The 30 Day Education Challenge: Intro + Day 1

Over the last few weeks it hasn't felt right to resume regularly scheduled content, and I've spent some time trying to figure out how to use this space in a way that feels useful and right. The biggest thing I have heard from people on Instagram and in conversations is the desire to learn, but not being sure where to start. Because of this, I kicked off the #30DayEducationChallenge on Instagram and will be posting each day's 'assignment' to this blog. If you want to get each one to your inbox in the morning, sign up on the sidebar (the "I get FOMO too" box), and if you don't wish to receive these emails over the next 30 days I understand if you want to unsubscribe (but really, we should all be taking some time to learn).

Here's how the challenge is going to work

1. Every morning I'll post the 'assignment' here and on my Instagram feed. If you are subscribed to my emails, you'll receive the assignments directly to your inbox around 5 am (check spam, junk, promotions, social tab, and behind the couch - these emails end up everywhere).
2. Each day will have a 30-60 minute commitment. I'll include the time to complete estimate in each post.
3. Monday - Friday will be a free article, podcast, or video to stream. Weekends will be a movie to stream on Netflix/Hulu/wherever.
4. Every resource is crowdsourced so please continue to send me suggestions (Instagram DM or email).

Syllabus

Week 1: US History (Pre-Civil Rights)

Week 2: The Civil Rights Movement

Week 3: Systemic Racism Today

Week 4: General Stuff We Should Know to Not Be an Anti-Racist

Disclaimer

I have 0 authority on any of this. People have whole PhDs on this topic, and I'm just hearing listening, Googling, crowdsourcing. I'm sure I'll F this up somehow and am REALLY open to feedback when I do - please share thoughts and comments!

Today was Day 1 and here was the assignment

1619 Project Episode 1: The Fight for a True Democracy

Apple

Spotify

Stitcher

Welcome to day 1 of our #30DayEducationChallenge ! Today we are listening to episode 1 of the 1619 podcast. You can stream for free wherever you get your podcasts- the link to the Spotify version is in my bio. Time to complete is 42 mins.

NYT writer Nikole Hannah-Jones created the podcast and won a Pulitzer prize for her introductory essay, "America Wasn't a Democracy Until Black Americans Made it One". In a recent interview, Hannah-Jones says: "When you think that patriotism is actually truly believing in these founding ideals of equality and saying, our country is not there, but we are going to challenge our country, and we are going to be honest about our country, that is actually true patriotism." Wow, yes, let's 👏 keep 👏 challenging 👏.

Discussion questions (feel free to leave thoughts in the comments, discuss with your groups, or journal):

1. What is something new you learned from this episode?

2. What is something that surprised you?

3. What do you think about how freedom is discussed? And the hypocrisy of freedom? Where do you notice these themes today?

4. What is national memory? How do we create it and how can it change?

Thanks for joining! Excited to learn together. See y'all tomorrow bright & early!