The Rocket Room

Where the safe exploration of justice, equity and diversity is encouraged.

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DEI Grant Overview.mp4

Watch this 16 minute video to learn more about the PTA Center for Family Engagement DEI grant that we are a part of.

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Here's How Much Money LA Parents Are Fundraising For Schools, And What It Buys

In affluent or gentrifying areas of the Los Angeles Unified School District, parent fundraising organizations often cover some major costs. Are they buying an education inaccessible to most Los Angeles students?

Take a look at how PTAs across Los Angeles are responding to budget shortfalls and examine the equity questions that come along with the fundraising and spending.

You can also attend a virtual chat on the topic with the reporter and local officials on Jan. 26. Register here.

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Universal Declaration of Human Rights | United Nations

A milestone document in the history of human rights, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights set out, for the first time, fundamental human rights to be universally protected. It has been translated into over 500 languages.

December 10 is Human Rights Day! A good a time as any to review the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. There is also a document addressing kids’ rights: https://www.unicef.org/child-rights-convention. 

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A great survey answering lots of questions people have and don’t know how to ask.

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There are some great food for thought questions to consider as you encounter materials featuring or referencing people with disabilities, but the book list could use some updating. Check out the Schneider Family Award list for recent kids’ picks.

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ALA’s top honor for best books for children depicting children with disabilities

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1. The Case | Crooked Media

Recommended podcast outlining the complexity of land rights and Indigenous sovereignty. 

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Mapping the Tongva villages of L.A.'s past

The original people of Los Angeles, the Tongva, defined their world as Tovaangar.

A very brief history of Tovaangar,

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Home - Gold Chains: The Hidden History of Slavery in California | ACLU NorCal

Gold Chains: The Hidden History of Slavery in California

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Shaping Menstrual Equity at CCMS

Dee Montealvo had one goal when she started working at Culver City Middle School in 2019: To be more active in her student’s lives. Even though she became a math teacher, Ms. Montealvo studied Asian American studies and political science in college. She says that politics and activism are both really important to her, and...

This is a great local story of how one school came together to increase access to period products for their school community.

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Diwali—Festival of Lights

Learn about India's biggest holiday of the year.

Kid-friendly learning on Diwali, the festival of lights, a 5 day celebration that began on 11/4.

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Disability, Fragility, Vulnerability — CALL YOUR GIRLFRIEND

Emily Ladau and Kelly Dawson return to dispel dull narratives around disability and go beyond the 101. How coping with fragility creates resilience. How friendships deepen with the knowing and trust that disabled people share. What allyship looks like to them as physically disabled women. The hypocr

If you have an hour, check out this podcast addressing many of the things you might have wondered but were afraid to ask about showing up for the disabled community.

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Speak Out is hosting a webinar on 11/11: Moving Beyond Land Acknowledgements and Token Representation with Dr. Adrienne Keene (Cherokee Nation) Sliding scale: $5+

They also have a rich archive of webinars available for free to stream.

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The Ezra Jack Keats Foundation produced this 30 minute film highlighting luminaries in diverse children’s book-making. You can learn more about it on the Foundation’s website: https://www.ezra-jack-keats.org/tell-me-another-story/

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What are your pronouns?

International Pronoun Day is October 20. Find out why pronouns matter and how you can adapt your language to be more inclusive.

https://www.mypronouns.org/

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A newly commissioned painting by renowned American artist Kehinde Wiley, A Portrait of a Young Gentleman, debuts in the Thornton Portrait Gallery, across from Thomas Gainsborough's The Blue Boy (ca. 1770). More

Many Rockets may have visited The Blue Boy during our partnership with the Huntington. If you have a chance to visit this fall, you can see Kehinde Wiley’s new work, Portrait of a Gentleman, which is in conversation with that famed painting.

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Do not get lost in a sea of despair. Be hopeful, be optimistic. Our struggle is not the struggle of a day, a week, a month, or a year, it is the struggle of a lifetime. Never, ever be afraid to make some noise and get in good trouble, necessary trouble.

John Lewis