Black Lives Matter at School Week of Action has happened during the first week of February for the past 3 years in Baltimore. It is part of a larger national movement that has taken place in over 30 cities across the nation. The week is based on the 13 principles of the Black Lives Matter movement. The week promotes 4 demands:
- End Zero Tolerance
- Mandate Black History and Ethnic Studies
- Hire More Black Teachers
- Fund Counselors, Not Cops
In Baltimore, several students, educators, and community groups shared lesson plans, hosted community events, and sold shirts designed by a student at Baltimore School for the Arts. Community events included a youth movie night showing of “Brother Outsider” about activist Bayard Rustin, the “Student Voice, Student Choice” Town Hall about Kirwan legislation, and a closing celebration called Soup that brought together community members to support an educator’s project with half of the proceeds from the event. The events flyer included the above community-created events as well as promoted events already happening across the city. All the events and resources can be found on a one-page calendar that helped organize the week. Although Black Lives Matter at School Week of Action is over, Black History Month continues, so try teaching a lesson from the local curriculum or national curriculum before February ends!