Not In Our Town

Today at South Fayette Township School District, we witnessed the power of education, empathy, and cross-cultural understanding. Over 1,100 high school students had the privilege of screening "Repairing the World: Stories from the Tree of Life" alongside survivors from the 10.27 Healing Partnership. These individuals shared deeply personal stories—from grappling with survivor's guilt to finding hope in the overwhelming support they received. Their openness left an indelible mark on our students. What makes this event even more remarkable is its origin. Two of our Muslim students, inspired by their experiences at the Eradicate Hate Global Summit in September 2023, spearheaded this initiative. They worked tirelessly with our administration to bring this powerful event to fruition a year later. I'm immensely proud of these students' commitment to fostering understanding and combating hate. Their actions demonstrate that the next generation is ready to lead the way in building a more compassionate world. This screening wasn't just about remembering a tragedy—it was about forging connections, challenging prejudices, and inspiring action. We are excited to support initiatives like these that bring people together, promote healing, and work towards a future free from hate and violence. #NeverForget #TreeOfLife #Education #CommunityHealing #EradicateHate #SFLionPride #handprintsHEALfootprints #Ubuntu

Teachers College Press published a recent blog by Debbie Zacarian and me. "Introducing Identity Safety at Home and School: Partnering to Overcome Inequities." It features our new book! We explore the question: ?“How might educators and parents and guardians partner to build identity safe spaces at home and school using a strengths-based approach?”

Register Now! Identity Affirming Thought Partner Series Presented by the AFT and?ShareMyLesson

I am thrilled to announce that Anneke de Rudder has been selected for the Obermayer Awards. Anneke has helped our family and many others find long-lost relatives who fled the Nazis. She also helped us reconnect with Germans in the town of Lüneburg, where my great-great grandfather, Marcus Heinemann was a leading citizen before the Nazis. Anneke is a dear friend and we are going to see her receive the award from the Mayor of Berlin. Also, a shout-out to Widen the Circle, the organization that works for healing and bridging In their words: "Hate is on the rise. Racism, far-right nationalism, anti-Semitism, tribalism, and other forms of hate are growing in places where many never imagined they would be.. . Widen the Circle works to combat prejudice by fostering a shared understanding of the past. We seek to widen the circle of respect, reconciliation, and understanding, particularly in places where there is a history of extreme persecution of one group by another."? They also work to bridge and build an understanding of ways people are fighting racism, anti-Semitism, and other forms of hate. At the award ceremony in Berlin, they will be showing a film about the Tulsa Massacre, and we will be meeting descendants of that horrific murder of Black people in Oklahoma. Some of you know our work on identity safety. Our book, "Identity Safe Spaces: Partnering to Overcome Inequity," co-authored with Dr. Debbie Zacarian, comes out this February. It is also dedicated to combatting bigotry, more later on that and our webinar series with the AFT. https://lnkd.in/dTGMcUPh Kristina Heinemann Debbie Zacarian, Ed.D. Julia Liepman, M. Ed. Kathe Gogolewski Rev. Robin Mathews-Johnson Chana Rubin Randi Thomson-Story Vincent "Vinnie" Pompei, Ed.D. Alex Villanueva Susan Charles don cox Pedro A. Noguera Mary Murphy

Today, we are excited to launch Bedrock, an organization dedicated to preventing hate-fueled violence. Our unique partnership ecosystem is dedicated to supporting the institutions and leaders reversing the exponential increase in hate-fueled violence in America. #safetyandbelonging for all. https://www.bedrock.us/