Join the Black Lives Matter At School “Year of Purpose”–Reflection and action for educators, parents, students, and organizers, every month of the year!
Since the 2016-2017 when Seattle educators and Philly educators launched the BLM at School movement, we have had a day of action and then a week of action for Black lives in the schools. Those actions were important to raising awareness around the 13 principles of the Black Lives Matter Global Network and the four demands of our movement:
- End “zero tolerance” discipline, and implement restorative justice
- Hire more black teachers
- Mandate Black history and ethnic studies in K-12 curriculum
- Fund counselors not cops
But the BLM at School Week of Action was never meant to contain teaching for Black lives to a single week. It was always meant as a catalyst for educators to take the work into their entire year. Now BLM at School has developed a framework and a plan of action for how to join thousands of others around the country to make Black Lives Matter at school all year long.
Here are some ways that educators, parents, students and antiracist organizers can support the Year of Purpose:
- Sign the petition pledging to support the Year of Purpose.
- Answer the year of purpose reflection questions and talk about them with colleges (see questions below).
- Participate in the monthly days of action.
- Ask your local educator’s union to endorse BLM at School’s Year of Purpose.
The first day of action in the year of purpose is on whatever your first day of school is. Here is the call:
1) FIRST DAY: Black to School (Whatever date that is for you)