How We Are Standing Against Injustice in the Classroom

“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.

Green Dot Public Schools stands for justice and equality, and we do not tolerate any kind of violence or discrimination in our communities. We denounce the recent, and increasingly frequent racist attacks against members of the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities (AAPI).

We are partnered with Overcoming Racism, a large scale training that helps situate the disparities across communities in education, health, mental wellbeing, and society. This has reinforced how individual freedom is tied to community freedom, and why it is critical that we all speak out against the injustices suffered by the AAPI community-and every other community.

We’ve also designed our distance learning Advisory courses to help students through difficult moments like this. We utilize a Multi-Tiered Support System (MTSS) framework that equips educators with the tools, resources and support to assist students with managing emotions, building positive relationships, and tackling obstacles. Students and educators may also use this time as a designated space to express their emotions and concerns on current events.

When we founded our network of schools 20 years ago, we made it our mission to challenge inequality and help close the gap for all students regardless of their zip code, ethnicity, and economic background. Our schools exemplify excellence, responsibility, and respect-and our school communities will continue to defend justice for all.

In response to these events, we are providing additional support for our educators, including custom lessons, designated spaces for discussion, and network-wide training, to assist in facilitating conversations around injustice. Students will also have access to resources to help strengthen their understanding of community injustice, while learning what they can do to make the world more just.

• Read more in USA Today and Popsugar or listen to this Shortwave Podcast from NPR about AAPI racism.
• A lesson from Facing History and Ourselves about the virus and standing up against racism
• Use this website to help stand against injustice.