Current Events & News Archives

I’m Glad Things Have Changed

Teachers & Principals | 12/29/2021

I go to a small high school in a rural town in Washington. Most of my peers — about 85% — are white. When I get the opportunity to learn about Black history — when I hear about Maya Angelou or Zora Neale Hurston – I genuinely get excited. It’s my chance to learn about role models who look like me and have gone through similar experiences to me.

All students deserve to see themselves reflected in their schools and their curriculum. That’s why Stand for Children is striving to make racial equity a reality in public education by ensuring that students have access to an accurate, fact-based account of U.S. history and diverse perspectives in their classrooms.

Please consider donating to Stand today to support this important work.

It was only a few years ago when people didn’t really speak about racism and historical injustices very openly. I wasn’t being exposed to Black authors in school, but fortunately, things have changed. I can’t imagine not being able to talk about these issues, or read Black authors, or learn about the experiences of other cultures in the U.S. It would just be so one-sided. It would just be fake.

This censorship sounds dystopian, but it’s crazy because that’s what’s happening in certain states in the U.S. What’s the point of getting an education if you’re only getting one small fraction of it?

All students benefit when they have access to an accurate representation of history and how it manifests today. If you agree, please consider supporting Stand for Children this giving season and be part of the movement for racial equity in public education.

House votes to invest in American families

Current Events & News | 11/19/2021

We’re one step closer to seeing the biggest investment in people since the New Deal.

Moments ago, the House voted to pass the Build Back Better Act, which includes a one-year extension of the monthly Child Tax Credit payments, paid family leave, expansion of affordable healthcare coverage, and other policies that will give a historic boost to middle-class American families.

The significance of this proposal cannot be understated. House members who voted for this agenda will be heavily criticized by those who don’t support significant investments in American families. We need to speak up to show that we appreciate the lawmakers who voted yes and recognize their commitment to children and families.

Send a quick note to your representative today to thank them for standing up for American families and voting to pass this plan!

The Desegregation of Little Rock Central

Access to High-Quality Schools | 09/28/2021

Saturday, September 25th marked the commemoration of the desegregation of Little Rock Central — when the Little Rock Nine became the first Black students to attend Central for a full day of classes after earlier attempts that September. For weeks prior, these nine students had been denied entry by armed National Guardsmen under the orders of then Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus, a segregationist. Images of the Little Rock Nine being screamed at, assaulted, and spat on made news around the world. But, on that day, in the face of angry white segregationist mobs, troops from the 101st Airborne were sent to our school by President Eisenhower to escort the students in. The soldiers remained stationed there for the rest of the school year to accompany these brave children. The children did not know then that they would become American trailblazers.

That day in 1957 was the culmination of years of legal battles and civil rights struggles so that Black students could learn alongside their white peers and be afforded the same education that had been withheld from them for centuries. This moment in time also reflected the hard work before and foreshadowed the struggles to come, both inside and outside Central’s walls — the battles we continue to encounter today. Sixty-four years have passed and we’re still fighting for educational equity; it’s sad and tragic. Many of my students would not have stood a chance to access these educational opportunities had the Little Rock Nine not blazed a trail before them.

On the Learn from History coalition launch call earlier this month, we all learned about what the coalition would do to provide the educational resources, thought partnership, and clarity of conversation with parents, students, and educators as they encounter rampant misinformation about what is being taught in schools. I spoke about how all too often they fear being vilified or bullied in some way when they are simply trying to do their jobs: teach the true stories of those like the Little Rock Nine. We also learned how the coalition prepared toolkits for parents and educators like myself, to ensure that we understand how we can create safe spaces for responsible, essential conversations about the importance of fact-based history in our schools. Since that evening, many Learn from History supporters have shared stories about educators, young and experienced, who have braved fines, termination, lawsuits, and, in some cases, threats and violence by extremists, simply for daring to teach accurate history.

But these fights aren’t won overnight and that’s why I’m asking you to keep sharing your stories.