Equity Corner : Juneteenth

Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day, is a holiday that commemorates the end of slavery in the United States. It is celebrated on June 19th each year. On this date in 1865, enslaved people in Texas were informed by the Union Army that the Civil War was over and they were now free. This was more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation had been issued. It was a long fight for freedom, and the fight for equality still continues today.

Here are some great lists of books you can read to learn more about this important holiday. 

https://www.pbs.org/parents/thrive/7-books-for-celebrating-juneteenth

https://www.harpercollins.com/blogs/harperkids/childrens-books-to-commemorate-juneteenth

https://www.nypl.org/blog/2019/06/18/juneteenth-kids-books

Equity Corner : Caribbean American Heritage Month

In addition to Pride month, June is also Caribbean American Heritage Month!  This is a month that promotes the rich culture and heritage of the Caribbean American people and their contribution to the United States of America. This means people from Cuba, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Haiti, Trinidad, and Tobago and other Caribbean countries.  

Here is a list of books for children of all ages that highlight Caribbean Americans, both historical figures and fictional characters.  

Maybe you can celebrate by eating a special dish from the Caribbean! Here is a list of popular foods - what sounds good to you? 

Equity Corner : Pride Month

June is Pride month in the US—where we celebrate and support the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex and asexual (LGBTQIA) community.  

Here are some great ideas for ways to celebrate and learn more about the LGBTQIA community—books, movies, TV shows and activities! Happy Pride!

Equity Corner : World Day for Cultural Diversity

This week marked the celebration of the UN's World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development. This holiday was begun in 2001 as an effort to encourage intercultural dialogue, learning, and communication to decrease conflicts and celebrate diversity.  

Here's a link with more history and information about the holiday and some ideas of ways you can celebrate at home or at school!

Equity Corner : International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia

This week, on May 17, we celebrate International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia, a global celebration of sexual orientation and gender diversities. Unfortunately we are seeing more examples of hate against Gay, Bi and Trans people in the news, and more attempts to ban the discussion of and books about these issues, so here are a couple of great resources—a list of LGBTQ+ kids books, AND some great ways to be an ally to LGBTQ+ people. 

Equity Corner : Eid-al-Fitr

The month-long celebration of Ramadan is coming to an end this Friday, April 21, with the sighting of the new moon. This means it's time for the giant celebration of the end of the month of fasting—Eid-al-Fitr. Eid can last up to 3 days and is a time of feasting, gift giving, and prayer. Traditions are different in different places around the world—here are some examples of ways that Eid is celebrated. If you know someone who has been celebrating Ramadan, why don't you ask them what their family does to mark Eid—and don't forget to wish them "Eid Mubarak! Happy Eid!"

Equity Corner : Passover and Easter

We're right in the middle of a very celebratory season! In addition to the month long celebration of Ramadan that we shared about a few weeks ago, this past week marked the celebrations of Passover and Easter.  

Passover is an 8-day festival representing rebirth and new beginnings in the Jewish faith. It began last Wednesday at sundown (as do all Jewish celebrations) and lasts through this Thursday at Sundown.  Here is a version of the Passover story for kids and here is a description of the celebrations and traditions of the holiday including foods and activities!

Additionally, this weekend many people celebrated Easter—but the same holiday is celebrated very differently around the world.  Check out this list of some of the interesting traditions for Easter around the world! 

Equity Corner : Ramadan

This Wednesday evening Muslims begin celebrating the month of Ramadan. During Ramadan people fast, or refrain from eating and drinking, while it’s light outside. Once the sun sets, families meet for big meals that may include stew, rice, dates, lentils, and more. People also have a morning meal before the sun rises.

For the hundreds of millions of Muslims around the world who observe Ramadan, the month is a time to focus on their faith and also perform generous acts. People raise money and donate supplies to help others in need. And many fast to remind themselves about those in the world who don’t have enough to eat.

After the last day of Ramadan, a three-day festival is held. Families and friends gather together to celebrate. They sometimes decorate homes with lights and exchange gifts. As for food, people eat all sorts of things including candies and pastries—and during this time, fasting is not allowed.

Here's a great website with more information, including a video of kids explaining what Ramadan means to them. Be sure to check out the great book display at the Hillsdale library for more books for kids on Ramadan!

Ramadan Mubarak! Happy Ramadan!

Equity Corner : Spring celebrations around the world

Happy spring! Next Tuesday, March 21, marks the beginning of spring. Cultures around the world celebrate in all different ways. Two of the biggest celebrations are Holi and Nowruz. Holi is celebrated in India, where the colorful festival marks the triumph of good over evil. The Persian new year celebration of Nowruz is observed in Iran and many other countries in Central Asia. The celebration of Nowruz actually begins this week with thorough cleaning to help welcome in the new year and a fresh start.  

You can read more here about these two holidays and ways that other cultures celebrate. Here are lists of books for kids about Holi and about Nowruz. 

Of course, people from Persian and Indian cultures celebrate these holidays all over the world, so if you know someone who celebrates don't forget to tell them Happy Holi or Nowruz Mubarak!

Equity Corner : Coretta Scott King Book Awards

The Coretta Scott King Book Awards are given annually to outstanding African American authors and illustrators of books for children and young adults that demonstrate an appreciation of African American culture and universal human values. The award commemorates the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and honors his wife, Mrs. Coretta Scott King, for her courage and determination to continue the work for peace and world brotherhood.  Recently the 2023 recipients were announced, you can read all about them, including Freewater, the winning book (suitable for ages 10 and up), described below, here: https://www.ala.org/rt/cskbart.  

Freewater: After an entire young life of enslavement, twelve-year-old Homer escapes Southerland Plantation with his little sister Ada, leaving his beloved mother behind. Much as he adores her and fears for her life, Homer knows there’s no turning back, not with the overseer on their trail. Through tangled vines, secret doorways, and over a sky bridge, the two find a secret community called Freewater, deep in the recesses of the swamp.

In this new, free society made up of escaped slaves and some born-free children, Homer cautiously embraces a set of spirited friends, almost forgetting where he came from. But when he learns of a threat that could destroy Freewater, he hatches a plan to return to Southerland plantation, overcome his own cautious nature, and free his mother from enslavement. Loosely based on a little-mined but important piece of history, this is an inspiring and deeply empowering story of survival, love, and courage.Award-winning author Amina Luqman-Dawson pens a lyrical, accessible historical middle-grade novel about two enslaved children’s escape from a plantation and the many ways they find freedom. 

Equity Corner : Black History Month

February is Black History month and teachers at Rieke are doing lots of exciting projects with their students! If you want to continue some activities at home, here are a couple of great resources.

Fresh ideas to teach Black History Month: https://www.weareteachers.com/7-fresh-ideas-for-black-history-month/

Meaningful Black History Month activities: https://www.teachstarter.com/us/blog/black-history-month-activities-for-kids-free-resources-included/

Equity Corner : How to talk to kids about racialized violence

This week's post is directly from Embracerace.org, a website with some great resources. 

Tyre Nichols was a father, a son, a friend, a co-worker. He enjoyed skateboarding and made it a point to watch and photograph sunsets. He loved and was loved. Now he is known as yet another unarmed Black man murdered by the police. 
 
How do we talk to kids of all ages about Tyre Nichols' death, about why this has happened again? And again? And again? Haven't we already had this conversation too many times before? One thing that we hear tripping up a lot of people: in this case, the officers who brutalized Tyre were Black men like him. How do we make sense of that? 

For us, if there's sense to be made here, it begins with the fact that people of color are by no means immune from the predatory dynamics of structural and systemic racism that makes us have to insist that Black Lives Matter. That Brown Lives Matter. That Native Lives Matter. And Black police officers - police officers of color - are obviously not exempt from the culture of policing that often bullies and antagonizes communities of color and poor people, rather than "serving and protecting" us. (For more on systemic racism in policing read here and here.)

We’ve included links to some of the conversations we've had about navigating these moments with kids and to resources to guide you below.

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