Democracy is not a state. It is an act, and each generation must do its part to help build what we called the Beloved Community, a nation and world society at peace with itself.
– John Lewis, 1940-2020, American politician and civil rights leader

For NAEYC’s Week of the Young Child’s “Work Together Wednesday,” we shine a light on collaboration grounded in social justice at the Highlander School, led by Rukia Rogers, whose words from 2021 remain relevant today:

“Our school is located in Atlanta, Georgia, home of the birthplace and final resting place of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. We are strongly influenced by his legacy of social justice work to build a Beloved Community, as well as by many other and new activists in our state—like Stacey Abrams, the work of The New Georgia Project, and the strong agricultural movement in a state with one of the largest number of Black farmers in this country.

“We recognize that developing empathy is the root of social justice. We cannot expect children to care about the vast political injustices if they do not care about the child sitting next to them or the world before them. We know children are naturally capable of great empathy, and we support them to see disagreements as opportunities to negotiate different points of view and deepen relationships. In a democracy, citizens need to be able to value different perspectives. We watch for how children are exploring this, and we may even create provocations that challenge children to work through and explore different points of view, and the feelings those evoke. We make a real effort to create solidarity among children, encouraging older children to help younger, emphasizing a ‘we’ mindset. We support strong relationships among each other, with nature, and the wider community around us.

“We take on challenging issues and talk about current events with the children and incorporate those into some traditions we have built into our school. For instance, we annually celebrate the Day of Dead, and include not only our families, pets, and heroes, but an honoring of those who have been unjustly killed by police, or those in custody of ICE at detention centers. This is an expansion of beloved community out into the world of those we feel empathy with.”

#woyc24 #worktogetherwednesday