Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Program

Just found this project called BookDragon from the Smithsonian Asian Pacific Program.  BookDragon is maintained by Terry Hong.  He writes:

“BookDragon is a book review blog produced by the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Program (APAP). BookDragon is an education, outreach, and research initiative that features literary works which highlight the contributions of Asian and Pacific Islander Americans to the American experience and world cultures, two of the grand challenges of the Smithsonian Institution’s Strategic Plan.”

I’ve already found five new titles to add to my “Will Read Someday” book list!

Enjoy!

“The Freedom to Choose Your Pronoun”

“What are your preferred gender pronouns (p.g.p)?” This question is beginning to pop up in meetings across the country. What is a P.G.P? The pronouns that a person chooses, for example: she and her.

““More students today than ever are thinking about what gender means and are using this language to get away from masculine and feminine gender assumptions,” said Eliza Byard,  executive director of Gay, Lesbian Straight Network.

For more information:

Read the full article, Freedom to Choose Your Pronoun.

Read Princess Boy: a mom’s story about a young boy who love to dress up,  for an exploration of gender in a beautiful picture book.

Attend the Translating Identity Conference at UVM this week, October 22nd beginning at 9am!  “Opening its doors to the public for the tenth time in nine years for the 2011 conference, the Translating Identity Conference (TIC) explores a wide array of topics in discourses regarding gender and transgender identities, expressions, communities, and intersections. TIC is a free, student organized, non-profit conference that seeks to reach not only the University of Vermont & the Burlington community, but the nation as a whole. A one-day event, TIC has numerous sessions to choose from at any time that are directed towards people at all levels of inclusion in the trans and allied communities. This conference is a safe space for everyone to come, learn, and enjoy themselves!”

“Assessment of Diversity in America’s Teaching Force: A Call To Action”

“Although teacher quality has been accepted and internalized as a mantra for school reform, the imperative for diversity is often marginalized rather than accepted as central to the quality equation in teaching” (Source: “Losing Ground” Summit Proceedings, February 15, 2002).

The National Collaborative on Diversity in the Teaching Force 2004 report explores how “increasing the percentage of teachers of color in classrooms is connected directly to closing the achievement gap”.

You can read that report here.