At THENCE we think a lot about ways to shift the paradigm. Whether it’s through, expanding the lessons of Dr. King, or exploring school belonging within diverse communities. So this year on Valentine’s Day we wanted to explore how we can spread love in the form of awareness.

During our recent weekly meeting, we were discussing the climate of the new and restrictive laws that are being passed that directly effect school communities. With books being banned, and conversations being limited in certain spaces, we wanted to take a moment to offer a few ways that your school can celebrate its entire community by acknowledging the communities within it. For example, the LGBTQ + community, and its richly diverse existence have so many intersections that offer us opportunities to celebrate a multitude of identities.

Some may not think of it, but Valentine’s Day, though typically seen as a day of love can be isolating for many. This year we asked ourselves, how can we redefine this holiday tradition by expanding it, and making sure that we highlight “love” in its unique forms?

One way is by making sure that those who identify as belonging to the LGBTQ + community feel that they belong to their school community at large. Those who want to, may begin this effort by simply sharing the definition of LGBTQ+. Another signal of acknowledgment could be mixing in rainbow hearts when putting up Valentine’s Day decorations along with the typical red hearts to reflect the teachers, faculty, staff, and parents and students of the LGBTQ+ community.

We believe that school belonging goes beyond students learning how to see one another, but for the adults within the community to be seen by each other as well. For students and staff to be able to see each other and celebrate together.

We celebrate a Valentine’s Day that still has love at its core, but one that includes a love for all.

Also, watch this recording that Vice President Kamala Harris made for social media in June 2017. The file is available through the wikimedia commons. If you were sharing this file with high school history students what aspects of the video would you ask students to pay close attention to? Can your students understand and describe, define and defend civil liberties and human rights? What interactive elements might you suggest for this video? Post your ideas in the comments below!

Where did this video come from? Read below:

This United States Congress image is in the public domain. This may be because it was taken by an employee of the Congress as part of that person’s official duties, or because it has been released into the public domain and posted on the official websites of a member of Congress. As a work of the U.S. federal government, the image is in the public domain. You can see and download the video here.