January Heritage and Identity Recognitions

In January, we come together to honor and celebrate the diversity of our community. We commemorate Martin Luther King, Jr. Day on January 15 and International Holocaust Remembrance Day on January 27. These monthly recognitions reflect our commitment to fostering a sense of belonging. Our goal is to create a community where every member feels valued, heard, and empowered. To learn more about these recognitions, read our blog post on how and why we acknowledge.

---

Learn about the history of Martin Luther King Jr. Day: The National Museum of African American History & Culture details the 15 year battle to make Martin Luther King, Jr. Day a holiday.

Accurately represent Dr. King’s commitment to social justice: Learning for Justice details the ways that teachers can avoid “a sanitized narrative” about Dr. King’s work, and accurately represent and teach his “more radical approach to justice” which requires antiracist action and not colorblind neutrality. 

Teach the complexity of Dr. King’s work:

• There’s Infinitely More to Martin Luther King Jr. Than ‘I Have a Dream’: “One of my students wrote, ‘We never hear about King’s other ideas because the people in power are afraid that we might try to take up some of King’s ideas and make it a reality’” (Zinn Education Project)
• Teaching A People’s History of the March on Washington:  “Textbook accounts [of the 1963 March on Washington] conceal more than they reveal about the Civil Rights Movement… [and a] depiction of King and his “dream of a colorblind society” also hides many of the larger demands of the movement that King fought for.  (Rethinking Schools)

Learn about the origin of International Holocaust Remembrance Day:  The Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp was liberated on January 27, 1945. The United Nations first recognized the International Day of Commemoration in Memory of the Victims of the Holocaust as January 27, 2005. 

Accurately represent the Holocaust’s victims:
The Holocaust Encyclopedia offers a series of articles and resources on Nazi racial ideology, exploring the full range of targeted groups, including Jews, Roma, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and homosexuals. (Please note that some images may be upsetting.) 

Teach the complexity of the Holocaust:

• Guidelines for Teaching About the Holocaust: “In any study of the Holocaust, the sheer number of victims challenges comprehension. Show that individual people—grandparents, parents, and children—are behind the statistics and emphasize the diversity of personal experiences within the larger historical narrative.” (United States Holocaust Memorial Museum)
• The Holocaust Lesson I Regret Teaching:  “[My mentor] pointed out that simulations were never appropriate in the context of Holocaust education… our students couldn't understand the boxcar scenario, nor should we traumatize them into thinking they could.  My job, [my mentor] told me, was "to lead my students safely in and safely out of this topic." (Chalkbeat)