This article is a summary of information provided in a workshop encouraging educators to explore creating brave spaces in schools and communities through literacy. Educators are introduced to a culturally responsive pedagogy that prioritizes fostering inclusive literacy environments and supporting students with dignity. Teachers are encouraged to…

This paper examines how neoliberal multiculturalism and racialized emotions function to inhibit racial justice in the aftermath of the murder of George Floyd. To do so, I trace how the proliferation of the discourse of anti-racism in education alongside the rise in popularity of anti-racist books, contributes to a racial project that embraces…

Adults at school board meetings screaming at elected members about "groomer" and "pedophile" school librarians' books, programs, and displays. Politicians who repeat these claims and pledge to remove pornography from local schools. Public threats of physical harm or loss of livelihood against school librarians. The result of…

An unfair division of resources and biased treatment favoring the ruling elites have perpetuated social discrimination in the postcolonial societies in developing countries. Pakistan, one of these countries, has struggled to emerge from the legacies of colonialism. The situation demands strong support of equality, social justice, and the rule of…

Children in P-12 schools are growing up in racially tumultuous times, despite the promises of desegregation since "Brown vs. Board of Education." Multicultural education, included under the umbrella of equity, diversity, and inclusion, is under attack and illegal in an increasing number of school districts. Advanced placement in Black…

Banned Books Week is a hallmark tradition among US-based librarians and the American Library Association. Yet, the ALA and librarians across the profession are excluding the most significant and egregious violations of intellectual freedom and access to literature and information in our so-called free society -- the US prison system. In this…

In a socially just world, everyone would have an equal chance to become an enthusiastic reader. This article presents a detailed 'asset map' of a successful reading life and investigates three necessary components for creating readers: access, choice and time to read. Access to books, the chance and the requisite knowledge to choose reading…

According to the American Counseling Association and the Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs, social justice advocacy is an ethical imperative for counselors and a training standard for counseling students. As a group of socially conscious mental health counseling students and faculty, we developed and…

One teacher encourages her students to write in the margins of the novels they are reading. These notes then turned to conversations about social justice issues and history when the books were passed to family members. The conversations in the margins were jumping-off points for conversations in class, and then students invited members of the…

Ms. Sampson, a White eighth-grade teacher in a predominately White suburban school district in the southern United States, decided to include several books in her lesson plan. Selected books were from the school's library and had been previously approved by stakeholders as instructional resources for the district. One parent, a school board…

Look at your baby or toddler. They are still learning to eat from a spoon, roll over, stack blocks, walk a few steps, or say their first words. It's hard to imagine that even in these early years, young children are being shaped by the biases that surround them in the world. This is why parenting for social justice begins at birth. Get started…

By using carefully selected children's literature and related curricular activities, and including parents and community members in information sessions and newsletters, teachers can make a positive difference in the lives of individuals who are transgender and/or those who live in diverse families. As children see positive depictions of children…

Using literature as the catalyst for change is grounded in Freirean pedagogy. In the case of the Oaks Leadership Scholars, leadership educators are crafting an environment for building transformative leadership skills using texts calling for the enactment of justice and equity as a starting point for capacity building and self-reflection. Students…

Now more than ever, race has become a morphing relational dynamic that has less to do with the demographic census box we check and more with how we make sense of our lives--who we are and who we can become in relationships with others. Using anecdotes from her practice as a licensed psychologist and as an African American growing up in the South,…

Eleanor Roosevelt (ER), niece of President Theodore Roosevelt (TR) and wife of President Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR), was so revered that towns were named in her honor; she advocated for so many causes for so many people across most every continent that space prevents compilation. Now imagine young students' reactions upon discovering that the…