Jon T. Greenberg (Educator and Writer from Seattle; cofounder of the WA NAACP Youth Council)
October 31, 2023
Given widespread attacks over “critical race theory” and discriminatory treatment of LGBTQIA+ individuals in schools, teachers can’t afford to simply teach about government in a representative democracy; youth need to be invited to participate in democratic processes. Though young people are routinely shut out of the conversation, Shirley Chisholm once said, “If they don’t give you a seat at the table, bring a folding chair.” Public education can institutionalize bringing chairs to the youth at the decision-making tables and thereby help develop a more active and engaged citizenry.
Through this webinar, teachers will learn about innovative classroom projects at both the local and state government levels that have students traveling to the state capitol, initiating postcard campaigns, and testifying at public hearings. Many have lamented the lack of classes emphasizing civic engagement and studies have confirmed that youth lack basic civics knowledge. This workshop is designed to address those realities.
Webinar Resources
The required resources below provide supporting research for the webinar theme.
- Duong, Kaley, Edan Gortzak, Alexis Mburu, Aneesa Roidad, Gian Rosario, and Leah Scott. “Meet the NAACP Youth Council and Their Plan for a School Year of Racial Justice.” South Seattle Emerald, October 4, 2020.
- Eldridge, S., and J. DiFranco. “Antiracist Teaching Under Fire in Public Schools: A Case Study.” Understanding and Dismantling Privilege 4, no. 2 (August 4, 2014).
- Fedore, Emma, Cece Chan, Aneesa Roidad, and Jon Greenberg. “How to Start an Anti-Racist Student Group in Your School.” Washington Ethnic Studies Now, August 10, 2019.
Subjects
Education Studies / Civic Engagement / Activism / Teaching / Democracy / Public Education /
Rights
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.