Racial Justice
KFTC is working for a day when discrimination is wiped out of our laws, habits, and hearts.
Take action to protect ORSANCO and support water justice!
Last year a proposal came forward to do away with the Ohio River Valley Water Sanitation Commission (ORSANCO) regulatory mission.
A Racial Justice Guide to Thanksgiving for Educators and Families
Please visit this great list compiled by Border Crossers that is A Racial Justice Guide to Thanksgiving for Educators and Families that has lots of great resources for a wide range of entry levels.
Cultural Appropriation: resources for the holiday season
As the holiday season progresses from Halloween to Thanksgiving to holidays celebrated by many people during Winter Break, the KFTC Racial Justice Committee had the opportunity to pause and have a conversation about the cultural appropriation that is so pervasive during these months.
"Dressing up" for Halloween
Madison County member Wendy Warren writes about ways educators can do better when teaching about Native peoples. This article also address cultural appropriation at Halloween.
"As I thought about the things I have learned that have convinced me that I would never again consider dressing a child in an "Indian costume" for Halloween, I realized that there were probably many other things I have done in my teaching career that were equally embarrassing. Some of the first that come to mind are some of the "Indian art" activities I found in activity books that I used in an honest attempt to teach about Indian cultures. Now I know enough to understand that some of them were quite disrespectuful, in that they trivalized things that were quite important - even sacred- in some Indian cultures. But how can a non-Indian teacher come to know what things are sacred and what are not?"
Teaching the Truth Is Not Easy
This linked article is written by Madison County member Bobby Starnes about how the history of Native American's are taught in our schools and why we should, and can, do better.
"Teaching the truth is not easy. Maybe it raises too many questions about our national character. Maybe it depresses us to learn about historical injustices. Maybe it’s too raw for the squeamish or those who can feel proud to be American only if our nation is pure and perfect. So, okay, if you can’t, don’t teach the truth. Let it sit silently on the bookshelves and in other safe places. Don’t talk about it. Let it go unsaid. I don’t like it, and I don’t think it’s a good idea, but I do understand it.
But here’s what I don’t understand — really, sincerely, I don’t understand. Why do we feel compelled to teach the lies?"
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