2025 Black Lives Matter at School Curriculum Fair
On Saturday, January 25, 2025, D.C. Area Educators for Social Justice will host a virtual curriculum fair featuring a keynote speaker and workshops set to uplift the national demands based in the Black Lives Matter guiding principles that focus on improving the school experience for Black students.
Educators around the country are invited to virtually connect, collaborate, and prepare for the 2025 National Black Lives Matter at School Week of Action (February 3–7, 2025) and Year of Purpose.
Stay tuned for more updates! Read about the 2022, 2023, and 2024 curriculum fairs.
REGISTER TODAY!
SCHEDULE
11:30AM ET: Welcome & Keynote
12:05PM – 12:55 PM ET: Round 1 Workshops
1:00PM – 1:50 PM ET: Round 2 Workshops
2:00PM – 2:30 PM ET: (OPTIONAL) Group Collaboration
KEYNOTE
Jesse Hagopian teaches high school Ethnic Studies and English Language Arts in Seattle. He is an editor for Rethinking Schools magazine and the director of the “Black Education Matters Student Activist Award.” He is also the co-editor of the books Black Lives Matter at School: An Uprising for Educational Justice and Teaching for Black Lives and editor of the book More Than a Score: The New Uprising Against High Stakes Testing. Jesse is the recipient of the 2019 “Social Justice Teacher of the Year” award from Seattle Public School’s Department of Racial Equity, the Seattle NAACP Youth Coalition’s 2019 “Racial Justice Teacher of the Year” award winner, and the 2013 national “Secondary Teacher of the Year” award winner from the Academy of Arts and Sciences. He plays a lead role at the Zinn Education Project’s Teach the Black Freedom Struggle campaign. Read more at Jesse’s website, I Am An Educator. See Jesse’s articles and lessons at the Zinn Education Project site.
WORKSHOP PROPOSALS
We are seeking proposals for workshops that speak to the Black Lives Matter at School Year of Purpose, centering the 13 Guiding Principles and national demands. Accepted workshop presenters will receive a modest honorarium. Submissions will be accepted on a rolling basis until Monday, January 6th.
WORKSHOPS
Additional workshops and schedule to be announced.
Go-Go as Public Pedagogy: Exploring Joy and Resistance through Arts and Culture
Principles: Intergenerational, Black Villages
In this workshop, we explore the cultural phenomenon of go-go music as a lens for understanding public pedagogy — how learning happens beyond traditional classroom settings. Participants will explore how go-go embodies joy and resistance, serving as a tool for community education and activism. Through interactive discussions and hands-on activities that center lived experiences and the environment, we will analyze the role of go-go in preserving cultural heritage and challenging oppressive systems. Recommended for Middle School, High School
Subject: History, Arts Education
Presenter Bio
Destini Collins (she/her) is a DC-based educator with several years designing and facilitating music curriculum across the district. She earned her Master of Arts in Music and Music Education from Teachers College, Columbia University, and her Bachelor of Science in Music Education from Towson University. Her non-formal classroom experience includes curating thematic performing arts showcases, hosting arts and culture forums, and serving in the Education Department at arts organizations, including Strathmore Music Center and Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts. Her interests as a curriculum studies scholar focus on fostering curiosity, creativity, and criticality in teaching and learning that challenge students to see and reimagine their communities.
Utilizing Inclusive Trauma Informed and Learning Environment Strategies to Teach Racially Charged Imagery in Art Education
Diamond Gray will prompt educators to exchange and discuss trauma-informed teaching and inclusive learning methods in visual arts education. Art educators will reflect on ways they implement trauma-informed and inclusive learning environment strategies in their art classroom and curriculum. Specifically, she will show various artists like Kara Walker and Wangechi Mutu who tackle themes such as Black face and racially charged imagery through collage portraiture and mixed media art. Through peer sharing, open discussions, and the Stop, Start, and Continue method, educators in this session will develop resources and practices across visual arts areas that support students' learning and ability to discuss artists' use of these topics. Recommended for Middle School, High School
Subject: Arts Education
Presenter Bio
Diamond Gray (she/her) was born and raised in Jacksonville, Florida. She has participated in the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art Assets 4 Artists residency and the Studio Museum in Harlem's Museum Education Practicum. Her roles as an artist and Education Coordinator at the American Visionary Art Museum inform her art and pedagogical practices. She is passionate about BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ youth and encourages students to focus on process, research, and experimentation to create artworks that mirror their lives.