The Rethink Together Forum has grown to a community of nearly 3,000 registered members ready to rethink what’s possible, together. In our weekly Forum update, we’ll always highlight What’s New and What’s in the Works on the Rethink Together Forum, and this week we also included ways to stand in solidarity with the protests against racism. You can find resources on the Forum to better understand and build a more equitable future. Working to dismantle systematic and structural racism is not an easy task, but a necessary one. We hope these resources spark discussion, invoke collaboration, and inspire change.

Don’t forget to fill out your profile and let us know if you’re a student, educator, family member, or community member so we can create content more relevant to you!

• Sign in, go to your profile, and click the ⚙️ button. Choose “Edit Profile” from the dropdown menu. Fill it in and hit the “Update Profile” button to save your changes.

FOR EVERYONE

• When They See Us: Media Bias and Data Analysis
  

  (Resources for Netflix Series)
  We’ve all seen how quickly misinformation can spread. Watch the Netflix series “When They See Us” and use these accompanying activities to learn how to tell stories that are unbiased and fair. Disclaimer: must be a Netflix subscriber to access the series.

• The Civil Right of Education, By the Numbers
  

  (Resources)
  Despite progress, an honest look at key education and social statistics is a sobering, sometimes gut-wrenching reminder of how far we have yet to go. See the numbers for yourself, and get to work.

• Exploring the 1619 Project
  

  (Podcast & Resources)
  1619 is the year the first enslaved Africans arrived in the U.S. It’s also the name of a powerful podcast that examines America’s long history of slavery. Listen to the New York Times podcast and be sure to check out the accompanying curriculum from Pulitzer Center.

FOR STUDENTS

• Student Voice: “Speak Up and Let Your Voice Be Heard”
  

  (Conversations)
  A high school student gets vulnerable by sharing her thoughts and feelings about incidents like Amaud Arbery and George Floyd. See what she has to say and share what you have to say, too.

• Understanding America’s History of Racial Injustice Through Film
  

  (Film recs)
  We curated a list of 5 must-watch movies, films, and documentaries that shed light on the U.S. criminal justice system, mass incarceration, and policing.

• Explore Your Identity With Ashanti Branch
  

  (3-part video series)
  We’re not always aware of our implicit biases and prejudices. And those biases and prejudices can show up in our actions. That’s why it’s so important to understand who you are, what you believe in, and why. Reflect on your identity, experiences, and values with The Ever Forward Club’s Ashanti Branch.

FOR EDUCATORS

• Black Lives Matter: Educational Resources
  

  (Resources)
  Learn more about the Civil Rights movement, the history and sociology of racism, and what you can do to effect change in your own community.

• Equity and the Educator’s Mindset
  

  (6-vid series)
  Explore mindsets and practices that help all students, especially underserved students, to thrive and feel valued in this video series from MIT’s Justin Reich.

• Confronting America’s History of Racial Injustice
  

  (Resources with videos)
  Explore historical events that are missing from our history books through resources from the Equal Justice Initiative. It’s time for those stories to be told, heard, seen, and shared.

FOR FAMILIES

• Anti-Racist Reading List and Resources
  

  (Resources)
  By understanding that we’re all part of the problem if we don’t educate ourselves to be part of the solution. Use these resources as a guide for the conversations going on in your community and our country.

• Anti-Racism Resources for White Families
  

  (Resources)

  Have you ever talked about race or racism in your home? Systemic racism will never stop if we don’t start talking about it with the young people who will one day be our future leaders. Explore family resources for examining your own biases and learn how to take action.

Browse upcoming content.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

• School Leader Strategies: How to Leverage and Find Resources in Your Community
  

  (46-minute video)
  Watch a discussion with Emerson Collective’s engagement expert Jamie Van Leeuwen and learn how to find resources in your community and leverage support to advance your work.

• Take a Stand for Students
  

  (2-minute video)
  When many of the traditional structures of school disappear, what matters most? Teachers and school leaders share their experiences as well as messages of inspiration in the first episode of this series from award-winning documentarian Lee Hirsch.

• Lessons From Rhode Island: Shifting An Entire State to Remote Learning
  

  (30-minute video)
  What does it look like to lead a transition to remote learning for an entire state? Join Rhode Island Commissioner of Education Angélica Infante-Green and XQ’s Nicole Campbell for a discussion of lessons learned.

• Words of Inspiration Students Everywhere Need to Hear #ByStudentsForStudents
  

  (6-minute video)
  High school students all over the nation share how they’re coping with the COVID-19 pandemic and offer words of inspiration to other students stuck at home.

How are you fighting for equity in education? Share a reflection about what you think needs to change about education in America. Send an email to blog@xqinstitute.org.  

Equity in Education:

• The Civil Right of Education, By the Numbers 
• Rethinking Education Equity in Education with an XQ School Leader
• Equity & Education on MLK Day 
• Computer Science through the Lens of Equity & Social Justice 

Student Voices on Equity: 

• Student Voice: We Have an Opportunity to Reimagine Our Future 
• Student Shares All: How to Support Students with Disabilities \

Photo by Koshi Kunii on Unsplash

Hana Beach

Editorial Associate, XQ Institute. Hana is a recent graduate of Barnard College in New York and has spent the last two years working around issues of economic inequality, welfare reform, and gender justice.