REGISTER for summer workshops on Empowered Social Justice!

Journal of Free Black Thought

Education

SUMMER WORKSHOPS ON EMPOWERED SOCIAL JUSTICE

A liberal democratic alternative to Critical Social Justice in K-12

Hosted by Dr. Tabia Lee

We are thrilled to invite you to register for a special summer series on Empowered Social Justice, hosted by Dr. Tabia Lee, a co-founder of FBT and an expert in liberal democratic social justice education. Most “social justice” education in K-12 today is grounded in illiberal, undemocratic Critical Social Justice (CSJ) ideology. Dr. Lee’s approach, Empowered Social Justice, offers a liberal democratic alternative for those who want to teach and promote diversity without the division and disempowerment that comes with CSJ’s “oppressed/oppressor” framework. This is a fantastic opportunity for educators to enrich their teaching practices and foster a more genuinely inclusive and thoughtful classroom environment, and for parents to learn more about both the prevalent CSJ-inspired approaches and the Empowered Social Justice alternative.

About Empowered Social Justice

Empowered Social Justice is about teaching students how to think, not what to think. It emphasizes pluralism, viewpoint diversity, and respect for human dignity. This approach stands in stark contrast to methods founded in CSJ. It encourages genuine critical thinking, compassion, and the celebration of our common humanity.

Key Features:

• Value-Centered Identity: Helping students develop personal identities based on their values, rather than their immutable characteristics.

• Dignity Lens: Prioritizing universal human dignity instead of the “oppression hierarchy” in all interactions.

• Inquiry and Compassion: Encouraging curiosity and kindness over fear and judgment.

Three components:

I. Empowered Social Justice Guiding Principles (ESJGP): Increasingly, concepts of social justice and racial justice are being incorporated into curricula for grades K–12 and higher education. An empowered approach to teaching about social justice at any grade level is one that emphasizes pluralism and viewpoint diversity by teaching students how to think instead of what to think. ESJGP outline the essential attitudes and practices that are required to support educators in being reflective and intentional in their learning design efforts in order to cultivate and promote liberal democratic values to the fullest.

II. Empowered Social Justice Standards (ESJS) for K–12: These standards are a counterpoint to the Southern Poverty Law Center Social Justice Standards. They provide educators with an alternative set of anchor standards and developmentally appropriate learning outcomes that are rooted in liberal democratic values. The standards cover six key areas: Foundations, Integration, Caring, Humanity, Metacognition, and Application.

III. Empowered Ethnic Studies Framework (TEES) for Grades 9–12: This framework is a counterpoint to those developed by the Liberated Ethnic Studies Model Curriculum Consortium and other Critical/Liberated Ethnic Studies Frameworks. It provides educators with an alternative, developmentally appropriate social justice pedagogical and methodological framework for teaching ethnic studies that is rooted in liberal democratic values. It fosters an inclusive understanding of American history and society through five themes: Pluralism, Agency, Resilience, Change-making, and Equality.

The upcoming workshops are designed to introduce you to these three components.

If you missed the virtual launch event on June 1, you can watch the event recording:

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Upcoming workshops

Join Dr. Lee at our free workshops throughout Summer 2024:

1. Ideological Subversion - June 26, 1-2 PM PT: Increase your understanding of the process of ideological subversion in “critical” social justice education.

2. Empowered Social Justice Guiding Principles (ESJGP) - July 10, 1-2 PM PT: Learn how to infuse ESJGP into your teaching.

3. Empowered Social Justice Standards (ESJS) & Resources - July 24, 1-2 PM PT: Discover how to use ESJS in your instructional planning.

4. The Empowered Ethnic Studies Framework (TEES) - August 7, 1-2 PM PT: Explore how to teach Ethnic Studies using TEES.

How to Register: Sign up for Dr. Lee’s free summer workshops HERE:

(Missed the June 1 Virtual Launch Event? No worries! Watch the recording HERE.)

Download the Resources: Get the Empowered Social Justice Resources HERE.

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Join the Movement: Be part of a transformative movement in education that prepares students to engage with the world thoughtfully and compassionately. Whether you’re an educator, administrator, parent, or community member, these sessions will provide you with valuable insights and practical tools.

We look forward to seeing you this summer!

Warm regards,

Dr. Lee, the Empowered Social Justice Team, and FBT

For more information and resources, visit Dr. T. Lee Educational Consultancy.

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Tabia Lee, EdD, a founding member of Free Black Thought and Senior Fellow for Do No Harm Medicine, has contributed to the design, implementation, and evaluation of numerous educational and professional development programs. Her commitment to teacher education and pedagogical design is grounded in her experience as a lifelong educator and a National Board Certified English, Civics, and Social Studies teacher in urban American public middle schools. Dr. Lee prepares K-12 and higher education faculty to work with diverse communities by focusing on better understanding ideology-in-practice and the pedagogical and curricular implications of race, gender, and other ideologies. Her Race Ideologies Resource Site, featuring interactive dialogical activities and resources for exploring race ideologies, may be found here and her consultancy website may be found here.

Journal of Free Black Thought is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.