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Welcome to our KEPTA REJ Connections Page! Each month our REJ committee will provide our Kenmore Cub community with family read alouds, activities, short videos and resources to assist our community growth in racial literacy, cultural competency and equitable education. We hope these monthly resources will inspire courageous conversations about racial injustice, equity and youth activism in our homes. We are KENMORE–nurturing brave, inclusive, and empathetic children alongside one another!
Liberation Movements Definition
Liberation, at the root of it, is about political and cultural autonomy for minoritized groups and thinking about a world beyond hierarchical power that leads to the production of NO minoritized or oppressed people. This means we have to fight for and theorize new just futures by planting new seeds from now that will perpetuate a powerful harvest that liberates. This work is nurtured by collective love, care and healing for one another so that we can all flourish. Liberation movements create greater solidarity and build bridges from the present to the future.
-Melissa Riley, Assistant Director of Equity Pedagogy, Northshore School District
-Ayva Thomas, Assistant Director of Racial and Educational Justice
-Ranna Harb, Racial and Educational Justice Specialist
Family Resources
Children’s Books Read Alouds
Photo of Malala Yousafzai by United Nations Photo.
Malala’s Magic Pencil by Malala Yousafzai. Nobel Peace Prize winner and New York Times bestselling author Malala Yousafzai’s first picture book, inspired by her own childhood in Pakistan.
Freedom Soup by Tami Charles. Join the celebration in the kitchen as a family makes their traditional New Year’s soup — and shares the story of how Haitian independence came to be.
Family Activity
After watching the read aloud Malala’s Magic Pencil as a family, get inspired to create your own magic pencils or build your own inclusive school using materials around your home! Click on the image above to open a PDF with activity instructions.
Adult Resources
Read and Watch
A Global History of Women’s Rights, in 3 minutes by UN Women. How much progress have we achieved in the global struggle for equal rights, and how much work remains? From worldwide suffrage campaigns to the rise of #MeToo and digital activism, we have marched slowly forward. But today, the fight for gender equality is far from over. Discover the noteworthy women, grassroots movements and historic milestones that have changed the world for women and girls.
Photo of Willow Smith by El Seven.
Willow Smith Opens Up About What the Future of Feminism Actually Looks Like by Rachel Elizabeth Cargle. The 18-year-old sits down with Rachel Cargle for a candid conversation about the racist history of the feminist movement, and how gender roles fueled her to push for lasting change.
Don’t miss the video linked in the article: Unpacking White Privilege and Prejudice from Red Table Talk.
Listen
How It Feels to Be Free Playlist curated by Korie Enyard. A professional song selector shares 15 songs of Black women’s empowerment and freedom.
Spotlight on Land Back Movements
Photo of the Elwha River from the National Ocean Service Image Gallery.
LANDBACK is “a movement that has existed for generations with a long legacy of organizing and sacrifice to get Indigenous Lands back into Indigenous hands. Land Back is the reclamation of everything stolen from the original Peoples.” Read the full manifesto here.
- The Duwamish Tribe, host tribe of Seattle and King County, receives rent as reparations from donors who stand in solidarity with First Peoples of this land. Find out how you can give back here.
- The Salish School of Spokane is an immersion school working to revitalize the Salish Language, listed as Critically Endangered by UNESCO in 2012. Language revival and language revitalization are liberation movements to preserve endangered languages and heal cultures. Check out this incredible video highlighting their work: The Language This Land Remembers.
- In 2012, the Elwha Dam in Washington State was removed after advocacy by the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe.
- On July 9, 2020, the Supreme Court ruled that about half of Oklahoma belongs to the Muscogee (Creek) Nation.
Your voice matters! Join us in increasing racial and educational justice in our community.
Photos from United Nations Photo, El Seven, and National Ocean Service Image Gallery via Creative Commons.