Since 2006, Caribbean-American Heritage Month has been designated as such by Presidential Proclamation. Use the resources below to celebrate and learn!

By Presidential Proclamation, June is also LGBTQIA+ Pride Month. For this month’s curated resources, students from our PHS GSA (Gender & Sexuality Alliance) have selected the following offerings to share with you as Region 15 staff! Enjoy!

What do you already know about Juneteenth? Juneteenth is a significant day in American history! According to the National Museum of African American History & Culture, "The name is a play on the date of June 19th, 1865. On that day, the Union Army made its way into Galveston, TX under the leadership of General Gordon Granger, and he announced to the people of Texas that all enslaved African Americans were free." In addition to last week's state legislation recognizing Juneteenth as a legal state holiday, last year in 2021, Juneteenth became a federal holiday.

How do you teach and learn about Juneteenth? Here are a few starting places:

• Teaching Juneteenth article: The history of Juneteenth acknowledges hard history while also empowering students to be advocates for change from Learning for Justice
• Interactive website from the National Museum of African American History & Culture (NMAAHC)
• Early Childhood/Elementary guide on teaching and learning about Juneteenth, NMAAHC
• Secondary education interactive learning lab from Smithsonian on Juneteenth
• How to Honor Juneteenth from the ADL
  

On May 20, Gainfield Elementary School came together for their monthly Gainfield Gathering and focused on cultural diversity in honor of the annual United Nations' World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development. The Gainfield Gathering included the opportunity for the school to lift their voices together in song with their rendition below of We Are the World, and a special video project on grandparents, which you can also check out by clicking here, to name a few highlights.

This theme was carried throughout the day. Many classrooms hosted lessons, shares, and visits on cultural diversity among students, family, and community members connected to the children in Gainfield School! The entire school also enjoyed the gift of time with Valerie Tutson, a multiple award-winning storyteller. She draws her stories from around the world with an emphasis on African traditions. Her repertoire includes stories and songs she learned in her travels to South Africa, her experiences in West Africa and stories from African American history.

Coffee & Conversations from Achieve the Core

Podcasts from Learning for Justice & Webinar Archive, too

• Ridgefield Community Programs, Pride in the Park, Ridgefield, June 4, 12-3

• Institute for American Indian Studies: Bark basket workshop in Washington, CT, June 5: Baskets have long been an integral part of Native American culture as storage containers, carrying baskets, cradleboards and in burial practices. Bark from pine, ash, or birch was often used to make the baskets and sewn together with spruce root. Join Jennifer Lee, Narragansett descent, who will guide participants in making a traditional bark basket. More info & registration here
  

• Southbury Public Library: Not Just a Phase: Supporting LGBTQ Youth in Today's Climare, June 12, 3-4:30 pm

• Middlebury Public Library: Fit 345: Yoga, Hiphop, and Tabata classes for kids, June 22-August 10, More info here.

• Southbury Public Library: Trans 101, June 21: More info here.
  
• Southbury Public Library: LGBTQ+ 101 and How to be a Supportive Ally for adults, June 23: Register here.
• Southbury Public Library: LGBTQ+ 101 and How to be a Supportive Ally for teens grades 6-12, June 30: Register here
• Quassy Amusement Park: Pride in the Hills Family Fun Day, June 25: A sponsored friends & family fun day for LGBTQ+ youth, their families, and friends. More info here