Juneteenth Community Event

June 16, 2021

Join us for a free community event to commemorate Juneteenth! We appreciate how busy colleagues are and welcome your attendance for all or part of the event.  The event is planned to last no longer than 2 hours including Q&A and discussion.

Location

Online

On Wednesday, June 16 at 7pm ET (4pm PT | 5pm MT | 6pm CT) we held a free community event commemorating Juneteenth. Juneteenth marks the end of the enslavement period in the United States as on June 19th, 1865, federal troops finally arrived in Galveston, Texas with news of the Emancipation Proclamation. Cathy Runnels and Sheri Bishop shared their connection with Juneteenth, the history of the holiday, and how they commemorate the occasion. We hope you enjoy the recording for an opportunity to learn more about this milestone in American history and how to teach about this important moment in your classroom.

Meet the speakers!

Cathy Runnels resides in Austin, Texas with her family. She enjoys history documentaries and reenacting. She currently works as a culture and art education specialist at the George Washington Carver  Museum, Cultural and Genealogy Center in Austin, TX. Some of her fondest childhood memories are of attending her grandfather’s annual Juneteenth Celebration at Wright’s Park, in Schulenburg, Texas.

 

 

Sheri Bishop – After watching the social, emotional and academic growth of her sons during their Montessori Children’s House experiences, Sheri Bishop decided that the Montessori approach was the best way to educate her sons beyond primary school. Both of her children attended Montessori schools during most of their school careers. Though Sheri enjoyed being a pediatric healthcare provider for many years, she was so impressed with the Montessori philosophy that it prompted her to seek training as a Montessori guide and change the trajectory of her career.

Sheri has 8 years of classroom experience as a Lower Elementary guide, holds an AMI 6-12 diploma from the Montessori Institute of Atlanta, a Masters in Montessori Elementary Education from Loyola University in Baltimore, MD, and will soon complete requirements for an AMI 3-6 diploma from the Montessori Institute of North Texas.

While working, Sheri recognized that the values of justice, equality and peace so inherent in the scope of the Montessori movement, are often times not manifested in Montessori practices and policies in these spaces.  She found that families in lower socio-economic groups and who are Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) are significantly underrepresented in beautiful, thriving Montessori communities.  She involved herself in the Montessori for Social Justice (MSJ) organization which ignited her fervor for anti-bias, anti-racist, and social justice work with Montessorians.  In 2017 she was elected to be one of the founding members of the original MSJ Board of Directors and served until 2019.

Sheri has presented numerous and various workshops for teacher in-service trainings and regional and national conferences  including MSJ, the AMI Elementary Alumni Association, Montessori Institute of North Texas (MINT), and Montessori Northwest. Since the pandemic, she has adapted offerings to suit an online presentation format. In addition to AMI/USA, Sheri currently is contracted by the Montessori Institute of North Texas as an ABAR Advisor and by Norfolk Montessori School in Norfolk, VA as a consultant and advisor.

Sheri was interviewed on DC’s WPFW #UMustLearn radio show on 6/10, click here to check out the archived show. Select “#UMustLearn” in the search field. 

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