Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1458924
War, internment, segregation, and oppression characterize a dark side of Wyoming's history. One group of Wyoming educators is working to ensure that these difficult realities of our past are being used to shape a brighter future. Social studies teacher at Fort Washakie High School and local President of the Fort Washakie Education Association, Jamie Le Jambre, is one of these teachers. A fourth-grade sc ience teacher at Fort Washakie Elementary school and Northwest Region Representative Reva Lobatos is another. Both Jamie and Reva are part of WEA's Safe and Just Schools Cadre. The Safe and Just Schools Cadre is a group of educators dedicated to building equitable, welcoming Wyoming classrooms for all students. Through their cadre work, Le Jambre and Lobatos developed Wyoming's Social and Racial Justice Timeline. This training delves into significant events in Wyoming history. "There's no blame in exploring these facts," Le Jambre told WEA News. "It's just the truth. The good, bad, and ugly of how Wyoming fits into this conversation and what we've learned from these events and mistakes, and how can we carry those lessons forward." Both teaching in schools on the Wind River Indian Reservation, Lobatos says she and Le Jambre were inspired to create the Wyoming Timeline for Social and Racial Justice after learning from a similar training given through the National Education Association. "Making connections to actual places in Wyoming and seeing history up close, through a personal perspective, has an impact on students and educators," Lobatos said. "Sometimes in Wyoming, we feel far removed from the ugly side of history, but racial and social injustices happened—and are still happening—everywhere, even in Wyoming. If we don't know there is a problem, we can't work on a solution." Le Jambre echoes the idea that social and racial injustices plague Wyoming. "There is a certain mindset we've encountered of, 'Oh, that doesn't happen in Wyoming.' From Japanese internment at Heart Mountain to Asian and Hispanic imm igrants rioting over poor working and living conditions around the railroad, to the oppression of native and indigenous peoples, this training is an overview of our history. It challenges people to reflect on some of these tragedies and consider how far we've come and how we can become allies and better community members." Stoked by inflammatory political rhetoric, critical race theory has become a hot-bu tton issue across the nation, making nearly all history and civics education feel daunting—even taboo—for educators. Even in the face of tension around racial and social justice education, Le Jambre and Lobatos are unshaken. "People are ready for change and genuinely want knowledge and information about how to deal with sensitive issues in an appropriate and helpful way," says Lobatos. Both teachers say the Wyoming Social and Racial Justice Timeline training works toward the heart of the Safe and Just Schools Cadre's mission: ensuring that every student feels safe and has access to high- quality education and giving educators the tools they need to make that happen. "Teaching the whole truth of history does not mean we hate our country, our state, or our past," Le Jambre said. "Quite the opposite. It means we love ourselves and our students enough to reflect and improve our world. It means we are students of history, and that means we need to be honest about the mistakes of the past and the effect that these mistakes have had." "It's my number one goal to teach students that they do have power," says Le Jambre. "Our socioeconomic status, gender identity, our race, none of it dictates our destiny," she sa id. "We are all powerful, capable, and deserving of safe and just schools." Teaching the whole truth of history does not mean we hate our country, our state, or our past War, internment, segregation, and oppression characterize a dark side of Wyoming's history. One group of Wyoming educators is working to ensure that these difficult realities of our past are being used to shape a brighter future. Arapahoe Schools social studies teacher and Arapahoe Education Association President, Jamie Le Jambre, is one of these teachers. A fourth-grade science teacher at Fort Washakie Elementary school and Northwest Region Representative Reva Lobatos is another. Both Jamie and Reva are part of WEA's Safe and Just Schools Cadre. The Safe and Just Schools Cadre is a group of educators dedicated to building equitable, welcoming Wyoming classrooms for all students. Through their cadre work, Le Jambre and Lobatos developed Wyoming's Social and Racial Justice Timeline. This training delves into significant events in Wyoming history. "There's no blame in exploring these facts," Le Jambre told WEA News. "It's just the truth. The good, bad, and ugly of how Wyoming fits into this conversation and what we've learned from these events and mistakes, and how can we carry those lessons forward." Both teaching in schools serving students on the Wind River Indian Reservation, Lobatos says she and Le Jambre were inspired to create the Wyoming Timeline for Social and Racial Justice after learning from a similar training given through the National Education Association. "Making connections to actual places in Wyoming and seeing history up close, through a personal perspective, has an impact on students and educators," Lobatos said. "Sometimes in Wyoming, we feel far removed from the ugly side of history, but racial and social injustices happened—and are still happening—everywhere, even in Wyoming. If we don't know there is a problem, we can't work on a solution." Le Jambre echoes the idea that social and racial injustices plague Wyoming. "There is a certain mindset we've encountered of, 'Oh, that doesn't happen in Wyoming.' From Japanese internment at Heart Mountain to Asian and Hispanic immigrants riot ing over poor working and living conditions around the railroad, to the oppression of native and indigenous peoples, this training is an overview of our history. It challenges people to reflect on some of these tragedies and consider how far we've come and how we can become allies and better community members." Stoked by inflammatory political rhetoric, critical race theory has become a hot-button issue across the nation, making nearly all history and civics education feel daunting—even taboo—for educators. Even in the face of tension around racial and social justice education, Le Jambre and Lobatos are unshaken. "People are ready for change and genuinely want knowledge and information about how to deal with sensitive issues in an appropriate and helpful way," says Lobatos. Both teachers say the Wyoming Social and Racial Justice Timeline training works toward the heart of the Safe and Just Schools Cadre's mission: ensuring that every student feels safe and has access to high- quality education and giving educators the tools they need to make that happen. "Teaching the whole truth of history does not mean we hate our country, our state, or our past," Le Jambre said. "Quite the opposite. It means we love ou rselves and our students enough to reflect and improve our world. It means we are students of history, and that means we need to be honest about the mistakes of the past and the effect that these mistakes have had." "It's my number one goal to teach students that they do have power," says Le Jambre. "Our socioeconomic status, gender identity, our race, none of it dictates our destiny," she said. "We are all powerful, capable, and deserving of safe and just schools." Teaching the whole truth of history does not mean we hate our country, our state, or our past. — Jamie Le Jambre Caption: Students gather outside of a Wyoming school built in 1936 to separate Mexican migrant children from Whites. 17