Equity Corner : Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month
May is Asian-Pacific American Heritage Month. Here is a fantastic list of ways to celebrate the month in lots of different ways!
Equity Corner : Ramadan
Ramadan Mubarak! That means "Blessed Ramadan" in Arabic. This Sunday, May 1, the appearance of the new moon will mark the end of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan and begin the celebration of Eid-al-Fitr. Since there are millions of Muslim people around the world, there are many ways that Ramadan and Eid-al-Fitr are celebrated, but here are some great books and educational resources for younger children to learn about the holiday. Ramadan Mubarak! Eid Mubarak!
Equity Corner : Talking about prejudice
It's sometimes tough to figure out how to bring up issues of equity and prejudice with kids. Here are several great children's book titles to introduce the issue of prejudice and hopefully spark a conversation!
Equity Corner: Autism Awareness Month
April is Autism Awareness Month! According to the CDC, approximately 1 in 68 children has an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Here is a list of 15 great books to help kids and families understand ASD and support people with ASD.
Equity Corner: Transgender Visibility
Last Thursday was International Transgender Day of Visibility. The day is dedicated to celebrating the accomplishments of transgender and gender nonconforming people while raising awareness of the work that still needs to be done to achieve trans justice. Here is a great website filled with information on gender terminology, how to be a better ally to trans youth and more!
Teach your kids about disabilities
March is Disability Awareness Month! Here is a great resource that provides some activities to share with your kids around disability awareness.
Celebrating diversity
Hope you are having a fun Spring Break! Maybe there's a little more screen time than usual at your house this week? If so, here's a list of 10 TV shows for kids that celebrate diversity!
Talking about refugees
Our kids are hearing a lot right now about the crisis in Ukraine and the millions of people fleeing the violence there. Here are some great resources to help you talk to them about refugees, in Ukraine and beyond.
Equity Corner: What to do when...
This week's equity corner is a link for the parents to help with a tricky situation that's happened to everyone: Here's a great resource to help you know what to say and do when your child comments on a stranger's appearance in public.
Women's History Month
March 1 begins Women's History month—here's a great list of 50 children's books celebrating indigenous girls and women to start the month off right!
More Black History Month resources
Here’s another great roundup of Black history month resources for educators and families from the Center for Racial Justice in Education!
Educate yourself about race and racism
It's valentine's week, and one of the best ways to show love for our community is by educating yourself and your kids about race and racism. Here's a great roundup of resources for parents and kids to get the conversation started!
Celebrate Black History Month
February is Black History Month. Here's a great list of things to do with kids of various ages to celebrate and learn more about Black history.
Equity Corner: Year of the Tiger
Tuesday this week marked the beginning of the Lunar New Year. To learn more about this holiday, widely celebrated in Asia, check out this book list!
Introducing the Equity Corner!
We’re excited to announce a new regular feature in the Rieke Rapper email and also available on our website, written by Sasha Pollack, PTA Vice President and coordinator of our diversity and equity efforts at Rieke.
Last week we celebrated the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
As we continue to honor his legacy, a resource we’d like to recommend is the Coretta Scott King Book Awards, given annually to outstanding African American authors and illustrators of books for children and young adults that demonstrate an appreciation of African American culture and universal human values. The award commemorates the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and honors his wife, Mrs. Coretta Scott King, for her courage and determination to continue the work for peace and world brotherhood.
You can read about 2022's honorees here, and also check out this list of winners from 1970–2021 which can be sorted by target age!