As I write this, school has started back for students across Virginia, whether through virtual or in-person classes, and parents and teachers are facing a new “normal” that has lasted longer than any of us could have foreseen.
Typically, during this time of the fall our team of in-house educators are busy visiting schools, libraries and community centers to conduct hands-on learning activities. Though this year looks quite different, our educators are still hard at work. They created a second season of VA TV Classroom that has been airing since September, and we continue offering webinars to help parents and teachers adjust to a distance learning environment.
Our online learning platform, eMediaVA.org, continues to offer educators and families a wealth of digital learning resources. We draw content from trusted sources such as the Library of Congress, National Geographic Education, Sesame Workshop, Science Museum of Virginia, NASA and many more. It is a one-stop collection of high-quality instructional resources that are aligned to Virginia’s Standards of Learning. Visit eMediaVA.org to check it out.
Just as we committed to helping students across Virginia continue to learn, we are also steadfast in our desire for equal justice for everyone based on understanding and mutual respect. We will continue to create a space where our community can come together for important, tough and respectful conversations. In light of that commitment, we have several programs planned for this month that provide opportunities to contribute to the national dialogue around race and racism in America.
In American Experience: The Murder of Emmett Till, acclaimed filmmaker Stanley Nelson reveals how the inadvertent violation of a sacred code of the South cost a black teenager from Chicago his life (Oct. 4, 2 p.m.). Also from American Experience, we’ll feature films about the 1961 Freedom Riders (Oct. 11, 2 p.m.) and Freedom Summer (Oct. 25, 2 p.m.) Additionally, we’ll air two other interesting documentaries, Driving While Black (Oct. 13, 9 p.m.), from director Ric Burns, and the Independent Lens film Represent (Oct. 26, 10 p.m.), which follows female candidates of color as they attempt to reshape local politics.
These are in addition to our call-in radio programs on WHRV FM that address these issues and other important topics each week. On Another View (Thursday, noon), host Barbara Hamm-Lee leads discussions on topics from an African American perspective, and on HearSay with Cathy Lewis (Monday-Wednesday, noon) listeners from across Eastern Virginia call in to discuss these and other topics that are important to our community. I hope you will tune in for these timely programs.