Santa

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2020/12/03/black-santa-solidarity/

The Kennedy family live in Arkansas, USA. They put up their Christmas decorations this year, as they do every year, in front of their house. The decorations include a large inflatable Christmas tree and inflatable Santa next to twinkling lights. But this year after a week the family received a letter saying they should take the Santa down. The letter claimed to be from Santa and said, "I am a white man to you and have been for the last 600 years." At the end of the letter the writer suggested the family move to a different neighbourhood.

The family wondered if they had made the right choice and if they should move. They shared the letter on social media  but they were immediately deluged with messages of support from their neighbours. What do you think the neighbours did next? Slowly, one by one, Black Santas started appearing all over the neighbourhood. 

   

One of the first people to put up a Black Santa was 70 year old Chip Welch. Chip said the letter was, "not reflective of the kind of country I want to live in. We were all pretty concerned about it and we decided it would be poetic for everyone to get Black Santa's."

Will and Paula Jones live across the street and have put up a Black Santa. Paula said when she heard about the letter, "My first thought was, 'Where can I get one?"

Neighbour Ben Keller had a two year old son who is black. Ben says their son is "absolutely thrilled to see some Santa's that reflect back to him."

People have also sent donations to the Kennedy family, who have donated everything to charity. They have received over $1000.

what do you see in the picture?

what do you notice about the Santa?

explain the story 

- why would someone write that letter, what was their aim?

- how do you think the Kennedy family felt when they first read the letter?

- Chip Welch says the letter is "not reflective of the kind of country I want to live in" what does that mean?

- why do you think Paula immediately thought, "Where can I get one"?

- why do you think so many neighbours put up black Santas and shared photos?

- what does this story show about lots of people in America today and their attitude to diversity and difference?

- how do you think the Kennedy family felt when they saw their neighbours' reactions?

- Ben Keller says his Black son is "thrilled to see some Santas that reflect back at him" what does this mean?

- what does representation mean and why is it important today?

- what can we learn from the Kennedy family?

- what can we learn from their neighbours?

- why is this about No Outsiders?

No outsiders: Everyone different, everyone welcome by Andrew Moffat

www.no-outsiders.com

rainbow laces

 

 The photo shows Jordan Henderson, Captain of Liverpool football team. Last Sunday James wore a rainbow armband while leading his team in a match against Wolves at Anfield.

Jordan said, “Football is a game for everyone. No matter what”

After the match, Liverpool fan Keith Spooner contacted Jordan on twitter to say, “At 17 I came out, I struggled through my teenage years but the one thing that always made me feel at home was Liverpool. Seeing this means the world to me, it truly does!”

Jordan responded with, “If wearing a rainbow laces arm band helps even just one person, then it’s progress. Everyone is welcome at Liverpool Football Club.”

- What are the armbands and laces for?

•        -  What does LGBT mean?

•        -  Do you have to be gay to wear the laces and armbands?

•        -  Why are people who are not gay wearing them?

•        -  What does ‘come out’ mean? Why did Keith Spooner say he struggled through his teenage years?

•        -  Why does it mean “the world” to Keith to see the captain wear a rainbow armband today?

•         -  What can we learn from these footballers?

•         - Why is this about No Outsiders?

 

 

racist responses

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/55168557

The photo shows Derby County player Colin Kazim-Richards raising his first as players on his team take the knee at a match against Millwall on Saturday. Players wanted to show respect to the Black Lives Matters campaign before the match.

When players took the knee, some of the Millwall fans in the crowd started to boo. 

The incident made national news and thousand of people expressed anger at the lack of respect shown by some football fans. 

Derby boss Wayne Rooney said is was, "disappointing and upsetting to hear booing from supporters." He said he was pleased with how his team dealt with the incident, "They've had to put that to the back of their minds for the 90 minutes but I'm sure it's something they were thinking about."

The Environment secretary George Eustace responded to the booing by saying people's views should be respected; "if people choose to reflect their view in a particular way that should always be respected."

However, Derby centre forward Colin Kazim Richards said the incident was "an absolute disgrace."

"This is why I stand and stand proud and I have to say every single person involved with @dcfofficial did too made me proud to wear this shirt today"

The FA  said, "We applaud the players for taking a stand and defying the hate shown today."

what do you see in the photo?

where is it taken?

what is happening?

explain the story

- what is taking the knee about? why are people choosing to do it?

- why is Colin Kazim Richards remaining standing with his fist in the air?

- what do you notice about the three players in the photo taking the knee?

- black and white players choosing to show support for Black Lives Matter together - what does this show about football players today and respect for diversity? 

- why did some fans in the crowd boo? (because some people still don't understand about diversity and difference; they weren't lucky enough to go to a school like ours where we talk about being different and show respect for each other. Some people think we should all be the same - same skin, same religion, same kind of person. It's the opposite to us - we know it's great to be different and we like it that way. We are not frightened about diversity and equality)

- how do you think the players felt when they heard the boos?

- what do you think of the different reactions; "disappointed"; "saddened"; "a disgrace;" was it "disappointing"? Is that word strong enough? Which reaction do you think is most applicable here?

- one person said we should respect the views of the people booing. What the arguments for and against that view? 

- The boss of the team said he was pleased with how his team dealt with it - putting it to the back of their minds and playing on. What do you think about that advice? Are the players being asked to ignore racism and carry on? Should we ignore racist behaviour when we see it?

- What can we do about this today? How do we stop this happening in the future? (we stop this by making sure everyone knows in our school we respect diversity and we welcome difference. If we hear a racist comment, or a homophobic comment or any comment that is discriminatory, we challenge it)

- what do we say at our school about racism?

- why is this about no outsiders?

www.no-outsiders.com

No Outsiders: everyone different everyone welcome by Andrew Moffat

baseball

 

https://www.goodnewsnetwork.org/kim-ng-named-first-female-gm-in-baseball-history/

Kim Ng (Pronounced Eng) has become the first woman to be hired as a manager in a professional league baseball club in America. She is also the first Asian – American to manage a team.

Watch this short news clip about Kim’s appointment https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZ8fcDvFAj0

Kim has worked for 30 years in different baseball clubs; she has been Assisant General Manager with the New York Yankees and Assistant General Manager for the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Commissioner for baseball Robert Manfred Jnr said, “Kim’s appointment makes history in all of professional sports and sets a significant example for the millions of women and girls who love baseball and softball.”

Kim said, “When I got in to this business it seemed unlikely that a women would lead a major team, but I’m dogged in pursuit of my goals.”

Many people have praised Kim; one person said, “All it takes is one and then it opens the door for somebody.”

-        Why has this story made news?

-        Why do you think Kym is first women to manage a major league baseball team?

-        Kim started as an intern. What’s an intern?

-        “When I got in to this business it seemed unlikely that a women would lead a major team,” why?

-        “I’m dogged in pursuit of my goals” what does this mean?

-        Kim “sets a significant example for the millions of women and girls who love baseball and softball.” Why?

-        “All it takes is one and then it opens the door for somebody.”

-        What does this show about ideas and the world today (ideas can change, the world is changing)

-        What can we learn from Kim?

-        Why is this about No Outsiders?

community

 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2020/11/13/wurstbar-jersey-barber-covid/

Wustbar is a bar in New Jersey, USA, owned by Aaron Khan. Last week a member of staff was diagnosed with coronavirus so to be safe, Aaron decided to ask all of his staff to isolate and get tested. He shared a message on Instagram saying they were closing the bar. Aaron was booked for a haircut that afternoon at the barber shop two doors down from his bar and he rang the owner, Andre Fersa, to tell him what had happened and cancel his appointment.

Andre had an idea. He offered to work at Aaron’s bar over the weekend to keep it open and he brought a friend with him to help. They refused to accept payment for their work and gave all their tips ($300) to the workers at the bar who were isolating. Andre said he could relate to Aaron’s situation because at the start of lockdown earlier in the year he had to close his barber shop for three months. He got by on savings, but it was difficult. Aaron says he will never forget Andre’s kindness.

The Wutstbar staff posted on social media after the weekend, “We love this community and couldn’t ask for better neighbours.”

-        Why did Aaron close his bar when only one of his staff had coronavirus?

-        Why do you think Andre offered to help out?

-        Why didn’t Andre and his friend accept payment for their work?

-        Why did they give all their tips to the usual bar staff who weren’t working?

-        What is a community?

-        What does this show us about how coronavirus is affecting communities?

-        What can we learn from Andre Fersa?

-        If Andre needs help in the future, who do you think might step in to help? Why?

-        What is the impact of a good deed or an act of kindness?

Why is this about community cohesion?

speech

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/world-us-canada-54867714

The photo shows 13 year old Brayden Harrington from Canada. Brayden has a stutter yet here he is talking on the BBC about his journey. He says he was helped by President elect Joe Biden, who also has a stutter. Joe Biden is about become American president.

Watch the video in the link above; Brayden talks about talking with others who stutter, and they say they would never believe that someone who stutters would make it this far as president.

In January Joe Biden will be giving his inauguration speech in front of millions of people. Brayden gives the president advice on his speech; “If he gets a block or if he has a little moment then he just needs to do what he does best and go through it, and we’re all just rooting for you.”

-        What is a stutter?

-        Why is Brayden smiling when he says, “Without Joe Biden I wouldn’t be talking to you today.”?

-        Why did Joe say to Brayden, “We are members of the same club”?

-        Why are Brayden and his friends shocked that someone who stutters would make it to American president?

-        What is the inauguration speech?

-        Why might Joe Biden feel nervous about giving the inauguration speech?

-        What do you think of Brayden’s advice? What does he mean by ‘a block’?

-        How do you think Brayden will feel as he watches Joe begin his speech in January?

-        “We’re all rooting for you” what does this mean? How will Joe feel knowing Brayden and his friends are rooting for him as he begins his speech?

-        What can we learn from Brayden and from Joe Biden?

-        Why is this about no outsiders?

nobody is normal

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-bDDeWzSQY

Childline have released a video aimed at supporting mental health and wellbeing during lockdown. Watch the film in the youtube link above. The NSPCC says since lockdown, cases of children reaching our for support with loneliness and self esteem have soared and there has been a significant increase in children contacting the charity with worries about body image, gender and sexuality.

“Nobody is normal” has been launched to show children that lacking confidence, feeling not good enough or that you don’t fit in, is a shared experience. Childline says, “Don’t suffer in silence.”

The film shows a boy struggling to appear ‘normal’, covering up his true identity. Childline wants children to know that no matter how isoloated they feel, they are not alone. Childline is there for them.

Children can call childline anonymously at any time on 0800 11 11or visit www.childline.co.uk

-        What is childline, how do you contact them?

-        What does ‘normal’ mean?

-        Why release a film called, “nobody is normal”?

-        In the film, what keeps happening to the boy; how does it make him feel?

-        Why does he wear a “boy costume”?

-        Why doesn’t the boy just tell people about his difference?

-        If you knew the boy, what would you say to him?

-        What happens to change the boy’s mind and reveal his difference?

-        When the boy reveals his difference, what does everyone else do?

-        What does “Don’t suffer in silence” mean?

-        What can we learn from this film?

Why is this film about No Outsiders? 

Ironman

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/triathlon/54869998

Triathlete Chris Nicik from Florida USA has become the first person with Down’s syndrome to complete an Ironman event. In the competition athletes had to swim 2.4 miles, cycle 112 miles and run 26 mile marathon. Chris completed the course in 16 hours 46 minutes and became a world record holder.

The Ironman organisers said, “You have shattered barriers while proving without a doubt that anything is possible.”

In the 42 years since Ironman started, no person with Down’s syndrome has attempted an event. Now Chris has become an inspiration for other people with learning disabilities.

Chris started training three years ago with just one press up every day. His goal was to become 1% fitter every day. His next goal is to take part in the 2022 Special Olympics in Florida.

Chris’s Dad says, “Ironman has served as his platform to become one step closer to his goal of living a life of inclusion, normalcy and leadership. It’s about being an example to other kids and families that face similar barriers, proving no dream or goal is too high.”

-        Why do you think this event is called ironman?

-        Is it only for men? (no, anyone can join in. Here is an article about a female participant in 2013 https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/the-running-blog/2013/nov/28/take-on-ironman-challenge-woman-female-participants)

-        How do you think it feels to swim 2 miles and then do a 100 mile bike race… and then a 26 mile run? What would your body feel like? The link above written by a female competitor talks about the hardship. During the swim at the beginning everyone is squashed together; a man in her race dislocated his arm because it was so crowded)

-        Look at the photo, why is the women screaming at Chris? What do you think she is saying?

-        Watch the clip in the link under the photo to see Chris competing

-        Chris started training by doing 1 push up a day. How has that small press up turned in to competing in this huge event?

-        “It’s about being an example to other kids and families that face similar barriers, proving no dream or goal is too high” what does this mean?

-        What can we learn from Chris?

Why is this a story of hope?

why is this about no outsiders?

Kamala Harris

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vwkuq90WTys

What do you see in the picture? What do you think it shows?

This picture shows all the Vice Presidents in American history, starting with John Adams in 1789. Kamala Harris will be the 49^th Vice President in 2021.

What do you notice about all the Vice Presidents in history? What do they have in common? What is different about Kamala Harris? What does this show about the world and how the world is changing today?

The youtube link is called “Best moments of Kamala Harris acceptance speech” and is 5 minutes long. In the speech Kamala mentions her mum; “When she came here from India at the age of 19, she maybe didn’t quite imagine this moment.”

“I’m thinking about the generations of women; black women, Asian, White, Latina, Native American Women who throughout our nation’s history have paved the way for this moment tonight…. I stand on their shoulders”

Kamala mentions laws that have paved the way for this moment

100 years ago the 19^th Amenment (American women given right to vote)

55 years ago the voting rights act (1965 phohibited racial discrimination in voting)

 

“What a testament it is to Joe’s character that he had the audacity to break one of the most substantial barriers that exist in our country and select a woman as his vice president”

“But while I may be the first woman in this office, I will not be the last because every little girl watching tonight sees that this is a country of possibilities. And to the children of our country, regardless of your gender, our country has sent you a clear message: Dream with ambition.Lead with conviction and see yourselves in a way that others may not, simply because they’ve never seen it before. But know that we will applaud you every step of the way.” (stop at 3:17)

-        What is a Vice President? Who will the American President be in 2021?

-        How do you become a President?

-        When Kamala’s mum came to America aged 19, why would she not imagine her daughter ending up being the American Vice President?

-        Why does Kamala mention so many different races in her speech? What does that show about her?

-        “I stand on their shoulders” what does that mean?

-        What does Kamala mean when she says Joe had the “audacity” to select a woman as Vice president?

-        “every little girl watching tonight sees that this is a country of possibilities” what does this mean?

-        Kamala has a message for the children of her country, why does she say, “regardless of your gender”?

-        “Dream with ambition.Lead with conviction” what does that mean?

-        “see yourselves in a way that others may not, simply because they’ve never seen it before” give an example

-        What can we learn from Kamala Harris?

Why is this a story of hope?

why is this about no outsiders?

US election

 

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/nov/07/biden-beats-trump-celebrations-joy-america

Thousands of people in America have come together over the weekend to celebrate the election of Joe Biden to Presidency. Joe Biden got 74 million votes which was more votes than any other American president has ever received, and he will take the office in January.

The new Vice President will be Kamala Harris. Kamala was born in California to immigrant parents. If she had been born one hundred years ago she would not even have been able to vote and as a black woman she would have had no rights. Now she will be the most powerful and influential woman in American history. Kamala will be the first female, first black person to be Vice President.  In a speech Kamala said, "I may be the first woman in this office, I will  not be the last." 

Biden is also the oldest person to elected President, at 78 years old. 

In his victory speech Joe Biden said, "I pledge to be a president who seeks not to divide but to unify." He called on people who disagreed to listen to each other and work together; "To make progress we have to stop treating our opponents as our enemies."

Joe said he was proud of the coalition his team put together; "The broadest and most diverse in history. Democrats, Republicans and independents. Progressives, moderates and conservatives. Young and old. Urban, suburban and rural. Gay, straight, transgender. White. Latino. Asian. African American."

The picture shows people celebrating in Times Square New York on Saturday night. Celebrations were held across the USA. There is a great short video clip in the link above. 

Watch the video and then discuss the questions below.

- why are so many people celebrating?

- what do you notice about the people celebrating- are they all the same? what different people can you see celebrating?

- what does the diversity in the celebrations show us about America today?

- One person in the video is wearing a T-shirt with rainbow colours and the words, "Inside we're all the same"; what does this mean?

- in the video we see people chant, "This is what democracy looks like!" what is democracy, how does it work, why are they chanting those words?

- "I pledge to be a president who seeks not to divide but to unify." what does Joe Biden mean?

- Why does Joe Biden mention all the different people in his speech? What does that show us about how he sees difference?

- "To make progress we have to stop treating our opponents as our enemies." what does Joe Biden mean?

- why does Kamala Harris say she will not be the last female to be elected to office?

- how is the world changing?

- what can we learn from America today?

- why is this about No Outsiders?

Bhangra

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-england-london-54662889

 

Brothers Vikram and Mrinal Seth have been dancing every day during lockdown and now have their own Bhangra classes online called the Bounce Bhangra Brothers. In the link above there is a great video of the brothers talking about their dancing.

Bhangra is a traditional folk dance from Northern India which today is merged with garage, hip hop and R&B.

When lockdown started, they did a livestream and during the stream Vikram announced, “We’re going to do this every day until the end of lockdown,” which was a surprise to his brother at the time!

Now they have people from all over the world joining in the dancing every day. 

Vikram says, “Bhangra really means empowerment, upliftment, energy. It’s all about being with other people and celebrating together, having that sense of community. Because we’re all being isolated from each other this is exactly the time that people need that sense of community.”

The brothers have recently received an “unsung heroes” award for their work.

-        What is Bhangra? Does anyone here know Bhangra dancing or music?

-        Why do you think the brothers chose to do a Bhangra livestream?

-        What do you think made Vikram suddenly announce in the middle of dance live stream, that they would do a dance every day till lockdown ended?

-        How do you think Mrinal felt when Vikram said that without asking him first?

-        Why do you think their classes have become so popular?

-        How/ why can people from different countries who speak different languages all join in?

-        empowerment, upliftment – what do these words mean?

-        How do you think the classes are bringing people together?

-        “This is exactly the time that people need that sense of community,” - why?

-        Why is this story about no outsiders?

NHS

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-54698307

A mural celebrating diversity in the NHS has been painted in East London. Members of the public were invited to create different flowers to represent all the different nationalities that are working in the NHS. There are 200 flowers in the mural. There is a video in the link above.

The artist is Atma. Atma says in the video,

“Every single flower tells a story. It has been created by all sorts of people; old people, young people, artists, non artists, families, schools, and I put the art work together.”

“What makes this piece very special is that every flower is different and it’s a strong metaphor to say that what makes the NHS really rich is the diversity of people who work for it.”

A doctor interviewed in the link above says, “it’s important for our patients to be able to see themselves in the people who care for them.”

-        What is the NHS, who is it for?

-        Has anyone been to a hospital? Did all the nurses and doctors look exactly the same or were they different?

-        What is diversity?

-        There are 200 flowers in this display, what does this show us about the NHS?

-        What is a metaphor?

-        Why do you think Atma wanted so many different people to contribute to the mural?

-        Why do you think Atma asked people to create flowers instead of their faces or instead of a big map or different objects? What is it about a flower?

-        Why do you think the mural shows a person holding a sign that reads, “One NHS”?

-        “it’s important for our patients to be able to see themselves in the people who care for them.” What does the doctor mean by this?

-        What can we learn from the artist, Atma?

W   Why is this a story about No Outsiders?

Captain

 

https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/female-cruise-captain-sexism-troll-tiktok-video-b806321.html 

Kate McCue is Captain of a Cruise ship. She is in charge of the safety of 4500 crew and passengers as she runs a ship worth $1.2 billion.

But there are some people who still do not understand how a woman can be a captain. Last month Captain Kate went viral when she posted a response to someone online who posted, “How can you be captain? Your only a woman.” Ask the children if they notice anything about the message which is in the photo. How do you think Captain Kate responded?

Watch her brilliant response, that wert viral, here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9BsiDuKFX8

And here is a great 5 minute documentary film showing Kate at her job https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4LYBluLo5U

-        What responsibility does a captain have?

-        Why do you think until recently all ship captains have been male?

-        When Kate went on her first cruise ship aged 12, she told her Dad she wanted to organise the events on a ship when she grew up. Kate’s Dad told her, “You can do anything you want including drive the thing!” What impact did that have on Kate?

-        What is sexism?

-        On the viral video why did Kate choose to talk about spelling, rather than the sexist attitude of the message writer?

-        Why does she end up saying, “Don’t worry, I’m here for you if you need any more clarification; you can find me here in my captain’s chair.”

-        Why do you think Kate’s message went viral?

-        Do you think Kate’s reply had effect on the person that wrote the original message?

-        Kate says in the longer film, “I look forward to the day when it’s not a “female captain”, it’s just “Captain”. Why does she say that, will that day come?

-        Why does she use the term, “wo-man the ship”?

-        What can we learn from Kate?

-        Why is this a story of hope?

Why is this about No Outsiders?

#standunited

 

https://www.upworthy.com/rival-candidates-release-joint-ad-saying-we-can-disagree-without-hating-each-other

Chris Peterson and Spencer Cox are both campaigning in the American election next week in Utah. Chris Peterson is standing for the Democrats and Spencer Cox is for the Republicans so they are in opposition.

For the first time in American history, two candidates on opposing sides have released a joint advert in their campaign, under the #StandUnited.

In the advert they say, “We are campaigning against each other to be your next governor, but today we come together with a message more important than our differences.”

“We can debate issues without degrading each other’s character; we can disagree without hating each other. Win or lose in Utah, we work together.”

Here is a great interview on Today programme where we see the two candidates explaining why they did this

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ugUqO2eAtw8

-        What is democracy, what is the US election for, who can vote, how do they vote?

-        “You should vote for me,”

 “No really you should vote for me.” Why do they say this?

-        “We can debate issues without degrading each other’s character; we can disagree without hating each other.” What does this mean? Why is this about No Outsiders? 

-        In the interview on Today, Spencer Cox says, “It’s restored my faith in the American people that people are hungry for decency.” What does he mean?

-        Why do you think it is the first time this has happened?

-        Chris Peterson says, “It’s not that we don’t have disagreements, we really do.. we have to remember we all have to get along after these elections.”  Why does he say that?

-        “That’s what democracy is about: we count up all the votes and afterwards we move forward together” why does Chris say this? What is he trying to show?

-        The polls (what are they?) suggest Spencer Cox is going to win by a big margin, so why would he bother to do this?

-        What can we learn from Spencer and Chris?

Why is this a story of hope?