In the lead up to the Presidential Election this November, Life Stories Learning is launching a new initiative -- A Democracy Minute. Premiering every Thursday from September 12 - November 21 on Instagram and the Life Stories Learning Resource page, these 60-second interview excerpts remind us of diverse points of view on democratic values, principles, and ideals from American thought leaders. Inspired by a need to keep conversations alive and current, we hope these can be used in classrooms and in higher education, in the non-profit and private sector, or even shared amongst friends and family!

Sherrilyn Ifill

Lawyer and the Vernon E. Jordan, Jr., Esq. Endowed Chair in Civil Rights at Howard University

We're excited to share a sneak peek with the first clip featuring Sherrilyn Ifill speaking on Patriotism here and A Democracy Minute Learning Resource we created for classrooms and communities.

Future themes include: A Free Press, A People's Democracy, The Peaceful Transfer of Power, American Optimism, The Story of Our Country, What the Nation Can Be, Shifting Perceptions on Race, Civic Participation, Nonviolence in America and The Privilege of Voting.

Fran Sterling, Director of Education, is available to answer any questions about how to use this resource in your classrooms and communities. Email her at fran@lifestories.org.

October 5th - Virtual Media Literacy Resource Showcase

Join Life Stories for one of the free mini showcases on building students’ media literacy skills using Life Stories' Learning content. Explore how our free film and classroom resources strengthen media literacy skills and promote civic engagement.

Register Here

October 21-25 Media Literacy Week

U.S. Media Literacy Week calls attention to media literacy education by bringing together hundreds of partners for free events and activities around the country. We are honored to be a partner with The National Association for Media Literacy Education (NAMLE) who organizes #MediaLiteracyWeek.

Register Here

November 7 - 10 Journalism Education Association/National Scholastic Press Association Annual Conference

Matthew Henderson, Producer at Life Stories will be giving the opening keynote address at the national JEA/NSPA conference this year. The next day we will be screening A Choice of Weapons: Inspired by Gordon Parks followed by a student-focused workshop, "The Camera As a Weapon Against Injustice" on the role of documentary photography in today's media landscape.

Register Here

November 21 - 24 NCTE 2024 

Join us in Boston at the annual National Council of Teachers of English conference. Our workshop, "Critical Literacy and History Based Instruction for Social Justice and Hope" will be on Friday, November 22 at 9:30 am. We hope to see you there!

Register Here