Literacy Minnesota Stands With Black Lives

Literacy Minnesota Stands With Black Lives

Dear Friends of Literacy,  

Today in Minneapolis, a jury found former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin guilty on three counts in the murder of George Floyd. No verdict will bring George Floyd back – or any other victims of police violence – and this never should have happened. We are also aware that this is only a first step, but the collective sigh of relief across our community, our country and beyond is palpable. This may well be a turning point for greater accountability for generations to come.

But issues of racial injustice will not go away because of this conviction. In Minnesota and across the United States, the barrage of police violence seems unending. Our community is reeling from the killing of 20-year-old Daunte Wright by a Brooklyn Center police officer. Last week, 13-year-old Adam Toledo was shot and killed by police in Chicago. On the same afternoon as the Chauvin verdict, 16-year-old Ma'Khia Bryant was killed by a police officer in Colombus after calling 911 for help. 

And these are just the instances that make the major news outlets. For Black people, as well as Asian, Indigenous, Hispanic/Latino and all other people of color, racialized, institutionalized violence is an ever-present threat and reality. We acknowledge the toll that this takes on communities. We stand in grief, outrage and solidarity as we examine our role in dismantling systemic racism and advancing our mission of bringing about a more just and equitable world through literacy. 

If you’re involved in teaching, tutoring, or any other kind of community work, we invite you to utilize the tools in our educator resources library to address traumatic events and meaningfully discuss racism in the United States. We plan to develop additional resources for anti-racism in the ABE classroom and will continue to share them as they become available.  

Additional resources for how to talk to kids and students about current events:  

 

Take care and be well,  

Eric Nesheim, Executive Director