Washington, D.C. – The Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy is pleased to celebrate Black History Month with the release of new educational resources, available free of charge for use in classrooms nationwide.

Today, many educators are re-examining their everyday teaching practices to ensure that all learners are taught from an anti-racist/anti-bias perspective. In support of these efforts, the Barbara Bush Foundation has created and curated a collection of educational resources to help teachers—particularly in adult education and high school settings—engage students in these timely topics.

• “Three Black Women of Literacy” Unit of Study – This unit focuses on Harriet A. Jacobs, Susie King Taylor, and Septima Poinsette Clark, three Black women who were pioneers in adult literacy education for African Americans. Students have the opportunity to explore questions around one’s actions, legacy and contribution to our world, while learning about these extraordinary women and literacy’s key role in the Civil Rights movement.
• Diversity Toolkit for Teachers – These resources were compiled to support educators in anti-racist/anti-bias teaching efforts. The many offerings include virtual trainings on anti-racist teaching and racial equity, educator resources, tools to inspire classroom exploration and conversation, booklists and lesson plans.
• Anti-Racist/Anti-Bias Lesson Repository – The Foundation has collected anti-racist/diversity-focused lessons from teachers across the United States. These engaging lessons span elementary through high school.

“At its heart, literacy is an issue of equity. In order to build a stronger, more equitable nation, we must honor and carry on the work of those who fought to make literacy a civil right and a reality for all Americans,” said British A. Robinson, president and CEO of the Barbara Bush Foundation. “We’re excited to equip educators with these resources that we’ve created to spark inspiration and thoughtful conversations in classrooms throughout the country.”

All of these resources, which are free for use by educators, parents and caregivers in any classroom, digital learning or home school setting, are available at www.barbarabush.org/diversity-resources/.