Wake County NCAE promotes "Black Lives Matter at School" resources for Black History Month

"Educators Organizing 4 Black Lives": Social/Racial Justice themed activities included in resource kit

The Wake County chapter of the NC Association of Educators (NCAE) is promoting “Black Lives Matter at School” as part of its celebration of Black History Month.

The NCAE is an affiliate of the National Education Association (NEA). For years, the NEA has promoted Black Lives Matter at School’s “Week of Action” each time Black History Month rolls around.

“It's the start of #BlackHistoryMonth and day 2 of Black Lives Matter at School Week. Today, we want to share with you our Black History Month calendar with resources to use with your students. Please share!” the Wake NCAE posted to Facebook.

The post included the following link to a resource and activity document: bit.ly/WakeBHMcal

“This Black History Month calendar was created by Wake NCAE’s work group - Educators Organizing for Black Lives. Several members spent time and energy creating an interactive calendar of activities for all ages that aligns to Wake NCAE’s ongoing commitment to racial and social justice,” reads the description of the Wake NCAE’s Black History Month & Black Lives Matter at School resource document.

The document goes on to thank “DeShaunne Hedgepeth, Ayanna Thompson, Chris Tuttell, and Christina Spears for your leadership. We hope this calendar allows you to learn about Black History and dream about Black Futures!”

Spears is a member of the Wake County Office of Equity Affairs (OEA) staff. She’s also a co-founder of a new Wake County-based “anti-racist teaching and consulting” group called RISE DEI. The other co-founder is former OEA director Lauryn Mascarenaz who resigned last fall. When the OEA hired Mascarenaz, she was working at the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Learning for Justice (formerly called Teaching Tolerence).

Book resources included at the bottom of the Wake NCAE’s document:

The Brown Bookshelf - 28 Days Later - During the twenty-eight days of Black History Month, we profile a different children’s or young adult author and children’s illustrator, looking for the best new and unnoticed works by African-Americans.

Social Justice Books - Black Lives Matter at School Booklists that are organized by 13 Guiding Principles - Diversity, Globalism, Black Woman, Black Villages, Loving Engagement, Restorative Justice, Collective Value, Empathy, Queer Affirming, Unapologetically Black, Transgender Affirming, Black Families, Intergenerational