Lessons, resources, book recommendations, study groups, events, and more
If you're having trouble viewing this email, you cansee it online.
Coordinated by Rethinking Schools and Teaching for Change
Teaching the Tulsa Massacre
May 31 marks the anniversary of the Tulsa Massacre, when deputized white rioters murdered hundreds of Black residents and destroyed their homes, businesses, schools, and community centers. This took place from May 31 to June 1, 1921, in the thriving African American community of Greenwood in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Redeem a Nation is a true-crime story, an epic tale about a heroic pursuit of justice and a history of the unpaid debt this nation has evaded for more than a century.
We offer lessons, articles, and other resources for teaching the Tulsa Massacre and the fight for #BlackLivesMatter.
June marks the anniversary of the 2020 uprising for Black lives — the largest protest movement in U.S. history. Sparked by the police killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and others, an estimated 20 million people from all backgrounds took to the streets demanding justice. This unprecedented solidarity shook the political establishment to its core.
Teach the uprising not only as a response to injustice, but as a moment of radical imagination, when millions envisioned new systems rooted in care and justice.
Explore resources to teach about the 2020 uprising.
Last week, we celebrated the work of 58 educator-led Teaching for Black Lives study groupswho explored how to teach about racism, resistance, and joy during the 2025–2026 school year.
Participants cite the benefits of a tight-knit, justice-oriented community and deepening racial justice classroom practices. As Idaho study group coordinator Caitlin Pankau shared at the recent end-of-year showcase:
The study group reminded me thatthis work is not only academic, it’s deeply personal and rooted in relationships, identity, and lived experience.
Applications are open for the 2026–2027 school year. Each study group receives:
A copy of Rethinking Schools book Teaching for Black Lives and a Rethinking Schools subscription for each participant
Workshops and seminars
Access to a network of teacher study groups across the United States
Teaching Palestine: Lessons, Stories, Voices provides educators with powerful tools to uncover the history and current context of Palestine-Israel in the classroom — poetry, personal narratives, interviews, role plays, critical reading and writing activities, and more.
At a time when freedom of speech is being curtailed, attacks on critical educators are rampant, and academic freedom is on the chopping block . . .Teaching Palestine is a crucial addition to a teacher’s toolkit and a much-needed resource for the education community at large. — Harvard Educational Review
Check out these events hosted by the Zinn Education Project, our coordinating organizations (Rethinking Schools and Teaching for Change), and colleagues.
The Pennsylvania Educator Diversity Consortium is hosting its 7th annual virtual summit from June 23–25. This year’s theme is Unfinished & Unafraid: Advancing Culturally Relevant and Sustaining Education, Justice, and Educator Diversity in a New Era with plenary sessions, concurrent workshops, and collective action. The keynote speakers include Nikole Hannah-Jones, Bill Ayers, and Stacey Patton.
Teachers are under attack for teaching truthfully about U.S. history. Please donate so we can continue to offer free people’s history lessons and resources, and defend teachers’ right to use them.
.gif)
