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Vanessa Ford

@vanessaforddc

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Award-winning educator & author | Advocate | Proud Parent 🏳️‍⚧️

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Happy birthday my sweet baby boy, Ronnie! As much as our kids look up to us, we look up to them! Watching them navigate their young lives and now being a parent gives me appreciation and vantage point our parents had watching us grow-up. Ronnie is remarkable, kind, funny, determined, empathetic. We received one of our greatest gifts with him.

Happy birthday my dear son!

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Caregivers and littles! Come join us this morning at 10am at True North Studio for stories and art about names!

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We’re back at @grazenorthloop this Saturday, Sept 12 from 11am-1pm with a Rainbow Story Time and Out & About Book Bus stop! @mndeafqueers will be joining us in sharing stories about the importance of names!

Register here: https://bit.ly/4xqHiF6 (link in bio)

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Names are a huge part of our identity—learn the correct way to pronounce them!

Whenever I have a student tell me, ‘Just call me (fill in the blank) bc it’s easier,’ I always tell them that their names are important to me and I want to get them right. I also encourage them to insist people respect that.

I let them lead in terms of where to go next with that conversation, but I always make sure they know that their names matter. And no matter ‘how hard’ it may be for others, it’s on them to get it right.

I think it’s one of the least things we can do when it comes to connecting with people. These sweet picture books explore and assert this. They are fantastic for teachers and librarians to read to their students to immediately create that kind of classroom culture!

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What a run it’s been @mauryelementary! The last 15 years have been some DIY, punk rock, grassroots art in action! Looking back, there was always so much freedom and autonomy to create something meaningful, to break rules, push boundaries, literally riot in the streets when necessary, in order to stand up for kids and humanity. Hold on to that fire, Maury! I am so proud of what we’ve accomplished together and all the folks that gave me the freedom and trust to make bold moves along the way. From large scale art installations, covering the walls of the school in animal fat and earth to recreate the caves of Lascaux, building a literal Infinity Mirror Room inside @studiomaury from plywood, marching against gun violence, sending home hundreds of pounds of clay during the pandemic, arming every child with a paintbrush to tag the walls of the school with memories before demolition, co-authoring a book in Utah six months pregnant, lighting things on fire, putting holes in walls, fighting for sinks in the trailers, honoring the Day Without Women strike in our own unique way, celebrating countless ski championships, winning awards, losing students, rapping on the daily, using our voices to create change, and carving out a space where the arts take center stage are just a sample of the legacy I leave behind at Maury Elementary School. My favorite people work and volunteer at Maury. My students ROCK! They are fearless and bold advocates who know that they have power to make waves in our world and do! I am a cougar for life. Know that! StudioMaury, signing off. Keep getting in good trouble, my fellow disruptors! Keep in touch and follow along as I begin my new role as Atelierista at @schoolwithinschool this Fall. So excited for what lies on the horizon!

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Happy Pride Month!🏳️‍🌈💛 We’re so proud to represent these amazing LGBTQIA+ creators and stories!🌟

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Some articles stay with you long after you've finished reading them. This was one of those articles.

Vanessa Ford's words about loving and raising a transgender teen moved me deeply. She captured something every parent wants for their child...to be safe, to be accepted, and to be able to grow into exactly who they are.

At a time when so much noise surrounds our kids, stories like this remind us that behind every headline and every debate is a family, a child, and a love that is fierce and unconditional.

Thank you, Vanessa, for sharing your heart and for giving voice to so many parents and families who are walking this journey together.

Love should never be controversial.

https://katiecouric.com/news/opinion/trans-teen-bullies-political-climate/?fbclid=IwY2xjawSgxWRleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBicmlkETF5czVWMzZpWTRmbWNrVE9kc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHqUd7Y2C28IcZRDdrRg5jM7ZrBZpIfaa866K2uRyi3_6Cc0BzXUk6CZ9zaoF_aem_EnIo_aXIE8eEBDYJ6XqgVA

💙🏳️‍⚧️

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Der Kampf für queere Rechte ist besonders in Zeiten, in denen ein Anstieg von queerfeindlichen
Straftaten verzeichnet werden muss, wichtiger denn je! Queere Repräsentationen in literarischen Texten sowie wissenschaftlich fundierte Informationen und Aufklärung in Sachbüchern sind unverzichtbar. Wir haben euch daher einige empfehlenswerte Titel zusammengestellt, die euch einerseits als Nachschlagewerke dienen können und deren starke queere Protagonist:innen andererseits ein hohes Identifikationspotential für kindliche und jugendliche Adressat:innen bieten.

Die Bücher könnt ihr bei uns im ZeLd in der Bibliothek ausleihen und im Rahmen unseres in Kürze anlaufenden Projekts "ZeLd goes diverse" findet ihr bald auch internationale Kinder-und Jugendbücher, in denen Queerness verhandelt wird.

*Wir lehnen "-phobie" in diesem Zusammenhang als irreführend ab, da es sich nicht um eine Angst handelt, sondern um Feindlichkeit.

#zeld_phlb #ZeLdgoesdiverse #kjl #queer #lesen

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Today marks 36 years Big Ronnie Sr went home. You are always cherished and celebrated. I only had ten years with you, but there is never a day that goes by where I wish I could seek your guidance, wisdom and love. 🙏🏾🫶🏾 We love you! We miss you!

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Making sure trans kids see themselves reflected in children’s books is so important. These are some of our favorites being handed down from our household to our #LittleFreeLibrary. The second photo is another batch of kiddo reads we recently added.

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Parce que tous·tes les enfants ont le droit de grandir en sécurité et d’être fier·ères de leur identité, cet album illustré est plus pertinent que jamais alors que les droits des personnes trans sont menacés. 🏳️‍🌈

Cliquez sur le 🔗 dans notre bio pour acheter notre suggestion de lecture!

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Get REAL’s Picks 3️⃣ 8️⃣ “Calvin“ ✊🏿📚🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️🤜🏿🤛🏻

📣 We will be giving away this book plus 4 more that Monica selected and reviewed + chocolate, thanks to our amazing partner Purdys Chocolatier 📚🍫💡🥳

Get REAL’s Picks is an online educational video series of books, films, podcasts, and more that our team recommends! 📖🎬🎧

www.thegetrealmovement.com/getrealspicks

We’ll be reviewing resources that cover topics such as:

📔 Acceptance 🏳️‍⚧️
📕 Anti-Racism ✊🏾
📘 Diverse Families 🌈
📗 Celebrating different types of bodies 🫂
And more!

Third up we have:

📘 “Calvin“ by J.R. and Vanessa Ford
💜 @purdyschocolatier
💙 This initiative is made possible thanks to the support and partnership of the Foundation for Leadership, Imagination and Place.

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🫶🏽 We are the Get REAL Movement a nonprofit whose mission is to combat discrimination in schools and workplaces ✊🏾🌈

💌 Want to learn more or book a workshop for your school or company? Email us: marley.bowen@thegetrealmovement.com

🧠 Visit our website for more info on what we do and our programming: ↖️🔗 www.thegetrealmovement.com

🔎Looking for our merch? Support our mission by visiting 🔗↖️ www.wegetreal.ca 🛒 All proceeds from our merch go directly towards combatting discrimination 🫶🏽👊🏽

#GetRealMovement #GetRealsPicks #booksta #Representation #Gender #Inclusion #Childrensbook

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