NHCSS Press Release
Approved by the NHCSS Board of Directors, June 10, 2020

Concord, NH - The New Hampshire Council for the Social Studies decries the murders of Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, and countless other Black Americans and mourns their tragic deaths. The NHCSS stands in solidarity with the National Council for the Social Studies in condemning institutionalized racism and prejudice in all its forms. We rededicate ourselves as educators to address institutionalized racism and promote anti-racist instructional practices.

Only by understanding our history will we be able to root out the institutional racism that has denied equality and opportunity to so many. As educators, we have both a responsibility and an opportunity to help our students grasp the challenge before us to bring real and lasting change. This is our moment—social studies teachers are trained to lead students through complicated and controversial topics and teach tolerance. And never has there been a better time to teach students about the importance of taking thoughtful, informed, and constructive action to make the world a better place.
We acknowledge that we can do better and we want to work on this. We will work as a council this summer on how we can best assist other teachers across the state. As part of our mission to advance social studies education in the state of New Hampshire, we are taking action in the following ways:

• Establishing a resolution of values
• Establishing an Anti-Racism and Inclusion Committee
• Creating a space on our website for social studies resources on social justice, racism, inclusion, and diverse history.
• Providing professional development that address inclusion 
• Including an Anti-Racism and Inclusion Discussion in our next conference

Through these efforts we can better prepare New Hampshire’s students to participate in the world they will inherit. Our commitment to educate Granite Staters about society's racial injustices is merely one contribution to the larger struggle, but it’s one that we can and should make.

Cutis Roddy
President of the New Hampshire Council for the Social Studies

​As I am sure you are preparing for an uncertain start to the school year, I wanted to reach out to share some resources from the LBJ Presidential Library that might be helpful to you and the teachers that you work with. As our in-person professional development was cancelled due to COVID-19, we are hosting a webinar series this summer on Tuesdays and Thursdays in June and July. The June schedule and registration can be found in the attached information below or on our website: lbjlibrary.org/events/educator-summer-webinar-series   The July lineup is being finalized and should be announced later this week or early next week.
 
We are also working to take some of our most popular lessons online, as well as bring the museum to you through a virtual field trip. Please see below for some of our best digital resources. All of our curriculum and education resources can be found at lbjlibrary.org/education.