“It’s a bomb truck,” the student told Zaman, asking them if they were Arabian. Vega Zaman walked into a middle school robotics class last year to find a fellow student playing with a Lego truck. They are confronting difficult history, pushing for inclusion and searching for their place within their communities.
Reporters spoke to teens and educators in Alabama, Texas, Washington and Virginia who are working to build a broader understanding amid the political fights engulfing schools. But it’s necessary to learn from the conflicts, they stress. Navigating these conversations takes courage, teachers and students say. And teachers are watching as attempts to foster inclusivity in their classrooms go punished. Meanwhile, vague laws passed in response to the ongoing culture wars threaten to chill candid conversations about history. Some conservative students feel like their political beliefs aren’t welcomed on campuses while their families are set on “taking back” school boards, fueled by a desire to expand parental rights and block students from learning about their interpretation of critical race theory. Educators are left to answer tough questions about history, race and sexuality, hyperaware their responses are under increased scrutiny. Many children are trying to be comfortable with who they are even as their identities come up for debate among adults.
