Teaching for Black Lives, co-edited by professor Dyan Watson, available for free throughout Seattle Public Schools
Open gallery
In this morning’s blog post, Rethinking Schools announced that their widely-acclaimed book, Teaching for Black Lives, is now available for free to every middle and high school social studies and language arts teacher throughout Seattle Public Schools. And the benefactors behind this enormous donation are well-known names in the entertainment industry.
“This is the book I wish I had coming up in school, but it never existed. Now we have the opportunity to educate thousands of youth about the Black history that was too often missing from my schooling—from the building of the White House, to the role of Black youth in social movements, to organizing for restorative justice today.”—Michael Bennett
“With everything from history, to poetry, to visual art, these lessons will help educators affirm the lives of their Black students and create deeper dialogue in our schools about the struggles and contributions of Black people that all students need to learn.” —Macklemore
“Today we’re honored to announce that Grammy award-winning artist Macklemore and 3-time NFL Pro Bowler Michael Bennett have teamed up to purchase and distribute copies to every middle and high school social studies and language arts teacher in Seattle Public Schools,” Rethinking Schools wrote in the announcement.
Dyan Watson, social studies coordinator for the secondary MAT program, is one of three editors of the influential new book.
“I have two black sons. For me, this collection is about their survival, and the survival of children like them throughout the United States,” said Watson. “Teaching for Black Lives is a Handbook for all educators, students, and families who truly care about Blackness and the intersections of learning, teaching, and race.”
Teaching for Black Lives is a collection of teaching activities, role-plays, mixers, essays, poems, and art designed to help educators humanize Black people in the curriculum. The book demonstrates how teachers can connect curriculum to young people’s lives and explore how classrooms and schools can be set up either to reproduce racism or challenge it. It has received critical acclaim from educators, activists, and publications around the country.
More information is available at teachingforblacklives.org.
