The School District of Palm Beach County, Florida PTA, National PTA, Boca High PTSA are all in support of equality, education, and acceptance.  The below are resources provided by various institutions to help understand race and fight racism.  Learn about what YOU can do to help solve the problems.

 

“Racism in America is like dust in the air. It seems invisible — even if you’re choking on it — until you let the sun in. Then you see it’s everywhere. As long as we keep shining that light, we have a chance of cleaning it wherever it lands. But we have to stay vigilant because it’s always still in the air.” - Kareem Abdul-Jabbar


The school district of Palm Beach County

  • While the 26th Annual African, African American and Caribbean Studies Summer Institute Virtual Conference is over, Palm Beach County School District has shared by posting all of the presentations.

HOW TO TALK ABOUT RACE AND INJUSTICE IN AMERICA

  • Race and bias affect everyone. Whether you are a PTA leader, a caregiver or family member, an educator or an engaged citizen, talking about racial disparities and experiences—with our children, in our schools and community—is difficult, though important, work. In this historic moment, people across the country are educating themselves about how to create more inclusive—and explicitly anti-racist—environments for families and children to thrive.
  • The National PTA has compiled the following reference guide to assist in engaging in conversation.  Please click on the image to download the PDF.

BOOKS

  • White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo: this New York Times bestseller explores why white people are at a loss to effectively respond to racial discrimination, and how we can improve our own capacity for these situations
  • How To Be An Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi: also a New York Times bestseller, this book discusses how not being a racist is just not enough; we have to help undo racism
  • Why I’m No Longer Talking To White People About Race by Reni Eddo-Lodge: based on a blog post by the author in 2014, this Man Booker Prize-winning book explores white people’s blindness to structural racism
  • "Just Mercy", Bryan Stevenson
  • "Between the World and Me", Ta Nehisi Coats
  • "March", John Lewis. (This is a 3 part graphic novel - amazing for students)
  • "White Trash: The 400 Year Untold History of Class in America", Nancy Isenberg 
    • See a longer list of books here
  • Code Switch from NPR: a weekly race and culture podcast that began in 2013; they also have a blog
  • 1619 from the New York Times, a storytelling series on how slavery transformed America
    • See a longer list of podcasts here

MOVIES

  • Just Mercy - A powerful true story that follows Bryan Stevenson and his battle for justice as he defends a man sentenced to death despite evidence proving his innocence. (Set in 1980)
  • 12 Years A Slave biographical period-drama film and an adaptation of the 1853 slave memoir Twelve Years a Slave by Solomon Northup, a New York State-born free African-American man who was kidnapped in Washington, D.C. by two conmen in 1841 and sold into slavery.
  • Free State of Jonestrue story of defiant Southern farmer, Newt Knight, and his extraordinary armed rebellion against the Confederacy during the Civil War. Despite overwhelming odds, Knight banded together with other small farmers and local slaves and launched an uprising that led Jones County, Mississippi to secede from the Confederacy, creating a Free State of Jones.
  • Selma -The true story of courage and hope that changed the world forever. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. who rallied his followers on the historic march from Selma to Montgomery in the face of violent opposition an event that became a milestone victory for the civil rights movement.
  • 13th - Thought-provoking documentary, scholars, activists, and politicians analyze the criminalization of African Americans and the US prison boom.
  • Freedom Riders - A documentary follows Civil Rights activists over a six-month period that changed the course of American history. Four hundred Black and white Americans challenged Jim Crow laws by traveling together through the Deep South. The documentary includes interviews with journalists, government officials, and riders themselves.
  • When They See Us - In 1989 a jogger was assaulted and raped in New York's Central Park, and five young people were subsequently charged with the crime. The quintet labeled the Central Park Five, maintained its innocence, and spent years fighting the convictions, hoping to be exonerated.
  • Watchmen - Set in an alternate history where masked vigilantes are treated as outlaws, Watchmen embraces the nostalgia of the original groundbreaking graphic novel of the same name while attempting to break new ground of its own.
  • The Butler - tells the story of a White House butler who served eight American presidents over three decades. The film traces the dramatic changes that swept American society during this time, from the civil rights movement to Vietnam and beyond, and how those changes affected this man's life and family.
  • Amistad - based on the true story of the events in 1839 aboard the slave ship La Amistad, during which Mende tribesmen abducted for the slave trade managed to gain control of their captors' ship off the coast of Cuba, and the international legal battle that followed their capture by the Washington, a U.S. revenue cutter. The case was ultimately resolved by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1841.
  • I Am Not Your Negro - (Netflix and Amazon Prime) Based on James Baldwin's unfinished book, this visual essay explores racism through the stories of Medgar Evers, Malcolm X, and Martin Luther King Jr.
  • Freedom - Two men separated by 100 years are united in their search for freedom. In 1856 a slave, Samuel Woodward, and his family escape from the Monroe Plantation near Richmond, Virginia.

FREE COURSE FROM YALE UNIVERSITY

TED TALKS

ONLINE LEADERSHIP TRAINING: CONNECTION IN ACTION

  • October 7-28, 2020 - 4 weeks of courageous conversation as we:

    - Unpack the interplay between Trauma, Race, ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences) & Systemic Oppression
    - Learn practical mind-body tools for managing triggers, such as self-inquiry and self-regulation
    - Cultivate mindfulness of cyclical trauma and its impact on how we relate
    - Explore how to create a more connected & engaged community
    - Discover what it takes to be an ally
    https://www.theconnectioncoalition.org/connection-in-action

KHAN ACADEMY

Get tips from experts
Learn about Black history and culture: The Black community faces deep inequity and racism. We can better understand why by learning about our shared history. To help educate and inform, we’ve pulled together Khan Academy’s resources on Black history, politics, and culture. See the list

 

How to talk to young kids about racism: CNN partnered with "Sesame Street" for a special town hall about racism, giving both kids and parents an opportunity to explore the current moment the nation is living through and to understand how these issues affect people. Watch now

 

Sal reflects on current events: Fareed Zakaria, Washington Post columnist and CNN host, joins Sal to talk about the inequities in education access, criminal justice reform, and COVID-19. Most importantly, Fareed describes why he is still optimistic. Watch now

PTO Today

Florida PTA Statement

At Florida PTA, we stand together in the fight against racial inequality and injustice. We embrace the uniqueness of all individuals, appreciating that each contributes a diversity of views, experiences, cultural heritage/traditions, skills/abilities, values, and preferences. We find strength and courage in our open conversations on difficult topics, and we empower one another to better ourselves, our families, our schools, and our community through positive actions. We are committed to continuing to offer a safe space where our volunteers and the families we serve can channel their emotions and values into positive action.
 
We must strengthen our community of support to empower families and students so they can navigate and break barriers to achieve the equitable and lasting results they deserve. We ask you to join our public policy and advocacy work to demand justice and drive positive change, so ALL children and communities are celebrated for their diversity and treated fairly.

National PTA Statement

Like many of you, we have been closely following the developments in Minneapolis and around the country with regards to violence against Black Americans. We know that these incidents leave an indelible mark on our young people—particularly young people of color. As a member of , National PTA has signed on to describing the impact of systemic racism and trauma on young people, and we have issued a statement of our own .

 

Updated: 4/2/2021

 

Upcoming Events
(Click on links for more info)