involved here.

5. Stay Connected! Follow us on social media and join our email list to receive updates, resources, and action opportunities all 2024!

What are some ways you are planning to be an advocate for students in 2024? What are some tips you would give to others who want to make a difference for students? Let us know in the comments below!

MEET ROSE FROM CONCRETE

Current Events & News | 08/28/2023
Post author Jamayka Young
Jamayka Young Digital Communications Manager
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MEET ROSE FROM CONCRETE

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A Q&A with our partners at Rose from Concrete, a youth led organization working to support students in their community through mutual aid, direct advocacy, and youth mentorship.

what inspired you to form this organization?

Kayla Williams:

We at Rose from Concrete have grown to understand love as the will to extend yourself for either your own or another person’s growth. Thank you bell hooks. And we’ve got examples of love and what it looks like in action, right? Because we believe that love is action it’s not just words or feelings. And so I say that I love myself, I love my community, I love my people.

And I’m frustrated by the conditions that we are often expected to live in, in complacency. But how could I be complacent? How could I not be, you know, angered, fearful, upset, by, you know, the scarcity, the violence that we’re, you know, expected to live under? So, yeah,

I’m motivated by love to play my role in creating community or co-creating a world that reflects the needs and desires of my community.

Shanniah Wright:

There’s a long list of reasons that I was able to co-found Rose from Concrete. The main one, I think, is because I come from a single parent household. My mom raised both me and my brother by herself, and I had to watch her every day, not even knowing that sometimes think about how she was going to feed us, how she was going to pay rent and just ultimately watching the system in general fail her.

She was able to put me in a position where I can think critically about the issues and problems that go on around me, which allowed me to co-create and co-found Rose from Concrete. But I know that every single day that there are other single mothers, there are other community members or just people in general that the system is consistently failing.

I think that people should not have to choose between happiness and survival. I think that survival should be the bare minimum and that everyone should be able to choose to do what they want to do without the pressures of whether they were going to eat, sleep or breathe weighing down on them.

Osariemen Aiyevbomwan:

What pushed me to start this work is that I come from a big Nigerian-American household, and so for many of my siblings and myself included, being black and marginalized has really disrupted our connections to safety in our homes and in the world at large. And the violence inflicted

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on us has corrupted our intimate relationships with ourselves, but also with one another and each other. And because of these struggles, we’ve been alienated from our home, whether it be an unconscious or conscious effort.

And I’m of the mind that we all belong here, that we all have a right to feel safe and free during our time here on this earth. And so,

I want to restore the relationships with ourselves in our environment so that our descendants inherit a more free world.

I believe that we are redeemable and that justice is possible through coordinated action to get us free. And for me, RFC has presented the opportunity to do just that and also feel at home while doing it.

where did the name “rose from concret” come from and how is it reflected in the work you all do?

Shanniah Wright:

Rose from the concrete is a play on word rose as in the verb and the noun, the rose as a flower rose, as in the act of rising. And this is a really cool play on word because we use concrete as talking about the jungle that is New York, the concrete that we walked every single day that we grow up in roses sprouting from it and actually rising from our circumstances.

I love our name just because it allows us to create and nurture and play on those words of growth and growing and something beautiful, which are flowers and concrete being something rough. And as a big Tupac fan Rose that grew from the concrete. I think we embody that and we want other people to see themselves in that beautiful lens as a rose as something to be nurtured and grown. And that can grow in the most unexpected places.

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WHAT ARE SOME COMMON CHALLENGES YOUR STUDENTS FACE?

Kayla Williams:

I would say that students face very a multifaceted set of challenges. I think I kind of think of them or characterize them in three ways. First, I think there are material and basic physiological needs, right? We live in a society that allows scarcity to exist in abundance, which means that families deal with things like poverty, housing insecurity, food in access, that sort of thing.

And so children, you know, they belong to families, they are part of families. And they don’t simply shed that when they walk into the school door. So, you know, children, many of them are coming to school with these material needs still existing. And then, of course, they’re dealing with, I think the attack on education that we’re seeing. But that has been going on for, you know, frankly, forever.

Right. Are we ever really learning the truth I think an empowering truth in our schools, that’s up for debate. And then I think there is the socio-emotional, you know, challenges that come with being a young person, feeling powerless in a society that is telling you what you should look like, what you should be like, constantly reminding you how you, you know, pale in comparison to that.

HOW DO YOU REASSURE AND AFFIRM STUDENT IN TIMES OF ANXIETY AND UNCERTAINTY?

Osariemen Aiyevbomwan:

When I was in school feeling the pressure to remain OK, and also remain a good student, but also navigating a school environment that was very frustrating and dismissive of my experiences I leaned on the experiences of those who came before me. So mentorship really carried me through my school experience. And that is why RFC prioritizes peer mentorship and community as a protective factor in the lives of young students. When feeling anxiety it’s something that I do to reassure the youth in my community is letting them know that they have resources and they have people who look like them, who can relate to their experiences and keep them grounded in the power of love and in the power of community. So that is something that has also reassured me.

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OUTSIDE OF MENTORSHIP, WHAT OTHER RESOURCES DOES RFC PROVIDE?

Kayla Williams:

I would say that we aim to respond to the three buckets of needs that we identified. So material needs we aim to address through our mutual aid efforts. So aiming to have resources and funds pooled together so that if, you know, emergent needs do arise for youth, that we are able to offer them, you know, tangible support or connect them to someone who can do that.

Because once again, how can you prioritize the academic or the emotional if you know, you have more dire needs in front of you? We also offer, you know, like academic training and curriculum. So tutoring. Shaquille recently started a robotics program, you know, like to give tangible academic skills and support. And then finally we aim at the socio-emotional through our curricula on love and through our mentorship program.

I would definitely recommend that people just start to have conversations. I think, like I said before, one of the most powerful tools

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of opposition is to convince folks that they are alone, that you are an individual against capitalism, you are an individual against white supremacy, you are an individual against misogyny. And so you feel like in response to that, I need to, you know, pick myself up by the bootstraps instead of coming together as a collective right, as a team, as a group, you know, as is done, you know, across sectors, right?

Usually creating progress in the direction that we don’t want. People aren’t doing that as individuals. They’re doing that, you know, with the help of decades of systems and policies and groups and people. And, you know, so I think talk to people around you recognize that you’re not alone in your beliefs and your desires, what you want to see in the world. And once you start to realize, wait you want the world to look like this, you want it to look like this too, you do too. Why doesn’t it? Right.

Collectively, we have power, we have voting power, we have spending power, we have political power. So, you know, why doesn’t the world look how we want it to look?

wHAT ARE SOME STARTING pOINTS FOR PEOPLE WHO WANT TO GET INVOLVED?

Osariemen Aiyevbomwan:

Some starting points for parents and for the folks who are looking to be more and more involved in their community would definitely be to start small. I’ll start looking right. We are under the misguided impression that we need to go elsewhere and abroad to find something good. But I would say talk to your neighbor for an extra ten to 15 minutes.

Share your struggles, problem solve together. You don’t know what nuggets of wisdom these conversations may unlock within us just by virtue of our continued existence here in these environments, we all have access to so much knowledge and expert or problem solving skills that deserve to be shared and used to generate community solutions.

So form little groups and little gathering spaces and be intention in fostering those intimate connections. You never know what love and magic comes out of those efforts.

Kayla Williams:

Folks can support funds. Like I said before, we want to be able to respond to immediate needs, physiological needs, basic needs through resources and funds that we pull together so folks can contribute to that. And I think we need support as well as an organization, marketing support, communications, volunteering you know, media, really anything and everything we could really support on.

And I would say, yeah, it’s a mutual aid organization and so we aim to bring our time, our resources, our efforts, our knowledge together and to collectively drive change with that so you can fit in that wherever you know, feels right to you. But I would also say that you can do things in your own community too closer to you, with your people, your family, your friends, your you know, I think that is a larger vision that we’re working together for that has, I think, space in your city, in your home.

It doesn’t have to be in Brooklyn where we are, though that would be nice. We believe that love is a force that can through it all, despite the concrete, grow roses, create futures that we’re told are impossible ones of life and, you know, nourishment and fruit. So, yeah, we believe that we can do the impossible collectively, and through love at Rose from Concrete.

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Standoscope: Leo Season

Current Events & News | 08/10/2023
Post author
Stand for Children

Your Standoscope: Leo Season

Time to Shine This Leo Season!

After the last few weeks in introspective and emotional Cancer, most of us are ready to finally let loose and join Leo for a moment in the sun. This is the time for each zodiac sign to take a page from proud Leo and stand confidentially in their unique abilities to be leaders in their community.

Leo season encourages us to tap into our creative, expressive, and social side, embracing our sense of community. By using this time to connect with others and raise awareness around public education, you can contribute to creating a more inclusive and supportive educational environment for all students.  

How can you leverage the fiery energy of Leo Season to make an impact in your community? Check out your Standoscope below to find out! 

Want to get monthly Standoscopes to your inbox with opportunities to learn more about educational issues, and ways to get involved? Sign up here to stay informed!

Aries ♈︎
(March 21 – April 19)

The theme of this season for Aries is self-expression! Use that spark of innovation from passionate Leo to get creative and share the story that inspired you to become an education advocate. Tap into the the leadership energy of Leo and use your story to inspire other’s to take up the fight for education equity!

Taurus ♉︎ 
(April 20 – May 20)

This Leo season is shining light on your home life. This is the perfect time to talk with your friends, family and loved ones about the issues that matter most to you! Learn how to have those important conversations with your community using our Story Building Toolkit!

Gemini ♊︎
(May 21 – June 20)

This Leo season has you feeling reinvigorated and ready to be social! Lean into this communicative energy at our monthly Learn From History call! Learn from other education champions about ways you can get involved in making a difference in your school community, and in communities across the country!

Cancer ♋︎
(June 21 – July 22)

You may be a bit tired from your birthday season, but that wont stop fiery Leo from moving forward and bringing you along for the ride! Look forward to a burst of confidence this month, Cancer. Use that confidence to push back against attack on honest and inclusive education by sharing your experience learning about Black history in school!

Leo ♌︎
(July 23 – August 22)

Happy birthday, Leo! Your birthday season may leave you feeling reflective about how you can be the best version of yourself. Take some inspo from mom and education champion, Ida, about how you can make a difference in your community.

Virgo ♍︎
(August 23 – September 22)

Busybody Virgo might be feeling uncharacteristically sleepy this Leo season. Resist the urge to fight this introspective energy. Instead, lean into the cozy with some heartfelt summer reading to inspire you to learn more about the communities around you.

Libra ♎︎
(September 23 – October 22)

You may be thinking about your legacy this Leo season. As you consider what mark you want to leave on this world, look for inspiration form other education advocates about what they are doing to make a positive impact in their communities at our Monthly Learn From History call.

Scorpio ♏︎
(October 23 – November 21)

Bold Leo is pushing you to be uncharacteristically daring in your actions. Don’t be afraid to take the stage and use this energy to inspire others to feel equally confident by sharing your story of why you want to fight for education equity!

Sagittarius ♐︎
(November 22 – December 21)

Adventurous Sagittarius and passionate Leo season are a match made in heaven. Your thirst for knowledge is even greater this month. Quench that thirst and learn more about the long fight for educational equity in Asian American and African American communities.

Capricorn ♑︎
(December 22 – January 19)

Leo season is asking you to step out of your comfort zone, especially as it related to your community members. This energy is encouraging you to be vulnerable and share what matters to you most. Share why learning about Black history matters to you and help push back against attacks on inclusive and honest education.

Aquarius  ♒︎
(January 20 – February 18)

This Leo season emphasizing your house of relationships and encouraging you to have important conversations with the people that matter to you most. Learn how to have those important conversations with your community using our Story Building Toolkit!

Pisces ♓︎
(February 19 – March 20)

Watery Pisces may be feeling fired up this Leo Season. Use that passionate energy to make changes for students around the country at our Monthly Learn From History call!

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Standoscope: Cancer Season

Current Events & News | 06/26/2023
Post author
Stand for Children

Your Standoscope: Cancer Season

It’s Cancer season and we’re… emotional?

As the Sun enters Cancer, a season that embodies compassion, nurturing, and emotional sensitivity, this is an opportunity for each zodiac sign to tap into their unique qualities to become more involved in their community, particularly in areas concerning education equity and student success.  

Cancer season encourages us to tap into our empathetic nature and embrace our sense of community. By using this time to connect with others and raise awareness around public education, you can contribute to creating a more inclusive and supportive educational environment for all students.  

How can you leverage the energy of Cancer Season to make an impact in your community? Check out your Standoscope below to find out! 

Want to get monthly Standoscopes to your inbox with opportunities to learn more about educational issues, and ways to get involved? Sign up here to stay informed!

Aries ♈︎
(March 21 – April 19)

Known for their enthusiasm and leadership, Aries might be feeling a little less fiery this month. Lean into this cozy energy and snuggle up with some heartfelt summer reading, like our post on the long history of Afro-Asian American Solidarity.  

Taurus ♉︎ 
(April 20 – May 20)

Usually slow and deliberate Taureans are being hit with a burst of energy this Cancer season and might feel the desire to be more involved and use their voices! With their practicality and determination, Taureans can make a difference by offering resources or donating books to schools and local libraries or advocating for literacy programs.  

Gemini ♊︎
(May 21 – June 20)

Geminis are known to be excellent communicators and adapt well to new environments, and this month will be no different. Continue to develop these strengths in our Disrupting Disinformation training! By spreading awareness through informative discussions, Geminis can inspire positive change. 

Cancer ♋︎
(June 21 – July 22)

Happy Birthday Cancers! As natural nurturers and empathetic individuals, Cancers can actively contribute to their community by initiating mentorship programs, like Rose from Concrete. By providing emotional support to students and advocating for their needs, Cancers can help create a safe and inclusive environment in schools. 

Leo ♌︎
(July 23 – August 22)

Leos, with their natural charisma and passion, can at times move full steam ahead without stopping. Take this month to unwind and reflect on your experiences with the education system, what’s happening in your community, and what you can do about it.  
 

Virgo ♍︎
(August 23 – September 22)

Virgos’ attention to detail and analytical nature makes them everyone’s first call when they need backup, and this month will be no different. Give yourself the tools you need to support your community at our Disrupting Disinformation Training.  
 

Libra ♎︎
(September 23 – October 22)

Libras, known for their diplomacy and desire for fairness, will be having those skills recognized this month! Lean into your natural charisma and learn how to have important conversations with your community around educational equity. By bringing different communities together, you can help promote collaboration and create sustainable initiatives that support students for the long haul. 

Scorpio ♏︎
(October 23 – November 21)

Scorpio, this month is all about broadening your horizons and working with others. Scorpios’ passion and determination make you ideal advocates for students’ rights and safety. Help organize rallies, sign petitions, and join social media campaigns to raise awareness and push for policy changes that prioritize the well-being of students in public schools. 

Sagittarius ♐︎
(November 22 – December 21)

Watery Cancer is really activating your emotional side, Sagittarius. Lean into that slow and reflective energy with some heartfelt summer reading, like our post on the long history of Afro-Asian American Solidarity. 

Capricorn ♑︎
(December 22 – January 19)

Capricorns’ practicality and long-term vision make them great candidates for addressing issues in public education and promoting student success. This month is opening up space for you to communicate your thoughts and feelings with those around you. Lean into this social energy with other education advocates on our monthly Learn From History Partner Call!

Aquarius  ♒︎
(January 20 – February 18)

Aquarians’ innovative thinking and desire for social progress can inspire them to create solutions that help bridge the educational divide. Cancer season will remind you that even the little changes can make a big difference. Find actionable steps to get involved and support students this month!  

Pisces ♓︎
(February 19 – March 20)

Pisces, known for their compassion and empathy, can use Cancer Season to nurture relationships within their communities. Think community gatherings, creative workshops, and mentorship. Offering guidance, support, and encouragement to empower students in their educational journey can have an incredible impact. 

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