Hey New-Changers! Jackie here with The Breakdown. Full disclosure: I’m TIRED. Last night I went to a friend’s comedy show, and while I laughed a lot, I also stayed out waaaay too late.
Something struck me during the show, though. So many of the performers’ jokes touched on their experiences growing up in schools where they didn’t feel totally represented -- both in the classroom and the material. Honestly, I kinda learned a lot.
Education is such a tricky thing to get right, which is why our One Big Thing today feels so alarming -- check it out below and learn how state politics can influence textbooks and the stuff we learn. Then keep scrolling to hear about the Olympic Committee’s stance on political protests, states committing to saving more animals’ lives, and the record-breaking rates of ocean warming.
- Jackie, DoSomething.org
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Same Publishers. Same Authors. Different History. - How State Politics Influence Textbooks.
A New York Times report found that American history textbooks from different states had hundreds of differences in their content -- despite having the same publishers and authors. Some differences were small and others large, but most reflected a partisan divide in the way folks approach education.
For example, in California books, a chapter on recent immigration includes an excerpt from a novel about a Dominican-American family and their experiences as immigrants. In the Texas edition, the passage is replaced with quotes from a border patrol agent about how opening the US-Mexico border would “invite political and social upheaval.”
The books have stark differences in the way they handle topics of gender, sexuality, race, and religion. The Times cites state-specific school standards and textbook review panels for the inconsistency.
This is just a small glimpse into the way that history can be influenced by political and social ideology. Schools in the US have notoriously mistaught topics like slavery and Native American history.
Educators shape the way students understand the world, and by including or excluding certain voices and perspectives, they aren’t getting the full picture. We all have a responsibility to think critically about the histories we’re taught and question who may be silenced in their narratives.
Take Action: Uncover histories your textbook doesn’t want you to know. Insert bookmarks into a school textbook to teach the truth about missing figures and events.
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The Olympics Are Making It Clear That They Don’t Want Protests at the 2020 Tokyo Games
The International Olympic Committee announced new guidelines for an existing rule banning political protests and demonstrations at the 2020 Tokyo Games.
The guidelines are very specific about what actions qualify as protest, including political messaging on armbands and gestures that are “of a political nature.” They specifically state that kneeling is not allowed, which seems to reference the wave of athletes kneeling in protest of police brutality, inspired by football player Colin Kaepernick.
US women’s national soccer team midfielder Megan Rapinoe responded to the announcement with a post saying, “We will not be silenced.”
The history of Olympic protest is a longstanding one. Most notably, at the 1968 Summer Olympics, athletes Tommie Smith and John Carlos bowed their heads and raised their fists in protest while on the Olympic podium accepting their medals. The moment was polarizing at the time but has since been recognized even by the US Olympic Committee as courageous and influential.
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This Animal Rescue Organization is Working to Make the US a No-Kill Country by 2025
Best Friends Animal Society wants to ensure that animal shelters nationwide are no-kill for cats and dogs by 2025. A no-kill shelter is one that doesn’t euthanize healthy or treatable animals to make room in crowded or full shelters.
The organization recognized Delaware early this year as the country’s first no-kill state, which they designate to states that achieve a 90% save rate for all cats and dogs.
More recently, California seems to be on track to become the next, as Gov. Gavin Newsome’s proposed state budget has funding set aside for the cause. A proposed $50 million are allocated to the University of California Davis Koret Shelter Medicine Program to help shelters “achieve the state’s policy goal that no adoptable or treatable dog or cat should be euthanized.”
Best Friends has set its sights on North Carolina as the next state they want to help achieve no-kill status, and they're currently working with over 90 organizations and awarding thousands of dollars in grants.
Take Action: Use this interactive map to see if animal shelters in your community are no-kill. Then click through to your shelter’s website to learn how to get involved.
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Why aren’t more people talking about… how oceans are warming at record-breaking rates (five atomic bombs of heat every second).
Meanwhile, in the Philippines… thousands are evacuating as the Taal Volcano threatens to erupt for a second time this week.
My hero today is… the Cameroonian student turning discarded plastic bottles into boats for local fishermen.
Today in viral cuteness… this adorable pup is a perfectly well-behaved motorcycle passenger.
I’m obsessed with… my new pair of Crocs. The last time I regularly wore Crocs was in elementary school, but now that they’re back in my life, I just can’t get enough of them. Y’all can clown on me all you want, but they are so comfy, and I have no remorse.
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