Image by U-High student Brandon Jones, Mixed Media with Brian Wildeman

Yesterday always serves as a day for me to both reflect on Dr. King's words and to recommit to my role in making spaces more equitable and inclusive. I tend to re-read "Letter from a Birmingham Jail" as a reminder of the continued equity work that I choose to do each day. I hope you all will consider your answer to Dr. King's questions: "So the question is not whether we will be extremists, but what kind of extremists we will be. Will we be extremists for hate or for love? Will we be extremists for the preservation of injustice or for the extension of justice?" 

As we navigate so much as a nation, as a school, and individually, it can be easy to get discouraged. I recognize that we are managing more than many of us thought we could. As we continue to work towards a more equitable and inclusive school, nation, and world, my wish for all of us is radical hope in the face of resistance.

DAC/DEI COORDINATOR UPDATE

The DAC will meet next week to check-in about progress towards our five priorities of the Diversity Action Plan. We will share a mid-year update in our next newsletter that details all of the work that has been done across Lab to advance our action plan priorities. We are also welcoming new members to the DAC. Our newly formed Alumni Association Executive Board DEI Committee will have one or two members serve as liaisons to the DAC.

TRAUMA-INFORMED TIP

This month's trauma-informed tip comes from the Resilient Educator, a website that focuses on teacher well-being and reflecting on your teaching practice. 

In the article, How Teachers Can Practice Self-Care for Long-Term Health and Wellness, we explore how to start a teacher self-care practice that actually sticks. It's important to consider your self-care first before you think about self-care for your students or staff.

1. Get organized about your self-care
2. Get digital with your self-care
3. Try incorporating the 5-second rule

AROUND THE SCHOOL

WARE update

The White Anti-Racist Educators group at Lab has helped to organize a group of parents/caregivers/families to engage in further anti-racism work. The White Anti-Racist Families (WARF) group had their first meeting with WARE in December. Check out resources from their meeting here.

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Black Lives Matter at School Week

Each year, Black Lives Matter at School, a national coalition organizing for racial justice in education, provides resources for teachers to engage in a week of action. Michelle Holmes helps to support and lead this group. Teachers across Lab have already begun their plans to join this annual week of action. There is a wealth of age-appropriate resources on their website. If you are interested in joining teachers across Lab in participating in this week (February 1 - 5), check out all of the resources for teaching across all grade levels.

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Community Read: Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson

Join Lab's DEI team for discussions of Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson. Each month from now until June, we will discuss one or two parts of the book. Register for each month's discussion separately. We'd love to have you come to as many discussions as possible. Bring your own book, (purchase your copy here and support Chicago's only Black-woman-owned bookstore). Download flyer here.

• Monday, February 15, 5–6:30 p.m., Parts 1 & 2
• Monday, March 15, 5–6:30 p.m., Part 3
• Monday, April 19, 5–6:30 p.m., Part 4
• Monday, May 17, 5–6:30 p.m., Part 5
• Monday, June 14, 5–6:30 p.m., Parts 6 & 7

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Inauguration Drop-In, 2:30–3:50 p.m.

Use this Zoom link to access:

• Main room: general processing/check-in space
• Breakout room 1: discuss N -2 race and ethnicity scope and sequence (original N-2 faculty plan)
• Breakout room 2: watch and discuss Professor Hasan Jeffries keynote from yesterday's MLK Assembly
• Breakout room 3: brainstorm ways to discuss these events with students, using this resource and others
• Breakout room 4: discuss this graphic and how we can each move from a cycle of inaction to action

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RESOURCES & TOOLS

Previous newsletters have a wealth of resources to enrich, enlighten, and evolve your own knowledge and practice in your classrooms and office. 

Religion Equity in Schools – Protecting Students and Their Civil Rights

This article focuses on religious diversity as a protected civil right, how schools can foster more inclusive learning environments, and recommendations for educators.

A Racial Slur, a Viral Video, and a Reckoning

This is a story about video sharing of racial slurs among high school students and its real-life consequences. The story is set in the context of Loudoun County School District, Leesburg, Va., a school district that fought an order to desegregate for more than a decade after Brown v. Board of Education.

Sign Language is my superpower

In this Tedx talk, Austin Vaday is a 21-year-old software engineer, innovator, and entrepreneur, talk about his efforts to bridge the gap between hearing and deaf communities. Vaday started Signs For Humanity, a social media initiative that seeks to spread the beauty of sign language with all of humanity.

Bias Reporting Form

Just a reminder that the Bias Incident Reporting Form is up and running. Learn more about the reporting process, definitions, and what support resources are available to students, families, staff, and faculty.

A few resources about teaching the insurrection of January 6:

BEYOND THE STOPLIGHT: creating equitable and caring classrooms for children

Resources for teachers on the days after the attack on the U.S. Capitol. "If you're going to TALK about it, do so with intention, care, and an explicit commitment to justice and equity."

Making space for difficult discussions

"Following the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, guidance for educators and families to support productive conversations about traumatic events."

UPCOMING EVENTS