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Kids Meet Former Black Panthers | Kids Meet | HiHo Kids

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How the Black Panthers’ Breakfast Program Both Inspired and Threatened the Government | HISTORY

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The Panthers’ popular breakfast programs put pressure on political leaders to feed children before school.

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The Black Panther Party was an African American group that was active from 1966 into the 1970s. It was founded with the purpose of protecting Black residents of Oakland,...

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Educational Videos for Students (Cartoons on Bullying, Leadership & More)

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March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom | Black History Fun Facts for Students Cartoon

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Twinkl Teaching Resources - United States

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The Civil Rights Movement for Kids | What is Segregation? | Black History Month | Twinkl USA

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I Was A Boat Person: Vietnamese Refugees Look Back

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News 8 bonus footage: Vietnam refugees arrive at Camp Pendleton in 1975

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Lesson Boosters - Kids Science and History Videos

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What is the Great Depression for Kids | Learn about the causes and impact of the Great Depression

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‘Wonder’ Author R. J. Palacio: ‘It’s Ultimately A Story About Kindness’ | TODAY

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: discrimination or prejudice against individuals with disabilities

RESOURCES:

Ableism 101: What it is, what it looks like, and what we can do to fix it

The Americans With Disabilities Act Remains Crucial In The Fight Against Ableism 29 Years Later

What is ableism, and what is its impact?

A comprehensive glossary of ableist terms by disability rights activist Lydia X. Z. Brown

So what, exactly, counts as ableism? How it tends to show up. Examples. Why does it happen? What's the impact? How to avoid it. Questions to ask yourself. Words can have a lasting impact, too. The bottom line.

An excerpt from My Body Is Not a Prayer Request by Amy Kenny. Very good article on ablism and cultural identity.

Disabling Ableism: The Modern Pathway to Inclusion

What is Ableism?

Confronting ableism: What it is and how we can challenge it

Things People With Disabilities Wish You Knew

See also "Eliminating Ableism in Education" THOMAS HEHIR Harvard Educational Review Vol. 72 No. 1 Spring 2002

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ableism noun able·ism | ˈā-bə-ˌli-zəm Definition of ableism : discrimination or prejudice against individuals with disabilities Ableism is the discrimination of and social prejudice against people with disabilities based on the belief that typical abilities are superior. It is rooted in the assumption that disabled people require 'fixing' and defines people by their disability.

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Spotlight Blog: Wonder and Nathaniel Newman

Today, I am here to discuss the 2017 movie Wonder, Treacher Collins syndrome, and a boy named Nathaniel Newman.

Wonder (2017) is a movie based off of a book originally written by R.J. Palacio. It's about a young boy, Auggie Pullman, who has a cranio-facial condition, and has gone through 27 different surgeries. Auggie is transitioning from being home-schooled to going to public school as he approaches the fifth grade.

I found this story very compelling, especially as the film and book describe all of the struggles that Auggie goes through. As you can imagine, Auggie has a difficult time transitioning to school, but Wonder also shows how he is able to make friends.

In the film, Auggie's parents, big sister, and pet help him to cope with all the bullying he experiences when he first begins attending school. By the end of the school year, though, Auggie has turned the people that were picking on him to his friends.

Around the same time this movie came out, there was a piece done on ABC's 20/20 called "Wonder Boy". The segment covered the story of Nathaniel Newman, a boy with Treacher Collins Syndrome, who was basically going through the same thing as the character Auggie from Wonder (2017).

You can watch the segment from 20/20 by following this link.

The Newman family wasn't sure what to do when their son Nathaniel was born with Treacher Collins Syndrome. However, soon after Nathaniel Newman was born, Christina Aguilera sang her original song at the Emmy's. This song gave Newmans strength, and inspired them greatly.

"Beautiful" became the 'family anthem' for the Newmans, and they continue to play that song for Nathaniel every year on his birthday.

The Newmans chose to home-school Nathaniel until middle school. One night, the family was out to dinner together when Nathaniel's father came to an idea about how to introduce Nathaniel to his classmates before the school year.

Nathaniel's parents sent an email, which included movies that he liked, information about his three dogs and a brother, and his condition. The email went on to say, "When you see me, I want you to treat me as a normal person".

At the end of the email, the Newmans included a picture of Nathaniel, and this went on to affect his feelings about attending school.

I like how in the movie Wonder, as well as in the "Wonder Boy" segment on 20/20, the family is there supporting everything that the young boys go through.

If you decide to watch Wonder or the piece done on 20/20, there is a quote that you will hear a lot by Dr. Wayne W. Dyer, which struck me: " If you have to choose between being right and being kind, choose kindness and you will always be right ".

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Written By: Patrick Clare This blog post was written by a member of the eVero Outreach team. The Outreach program aims to teach individuals with disabilities marketable job skills, and enable them to find gainful employment. To learn more about eVero Outreach, click here.

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Disability Spotlight: Nathaniel Newman, Treacher Collins, & "Wonder" - eVero Corporation

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Today, I am here to discuss the 2017 movie Wonder, Treacher Collins syndrome, and a boy named Nathaniel Newman. Wonder (2017) is a movie based off of a book originally written by R.J. Palacio. It's about a young boy, Auggie Pullman, who has a cranio-facial condition, and has gone through 27 different surgeries.

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The Great Depression was a worldwide economic downturn that lasted for many years.

It started in the United States and affected almost every country.

One of the most important things it did was make people want to get new jobs.

The Great Depression was the worst economic event in history. The Great Depression started with the stock market crash of 1929. It lasted until World War II ended, which was 1946. Economists and historians often say that this is the worst event in modern history.

The stock market crash in October 1929 was the beginning of the Great Depression. By 1933, there were 25% unemployment rates. More than 5,000 banks had closed.

President Herbert Hoover tried to fix this by using the Reconstruction Finance Corporation, but these measures did not work well enough. Franklin Roosevelt became president in 1932. His New Deal offered a different approach to solving the Great Depression.

What caused the Great Depression

The U.S. economy was excellent, and people made a lot of money from stocks in the 1920s. People had stock exchanges where they could buy and sell stocks, but some people were doing things like putting their savings into the stock market for no good reason, which led to a big crash later on.

The stock market started to go down in the 1920s. Unemployment went up. Jobs became hard to find. Banks had large loans that they could not sell on the market.

The stock prices were higher than they should have been because people didn't have enough money for goods. Then there was an economic downturn in the agriculture sector, meaning that there were not enough crops being grown or low food prices.

The Wall Street Crash

On October 24, 1929, people started to sell the shares they were buying for more than what they were worth. This happened because there were too many. The day this was happening was called "Black Thursday." People traded a record 12.9 million shares that day, and it is still considered one of the worst days in history.

Five days later, on October 29th, or "Black Tuesday," sixteen million shares were traded. It was panic that made it happen. Millions of people lost money, and those who had borrowed money got wiped out completely.

After the stock market crashed, people were scared. They didn't want to spend money. Other businesses then had less business because people don't buy things when they are afraid of them. People with jobs worked more, but they made less money, and people could only afford fewer things with their lower wages.

Many Americans who had to borrow money to buy their homes ended up in debt. The number of foreclosures and repossessions was high. But the global adherence to the gold standard helped spread economic problems from America worldwide, especially Europe.

President Hoover

Despite promises from Herbert Hoover and other leaders, the Great Depression worsened. By 1930, 4 million Americans were looking for work, and they could not find it. That number increased to 6 million in 1931.

Meanwhile, America's industrial production dropped by 50%. People were buying fewer things because they had less money. There were more lines at soup kitchens and more homeless people in America's towns and cities.

In the fall of 1930, people didn't have confidence in their banks and took their money, so they had enough cash. This made it hard for banks to give out loans.

A lot of banks closed in the United States. By 1933, thousands of them had closed.

In this dire situation, Hoover's administration tried to help banks with government loans. The idea was that the banks would then give loans to businesses, hiring their employees back. Banks also needed to get rid of loans they couldn't pay back by selling them.

Hoover believed that the government should not do work for people but instead let them find jobs. He also thought that it was not the government's responsibility to create jobs or provide economic relief.

The Dust Bowl

The Dust Bowl was a dry time in the Southern Plains. There were terrible dust storms.

A terrible drought went through the Southern Plains in 1930. Massive dust storms began in 1931. A series of drought years made the water shortage worse.

There are 35 million acres of land that could not be farmed anymore, and another 125 million acres of land was losing its topsoil. Farmers couldn't buy their crops. So they left them there to rot. People who were starving lost their food and animals.

Dust storms happened during the Dust Bowl. These storms would carry dirt from the Great Plains and make it go all the way to Washington and New York City. Ships in the Atlantic Ocean were covered in dirt.

In some areas, dust made it hard to see the sky. It was like a big cloud that covered the sky and then became a blanket on the ground. The dust got into houses and made them dirty.

Some people had trouble breathing because of the dust. There are estimates about how many people died from this condition, but how many died from this problem is not clear.

On April 14, 1935, the worst dust storm happened. News reports called it Black Sunday. A wall of blowing sand and dirt started in Oklahoma and spread east. Millions of tons of dirt blew off the Great Plains on this day.

The Dust Bowl was a terrible time because of the high winds that blew dust from Texas to Nebraska. This made people move into cities for work instead of where they used to be on farms.

The Dust Bowl also called the Dirty Thirties, lasted for ten years. But its economic impacts on the region continue to affect it today.

President Roosevelt

In 1932, the country was in a depression. More than 20% of people were unemployed. Democrat Franklin D. Roosevelt won the election because people voted for him to fix their problems and make things better.

On the day that FDR became president, all of the U.S. states had already ordered banks to close, and there was not enough money to pay for workers from the government. But FDR felt confident and optimistic by declaring, "the only thing we have to fear is fear itself."

Roosevelt took action to fix the country's economic problems first by making a four-day bank holiday. This meant that banks would close, and we could pass legislation for them to reopen. He also spoke to the public over the radio, and these were called "fireside chats".

During Roosevelt's first 100 days in office, he passed laws that helped stabilize and grow the economy. He also created two organizations to help the economy. One organization protects people's money in banks, and another helps to keep stock markets safe so they can't go wrong as they did before.

The New Deal

The New Deal was a series of programs started by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to fix the Great Depression. Roosevelt tried quickly to better the economy by providing jobs and different relief programs for those having a bad time.

The government created many different experimental New Deal projects over the next eight years. These projects fundamentally changed how US federal governments work by making them more prominent than before so they could serve more people better.

The government can use the money to help the economy. When they do this, it is called Keynesian economics.

The New Deal did many things that gave people jobs and made sure that prices were low. For example, if a product is too expensive, the government might change the price or even stop making it buy more.

Roosevelt tried to support prices and wages. He also took away the US from the international gold standard. He banned some business practices that some people think are competitive, and he created new public works programs to help people get jobs.

The Roosevelt administration paid farmers to stop or cut back on their production. One of the challenges was destroying excess crops, despite the need for people who wanted food they could afford.

Federal taxes increased three times from 1933 to 1940. Taxes went up for things like income, inheritance, and corporate taxes. These are all types of taxes.

The United States built many projects that employed people. These projects were like dams, bridges, tunnels, and roads that are still in use today.

The New Deal helped the country. Because of it, people felt better when they saw that there were measurable results, like when FDR closed the banks for a week in 1933 to stop people from taking their money out.

In World War II, the United States got better. The war made trade happen. It also fixed a problem with prices and wages. Suddenly, there was a lot of demand for things that were not expensive, and this led to a significant economic stimulus.

Although the economy got better, it wasn't enough to convince people that the New Deal helped get America out of the Great Depression. The Great Depression was the result of three things. A changing Federal Reserve, tariffs, and inconsistent government intervention. It might be made better or even avoided by changing any one of these factors.
Read more about the New Deal
Sources

P.S. If you enjoyed what you read and are a teacher or tutor needing resources for your students from kindergarten all the way up to high school senior (or even adults!), check out our partner sites KidsKonnect, SchoolHistory, and HelpTeaching for hundreds of facts, worksheets, activities, quizzes, courses, and more!

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The Great Depression Causes, Impact, History for kids

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The Great Depression was a worldwide economic downturn that lasted for many years. It started in the United States and affected almost every country. One of the most important things it did was make people want to get new jobs. The Great Depression was the worst economic event in history.

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The Great Depression | Crash Course US History #33 | PBS LearningMedia

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In which John Green teaches you about the Great Depression. So, everybody knows that the Great Depression started with the stock market crash in 1929, right? Not exactly. The Depression happened after the stock market crash, but wasn't caused by the crash.

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What Is Ableism?

Ableism is discrimination against people with disabilities. The discrimination can be intentional or unintentional and is based on the belief that there is a correct way for bodies and minds to function and that anyone who deviates from that is inferior.

Ableism centers around the notion that people with disabilities are imperfect and need fixing. It can show up in ways ranging from personal to institutional, and it includes the many ways in which people with disabilities are considered "less than" non-disabled people.

The History of Ableism

The shift to recognize ableism began in the civil rights movements of the 1960s and 1970s, but the term wasn't coined until the 1980s by feminists in the United States. It was first used in writing in 1986 by the Council of the London Borough of Haringey in a press release.

Despite the term not being created until this past century, the history of ableism extends much further back. Back in the Middle Ages, disabled people were considered possessed by the devil or evil spirits. As a result, they weren't provided with the level of care or consideration that we now consider all people deserving of.

Connection to Eugenics

In the 1800s, the Eugenics movement was founded. Eugenics sought to further humanity by only breeding "desirable" characteristics into people. This idea that only certain people were deserving of carrying forth the human race was principal to the United States' own miscegenation and segregation laws, which Hitler took inspiration from to craft Nazi Germany's racial classification policies.

Eugenics is a racist and classist concept that encourages population control through mechanisms including forced sterilization and marriage screenings, and proponents of it consider White people the "best" race.

Progress has been made to help people understand that no one is inherently better than anyone else, regardless of the variety of ways our bodies and minds work and the states they exist in. However, the current world we live in is one that is still deeply ableist.

Read on to learn more about how ableism manifests in our culture, and what you can do about it.

The Two Main Types of Ableism

Ableism is generally broken down into one of two types: physical and mental. Though a person could possibly behave in an ableist way about a different area of identity, these are the two most common.

Physical Ableism

This form of ableism is centered around the intentional or unintentional discrimination of people with physical disabilities. However, for people who are not disabled, these forms of discrimination may not be noticeable. That's because when you don't have to think about how others are functioning, there's a greater chance you won't realize how infrequently disabled people are considered in the set up of public spaces.

Here are some examples of how physical ableism presents itself:

Buildings and signs that aren't accessible, such as ones that are not able to be traversed by people with mobility issues

Signs that aren't available in braille

The presumption that someone who appears to have a disability is less intelligent than others

Mental Ableism

Just like how physical ableism is discrimination against people with physical disabilities, mental ableism is discrimination, whether intentional or not, against people who are mentally ill, neurodivergent, and labeled as having developmental disabilities. These are some ways that people experience mental ableism.

Segregating students who are neurodivergent into separate classes and schools

Non-disabled people using words like "dumb," "crazy," "moron," "retarded," and "lame" in conversation

The legality of paying mentally disabled people below minimum wage

How to Know If You're Being Ableist

Ableism isn't always as obvious as a building that has no ramp for wheelchairs. It often shows up in subtle ways, and pretty much all people who aren't disabled take part in ableism, whether on occasion or regularly. Often, we have no idea we are doing it!

Here are some ableist behaviors that are common in our society, from the most obvious to the least.

Outright Discrimination

This form of ableism is the most overt. It is based on actions that specifically exclude disabled people.

Some examples of outright discrimination would be:

Not hiring a person for a job because of their disability

Choosing a meeting location that isn't accessible

Asking people invasive questions about their disabilities

Making a movie without closed captioning

Microaggressions

Unlike outright discrimination, which is fairly obvious to everyone, microaggressions are much more subtle.

Additionally, phrases that are ground into our lexicon so thoroughly that we don't even give them a second thought before saying them are also microaggressions.

Think of referring to a group of people you don't think have enough skills as "the blind leading the blind," or when you think someone didn't listen to you close enough so you commented that your words "fell on deaf ears." Saying things like, "That's so lame," "I'm so OCD when it comes to cleaning," or "That girl is a psycho," are also ableist microaggressions.

We usually mean no harm at all when we say things like that, but they are ableist statements that are harmful to disabled people.

Being a Part of Systemic or Institutional Ableism

It's tough not to be complicit in ableism when you live in a world that has it built into its very systems and structures.

To some extent, most non-disabled people are complicit in systemic ableism because we aren't all spending our time fighting against it. However, there are some ways that we can be particularly complicit. This includes not speaking up when you notice something ableist like a building that isn't accessible or an employer's hesitancy to hire a disabled person.

The Impact of Ableism

It should come as no surprise that ableism harms disabled people. It may harm them emotionally, such as when a blind person hears someone say that a situation is "like the blind leading the blind."

It can harm them physically, like when a disabled person has to go somewhere that hasn't been made accessible to them.

It harms them in academia, when a disabled person may lose the fight to be included with non-disabled classmates. And it can harm them in their livelihoods, as disabled people are presented with fewer job opportunities and lower wages, earning an average of 37% less annually.

How to be More Inclusive

Good news: you've already taken the first step to being less ableist just by learning about it! No changes can be made to be better until we know what we're doing wrong, and this is no exception.

Now that you understand ableism, what can you do when you are witness to it, and how can you avoid ableist behaviors in your life?

Here are some ideas:

If you're an employer, hire more people with disabilities

Stop using ableist language in your conversations

Don't assume that disabled people are less valuable than others, and speak to them just like you would anyone else

If you go to a place that isn't accessible to disabled people, talk to managerial staff at the location

Don't use accessible bathrooms or park in accessible parking spaces

Take stairs instead of elevators, so there is more space available for people in wheelchairs

Remember that disabled people aren't here to inspire others

Directly learn from disabled writers, creators, and activists by following them on social media, listening to their podcasts, and reading their articles, etc.

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Ableism is discrimination, whether intentional or not, against people with disabilities. Learn how to behave in ways that aren't ableist.

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Empathy is the ability to emotionally understand what other people feel, see things from their point of view, and imagine yourself in their place. Essentially, it is putting yourself in someone else's position and feeling what they are feeling.

Empathy means that when you see another person suffering, such as after they've lost a loved one, you are able to instantly envision yourself going through that same experience and feel what they are going through.

While people can be well-attuned to their own feelings and emotions, getting into someone else's head can be a bit more difficult. The ability to feel empathy allows people to "walk a mile in another's shoes," so to speak. It permits people to understand the emotions that others are feeling.

Press Play for Advice on Empathy

Follow Now : Apple Podcasts / Spotify / Google Podcasts

Signs of Empathy

For many, seeing another person in pain and responding with indifference or even outright hostility seems utterly incomprehensible. But the fact that some people do respond in such a way clearly demonstrates that empathy is not necessarily a universal response to the suffering of others.

If you are wondering whether you are an empathetic person, here are some signs that show that you have this tendency:

You are good at really listening to what others have to say.

People often tell you about their problems.

You are good at picking up on how other people are feeling.

You often think about how other people feel.

Other people come to you for advice.

You often feel overwhelmed by tragic events.

You try to help others who are suffering.

You are good at telling when people aren't being honest.

You sometimes feel drained or overwhelmed in social situations.

You care deeply about other people.

You find it difficult to set boundaries in your relationships.

Types of Empathy

There are several types of empathy that a person may experience. The three types of empathy are:

Affective empathy involves the ability to understand another person's emotions and respond appropriately. Such emotional understanding may lead to someone feeling concerned for another person's well-being, or it may lead to feelings of personal distress.

Somatic empathy involves having a physical reaction in response to what someone else is experiencing. People sometimes physically experience what another person is feeling. When you see someone else feeling embarrassed, for example, you might start to blush or have an upset stomach.

Cognitive empathy involves being able to understand another person's mental state and what they might be thinking in response to the situation. This is related to what psychologists refer to as the theory of mind or thinking about what other people are thinking.

Empathy vs. Sympathy vs. Compassion

Uses for Empathy

Being able to experience empathy has many beneficial uses.

Empathy allows you to build social connections with others. By understanding what people are thinking and feeling, you are able to respond appropriately in social situations. Research has shown that having social connections is important for both physical and psychological well-being.

Empathizing with others helps you learn to regulate your own emotions. Emotional regulation is important in that it allows you to manage what you are feeling, even in times of great stress, without becoming overwhelmed.

Empathy promotes helping behaviors. Not only are you more likely to engage in helpful behaviors when you feel empathy for other people, but other people are also more likely to help you when they experience empathy.

Potential Pitfalls of Empathy

Having a great deal of empathy makes you concerned for the well-being and happiness of others. It also means, however, that you can sometimes get overwhelmed, burned out, or even overstimulated from always thinking about other people's emotions. This can lead to empathy fatigue.

Empathy fatigue refers to the exhaustion you might feel both emotionally and physically after repeatedly being exposed to stressful or traumatic events. You might also feel numb or powerless, isolate yourself, and have a lack of energy.

Empathy fatigue is a concern in certain situations, such as when acting as a caregiver. Studies also show that if healthcare workers can't balance their feelings of empathy (affective empathy, in particular), it can result in compassion fatigue as well.

Other research has linked higher levels of empathy with a tendency toward emotional negativity, potentially increasing your risk of empathic distress. It can even affect your judgment, causing you to go against your morals based on the empathy you feel for someone else.

Impact of Empathy

Your ability to experience empathy can impact your relationships. Studies involving siblings have found that when empathy is high, siblings have less conflict and more warmth toward each other. In romantic relationships, having empathy increases your ability to extend forgiveness.

Not everyone experiences empathy in every situation. Some people may be more naturally empathetic in general, but people also tend to feel more empathetic toward some people and less so toward others. Some of the factors that play a role in this tendency include:

How you perceive the other person

How you attribute the other individual's behaviors

What you blame for the other person's predicament

Your past experiences and expectations

At the most basic level, there appear to be two main factors that contribute to the ability to experience empathy: genetics and socialization. Essentially, it boils down to the age-old relative contributions of nature and nurture.

Parents pass down genes that contribute to overall personality, including the propensity toward sympathy, empathy, and compassion. On the other hand, people are also socialized by their parents, peers, communities, and society. How people treat others, as well as how they feel about others, is often a reflection of the beliefs and values that were instilled at a very young age.

Barriers to Empathy

Some people lack empathy and, therefore, aren't able to understand what another person may be experiencing or feeling. This can result in behaviors that seem uncaring or sometimes even hurtful. For instance, people with low affective empathy have higher rates of cyberbullying.

A lack of empathy is also one of the defining characteristics of narcissistic personality disorder. Though, it is unclear whether this is due to a person with this disorder having no empathy at all or having more of a dysfunctional response to others.

A few reasons why people sometimes lack empathy include cognitive biases, dehumanization, and victim-blaming.

Cognitive Biases

Sometimes the way people perceive the world around them is influenced by cognitive biases. For example, people often attribute other people's failures to internal characteristics, while blaming their own shortcomings on external factors.

These biases can make it difficult to see all the factors that contribute to a situation. They also make it less likely that people will be able to see a situation from the perspective of another.

Dehumanization

Many also fall victim to the trap of thinking that people who are different from them don't feel and behave the same as they do. This is particularly common in cases when other people are physically distant.

For example, when they watch reports of a disaster or conflict in a foreign land, people might be less likely to feel empathy if they think that those who are suffering are fundamentally different from themselves.

Victim Blaming

Sometimes, when another person has suffered a terrible experience, people make the mistake of blaming the victim for their circumstances. This is the reason that victims of crimes are often asked what they might have done differently to prevent the crime.

This tendency stems from the need to believe that the world is a fair and just place. It is the desire to believe that people get what they deserve and deserve what they get-and it can fool you into thinking that such terrible things could never happen to you.

Causes of Empathy

Human beings are certainly capable of selfish, even cruel, behavior. A quick scan of the news quickly reveals numerous unkind, selfish, and heinous actions. The question, then, is why don't we all engage in such self-serving behavior all the time? What is it that causes us to feel another's pain and respond with kindness?

The term empathy was first introduced in 1909 by psychologist Edward B. Titchener as a translation of the German term einfühlung (meaning "feeling into"). Several different theories have been proposed to explain empathy.

Neuroscientific Explanations

Studies have shown that specific areas of the brain play a role in how empathy is experienced. More recent approaches focus on the cognitive and neurological processes that lie behind empathy. Researchers have found that different regions of the brain play an important role in empathy, including the anterior cingulate cortex and the anterior insula.

Functional MRI research also indicates that an area of the brain known as the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) plays a critical role in the experience of empathy. Studies have found that people who have damage to this area of the brain often have difficulty recognizing emotions conveyed through facial expressions.

Emotional Explanations

Some of the earliest explorations into the topic of empathy centered on how feeling what others feel allows people to have a variety of emotional experiences. The philosopher Adam Smith suggested that it allows us to experience things that we might never otherwise be able to fully feel.

This can involve feeling empathy for both real people and imaginary characters. Experiencing empathy for fictional characters, for example, allows people to have a range of emotional experiences that might otherwise be impossible.

Prosocial Explanations

Sociologist Herbert Spencer proposed that empathy served an adaptive function and aided in the survival of the species. Empathy leads to helping behavior, which benefits social relationships. Humans are naturally social creatures. Things that aid in our relationships with other people benefit us as well.

When people experience empathy, they are more likely to engage in prosocial behaviors that benefit other people. Things such as altruism and heroism are also connected to feeling empathy for others.

Tips for Practicing Empathy

Fortunately, empathy is a skill that you can learn and strengthen. If you would like to build your empathy skills, there are a few things that you can do:

Work on listening to people without interrupting

Pay attention to body language and other types of nonverbal communication

Try to understand people, even when you don't agree with them

Ask people questions to learn more about them and their lives

Imagine yourself in another person's shoes

Strengthen your connection with others to learn more about how they feel

Seek to identify biases you may have and how they affect your empathy for others

Look for ways in which you are similar to others versus focusing on differences

Be willing to be vulnerable, opening up about how you feel

Engage in new experiences, giving you better insight into how others in that situation may feel

Get involved in organizations that push for social change

A Word From Verywell

While empathy might be lacking in some, most people are able to empathize with others in a variety of situations. This ability to see things from another person's perspective and empathize with another's emotions plays an important role in our social lives. Empathy allows us to understand others and, quite often, compels us to take action to relieve another person's suffering.

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Empathy allows us to understand and share the feelings of others. Learn why we feel empathy in some situations and not others, different types of empathy, and more.

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Refugees.

They are human beings.

Mothers and fathers.

Brothers and sisters.

Aunts and uncles.

Grandmas and grandpas.

Babies.

Toddlers and kids.

Tweens and teens.

Friends.

Family.

25.9 million of our fellow humans have been forcibly displaced from their homes due to war, persecution, and violence.

They flee with the clothes on their backs and are often separated from their loved ones.

Camps become the first accommodation for millions of refugees, half of whom are children.
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World Refugee Day is held annually on June 20 th to bring awareness to the plight of displaced humans around the globe.

It is also a day to commemorate the strength and resilience that refugees display during the hardest of times.

It is an opportunity for the world to think about human rights in the face of a global crisis and to protect children from suffering and instability.

June 20 th is the day, but the time is always ripe for bringing awareness and instilling empathy in our youngest minds.

As educators, parents, and caregivers, we can do our part to educate children about the refugee crisis through appropriate and profound ways.

As you take on this moment to educate our youngest global learners, check out the resources we've gathered up.

Facts & Figures

"Every minute 20 people leave everything behind to escape war, persecution, or terror." Learn more about the types of forcibly displaced persons (refugee, asylum seeker, stateless, returnee) and the refugee rights that were enacted at the 1951 Refugee Convention. -United Nations

What countries are refugees fleeing? Which countries are hosting the most refugees? What are the global trends by region/country? Check out Figures At a Glance and Refugee Statistics from UNHCR (aka the UN Refugee Agency).

Who is a Refugee?

Explore additional animations and resources from UNHCR, including Refugee Rights and Who Helps Refugees?

The Refugee Experience

A photo essay from Syrian refugee children portrays what life is like in a tent settlement in Lebanon.

"What is it like to have no home?" British children and child refugees ask and answer questions about the refugee crisis.

What's in My Bag? What Refugees Bring When They Run for Their Lives A mother, a child, a teenager, a pharmacist, an artist, and a family share the contents of their bags and what they managed to carry from their homes. Their choices tell stories from their past and share hopes for their future.
Conversation Starter: "What would you bring, and why?"
When Lubna is forced to flee her home with her father, she picks up a pebble on the beach to take with her. Lubna draws a smiley face on her pebble, they become best friends. Along with her father, the pebble becomes her source of strength and comfort.

Upon arriving at a refugee camp, Lubna cares for her pebble and creates a special bed for it. One day, a scared and lonely boy named Amir arrives at the camp. They become fast friends as children do. When the time comes for Lubna and her father to leave, Lubna worries that Amir will once again be lonely. She comes to realize that her new friend may need Pebble more than she does.

This book is so precious. It not only teaches children how their lives may be different, but it also teaches them how their lives might be similar.

Lubna's pebble is a symbol of comfort, like a baby's lovey or a child's teddy. It represents something safe and steady. When Lubna gives her comfort to someone else, we see an unselfish act of love. Teaching kids to give comfort to others in times of need is a sure way to peace.

Lubna's pebble was her best friend. It was her source of comfort when she felt scared and alone. She drew a smiley face on her rock to bring her joy when her heart was sad.

When Lubna realized her new friend at the refugee camp needed her pebble more than she did, she gave her special rock to him so that he could find comfort too.

Activity: Create a special rock for someone like Lubna and Amir. Someone who might need a little extra love and care. Check out The Kindness Rocks Project, and discover more ways to add a little sunshine to someone's day.
Stepping Stones: A Refugee Family's Journey
Stepping Stones is a beautifully written account of one family's journey to freedom. Before fleeing their war-torn country, Rama, a young Syrian girl, shares the beauty of their home, garden, and peaceful way of life. Rama tells of joyous mornings when the rooster crows to wake them from their sleep. She creates a happy breakfast scene in which mama prepares breakfast with fresh tomatoes from the garden. We can imagine her family's traditions and daily rituals as she shares the memories of her once peaceful village.

As war and violence spread, Rama and her family are no longer free. No longer able to sing their own songs, pray their own prayers, and dance their own dances. When all their freedoms are gone, they know they must flee. They take only what they can carry on their backs. They walk a long walk, sail in a boat, plant flowers for those lost at sea, and hang onto hope.

When Rama and the others arrive on new land, they are greeted with kindness and love. Their new neighbors' words are different, but Rama knows that in their hearts they speak the same language. A language of freedom. Rama now knows that once again there will be bright days ahead.

Discuss Rama's experience. How did she feel during different parts of her journey? (Include examples from the story to support responses.)

It must be noted that the illustrations in this book tell so much of the story simply on their own.

The illustrator is Nizar Ali Badr, a Syrian artist, who creates stone sculptures in his hometown of Latakia, Syria. His place of inspiration is at the foot of Mount Zaphon, where he has collected thousands of pebble stones of various colors and sizes to create his art. The illustrations in Stepping Stones are photographs of Nizar Ali Badr's interpretation of the story through stone sculpture.

Watch Nizar Ali Badr at work here as he sculpts images from the book:
Dreamers written and illustrated by Yuyi Morales Caldecott Honor artist, Yuyi Morales, shares her journey as a young mother who immigrated from Mexico to the United States with her infant son. She left behind nearly everything she had to create something new. This is a true story of a mother and son who find themselves immersed in a new land, with new words, and lots of mistakes. One day, they find themselves in an unimaginable place. A place that is suspicious and surprising. A place where they didn't need to speak. It was the library that became the place where they would learn. Books became their home, their language, and their life. They dreamed of a brilliant future that would someday be. In the midst of their dreams, they also remembered their story. That they are two languages. That they are hope, resilience, and sonãdores of the world.
This book is written in English with bits of Spanish that symbolize how Yuyi and her son are two languages. Every page is filled with images that depict two cultures and two stories.

She uses elements of Mexican folk art in her illustrations to bring her heritage to life. It's so beautiful that through her art, we see both the journey and the dream, as she saw it.

Helping Hands

After introducing kids to the refugee crisis and understanding action is desperately needed, discuss ways to help.

Contact refugee services in your area to find out what their individual needs are - or suggest one of the following ideas as a way to contribute:

Make Welcome Bags Fill a purse, backpack, or tote bag for new arrivals in your community. Include necessities, such as toiletries and school supplies, and then add in fun items such as stuffed animals and gift cards to local businesses. Add a personal touch with a decorated welcome sign or note from your family.

Hold a Community Drive Collect new and gently-used clothing, books, toys, furniture, etc. to donate.

Host a Fundraiser Lemonade stand. Bake sale. Car washing. Dog walking. Brainstorm ways to raise funds for refugee educational and/or social services.

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World Refugee Day Resources & Activities for Kids

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World Refugee Day, held on June 20, aims to raise awareness to the plight of millions of refugees around the globe and to support their human rights.

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Held every year World Refugee Day is on the 20 June, Refugee Week is a festival celebrating the contributions, creativity and resilience of refugees and people seeking sanctuary.
When is Refugee Week?

In 2024 Refugee Week takes place between 17 - 23 June, and the theme is Home, from the places we gather to share meals to our collective home, planet earth

To support teaching around Refugee Week, we've curated this collection of classroom resources for primary and secondary schools.

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To support teaching around Refugee Week, we've curated this collection of classroom resources for primary and secondary schools.

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Oakland has always prided itself on being a progressive city, standing up for the rights of its communities at all costs. Take the Black Panther Party of Self Defense for example, which originated right here in 1966.

Though the Party officially disbanded in 1982 the legacy and presence remain today. Over the course of 16 years, the Panthers create over 65 documented survival programs like the breakfast and lunch program for school children, free health clinics and sickle cell anemia testing. The Panthers advocated for health care, affordable housing, education, and political control through local elections.

During the 16 years of the Black Panther Party's existence the party expanded outside of Oakland to more than 40 chapters and branches across the country and the world including England, India, New Zealand, Israel, China, North Korea, Vietnam and Algeria and support from Germany, Sweden, France, South Africa, Japan, Canada, Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Uruguay.

Visit these 12 Oakland locations where the Black Panther Party made history.

1. Black Panther Headquarters
14th and Peralta Streets

Along the Victorian lined streets in West Oakland was where the Black Panther Party's headquarters was located. Central Hdq was the hub for all national party decisions and directives. It was also where the Black Panther Party newspaper staff was located. After 1972 Central Hdq was moved to 85th and international Blvd. Today a Mural located on 14th and Peralta? (check location) created by Refa 1 and Batsh that honors and serves as a reminder of the impact the Black Panther Party had on the west Oakland Neighborhood.

2. DeFremery Park (aka Lil' Bobby Hutton Memorial Park)
1651 Adeline Street

Credit: Caron Creighton, Oakland North

Lil' Bobby Hutton was the first member recruited into the Black Panther Party when he was just 17 years old. He was killed during a police confrontation in West Oakland two days after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. as he came out the basement of a house on 28th St in West Oakland with his hands up where he and Eldridge Cleaver had taken refuge. In 2016 the city council renamed part of the park Bobby Hutton Grove. The park was home to Panther rallies and gatherings. Lil Bobby Hutton Day continues to be held annually in April to celebrate his life and ultimate sacrifice.

3. St. Augustine's Episcopal Church
(now St. Andrew's Missionary Baptist Church)
2624 West Street at 27th Street

In January 1969, St. Augustine's served as the site for the Black Panther Party's first-ever free breakfast program. The program started as a modest event here at the church and quickly grew, feeding thousands of hungry children within a few weeks of its launch. This program continues to be the basis of the current school breakfast programs across the country today.
Credit: Oakland North & Laney College
4. Merritt and Laney Colleges
5714 Martin Luther King Jr. Way & 900 Fallon Street

Two Oakland colleges, Merritt and Laney, were the sites of many student movements and budding activists. Perhaps most significant was the meeting of Party founders Bobby Seale and Huey P. Newton at Merritt College in the 1960s. Soon, the two came together to create the Black Panther Party and wrote its iconic Ten-Point Platform. The two public community colleges still exist today; Merritt College has since relocated to the Oakland Hills. Its original location, now the Children's Hospital and Research Center, was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1992.

5. Market and 55th Street
5500 Market Street

The intersection of Market and 55th Streets may seem like any other intersection today, but this was the location where the Panthers took their first public form of community action. When a group of students crossing the street was injured, the Black Panther Party convinced the city of Oakland to install a traffic light at the bustling intersection, while taking it upon themselves to serve as traffic guards in the interim. Bobby Seale's home was just a few blocks away, and the Panthers wrote their first draft of the Ten-Point Platform, the guiding principles of the Party, in this very neighborhood. A historic marker on a traffic signal marks the location of the intersection.
Credit: East Bay Times
It may appear to be a typical bakery from the outside, but upon entering It's All Good on Martin Luther King Jr. Way in North Oakland, you're soon to pick up on the significance of this location. The building was the original office for the Black Panther Party. Today, articles and photographs of Panther members and other famous faces line its walls. Don't leave without trying a slice of their famous sweet potato pie.

7. Kaiser Convention Center Auditorium
10 10th St

The 105-year-old Kaiser Convention Center along Lake Merritt was once a bustling 5,000+ seat arena, hosting big-name acts like Elvis Presley and iconic speakers such as Martin Luther King Jr. The Panther's Bobby Seale spearheaded an event here as well, including a giveaway of 10,000 full bags of free groceries for the community. From the beginning of their founding, the Panthers were instrumental in creating free community resources and programs. The Convention Center is currently being renovated with plans to reopen in 2020, boasting a restored theater, office spaces, and retail.

8. Alameda County Superior Court
12th and Fallon Streets

Credit: Keith Dennison, photographer (Collection of the Oakland Museum of California)

The Alameda County Courthouse along Lake Merritt is perhaps one of the most pivotal Black Panther Party sites in Oakland. Mass "Free Huey" rallies were held here during the trial of Huey Newton from 1967-1970, which garnered national attention. In the photo above some 250 individuals paraded with banners asking freedom for Huey Newton.

9. Oakland Museum of California
1000 Oak Street

Just across the street from the Alameda County Courthouse and next to the Kaiser Convention Center is the Oakland Museum of California. In 2016, the Museum hosted a groundbreaking exhibition honoring the Panther's 50th anniversary. Today, head to the Gallery of California History to check out the Black Power installation, including photographs and objects from the Black Panther Party. You can't miss the iconic fist and Ten-Point Platform painted on the entrance to the exhibit.

10. Huey Newton's Penthouse
1200 Lakeshore Drive, 25th floor

If you walk to the outdoor garden terraces of the Oakland Museum of California and look out to the lake, you can't miss the towering Lakeshore Apartments, once home to Black Panther Party co-founder Huey P. Newton in the 1970s. Newton took residence in the penthouse on the 25th floor, directly across the lake from the Alameda County Courthouse where he was tried for murder in 1967.

11. Camron Stanford House
1418 Lakeside Drive

Next to the popular Lake Chalet restaurant at Lake Merritt and across the street from the Scottish Rite Temple is the Camron Stanford House, the only remaining Victorian on the lake. Aside from its cultural significance as an iconic Oakland landmark, this is also the site where actor Marlon Brando and guests gathered after Bobby Hutton's funeral.
A special thank you to Saturu Ned who is an original Black Panther Party member and founder of the Black Panther Power for reviewing this piece for historical accuracy. To learn more about Saturu Ned or to book a private tour email him here. Please note: Many of the locations on this list are privately owned. Please respect private property and do not disturb residents or trespass.
12. The Oakland Community school
6118 International Blvd

The Intercommunal Youth Institute was established in January 1971 by the Black Panther Party. In 1974, the name was changed to the Oakland Community School. The Black Panther Party's goal was to get children to learn to their highest potential and to strengthen their minds so that one day they would be successful. The school graduated its first class in June 1974. In September 1977, California Gov. Edmund "Jerry" Brown Jr. and the California Legislature gave the Oakland Community School a special award for "having set the standard for the highest level of elementary education in the state."

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Explore the Black Panther Party's History in Oakland, CA

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Oakland has always prided itself on being a progressive city, standing up for the rights of its communities at all costs. Take the Black Panther Party of Self Defense for example, which originated right here in 1966. Though the Party officially disbanded in 1982 the legacy and presence remain today.

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Black Panthers Facts: Fast Fact Sheet
Fast, fun facts and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's) about the Black Panthers.

Who were the Black Panthers? The Black Panthers were a highly militant Black Power organization who formed the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense. The Black Panthers openly brandished weapons and adhered to strong socialist and communist ideals believing that violent revolution was the way to achieve the liberation of African Americans.

What year was the Black Panther Party formed? The Black Panther Party was formed in 1966 and its original leaders was Huey P. Newton, Bobby Seale, Elbert "Big Man" Howard, Sherwin Forte, Reggie Forte and Little Bobby Hutton.

What did the Black Panthers do? The Black Panthers took control of their own neighborhoods to aid and protect their communities which included monitoring the behavior of police officers and resisting police brutality.

Black Panthers Facts for kids : The Ten Point Plan
To meet their goals the Black Panthers adopted a Ten Point Plan. The Ten Point Plant used a mixture of references to the history of African Americans, the U.S. Constitution, socialist and communist rhetoric, and used the language of the Declaration of Independence. The Ten Point Plan included:

1. We want freedom. We want power to determine the destiny of our oppressed communities.

2. We want full employment for our people.

3. We want an end to the robbery by the capitalists of our oppressed communities.

4. We want decent housing, for oppressed communities and land to be made into cooperatives with government aid. We want payment of the overdue debt of forty acres and two mules (in reference to the promise made, but never kept, to freed slaves at the end of the Civil War)

5. We want education for our people that teaches us our true history.

6. We want all black men to be exempt from military service

7. We want an immediate end to police brutality and murder of black people

8. We want freedom for all black men held in federal, state, county and city prisons and jails

9. We want all black people to be tried in court by a jury of people from their black communities, as defined by the Constitution of the United States (a reference to the 14th Amendment).

10. We want land, bread, housing, education, clothing, justice and peace...with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

Black Panthers Facts for kids The following fact sheet contains interesting facts and information on Black Panthers
Black Panthers Facts for kids
The Black Panther Party for self defense was part of the Black Panthers Facts - 1: Black Power movement that emerged during the Civil Rights era of the 1960's.

Black Panthers Facts - 7: The BPP considered themselves the heirs of many of the views of the much admired Malcolm X, who had been assassinated on February 21, 1965. Betty Shabazz also known as Betty X, was the wife of Malcolm X and BPP members later served as her security escorts.
Black Panthers Facts for kids
Facts about the Black Panthers for kids The following fact sheet continues with facts about Black Panthers.

Black Panthers Facts for kids

Black Panthers Facts for kids

Black Panthers - President Lyndon Johnson Video
The article on the Black Panthers provides detailed facts and a summary of one of the important events during his presidential term in office. The following Lyndon Johnson video will give you additional important facts and dates about the political events experienced by the 36th American President whose presidency spanned from November 22, 1963 to January 20, 1969.

Black Panthers

● Interesting Facts about Black Panthers for kids and schools
● Summary of the Black Panthers in US history
● The Black Panthers, a major event in US history
● Lyndon Johnson from November 22, 1963 to January 20, 1969
● Fast, fun facts about the Black Panthers
● Foreign & Domestic policies of President Lyndon Johnson
● Lyndon Johnson Presidency and Black Panthers for schools, homework, kids and children

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Find a summary, definition and facts about the Black Panthers for kids. The Black Panthers and the leaders of the Black Panther Party (BPP). Interesting facts about the Black Panthers for kids, children, homework and schools.