Hot Topics Blog

AMAZEworks Persona Dolls: A Family Matter
AMAZEworks Persona Dolls are friends who enter children’s learning environments to support and nurture their development of empathy and understanding. The dolls share their stories to help create a safe space for children to explore differences. However, their journeys start long before they ever enter the classroom. Jennifer Goggleye has been creating Persona Dolls with

My Daddy Tells Me: The Power of Authentic Voice
Thuba Nguyễn (she/her) is an Early Childhood Education Specialist, member of the AMAZEworks board of directors, and children’s book author of her newly published book, My Daddy Tells Me. Thuba aims to promote early literacy as a catalytic tool for generational and social change through her work as an author, educator, and small business owner

2021 Annual Report
Year in Review. Despite the hardships of 2021, AMAZEworks continues to be a bridge to greater equity and belonging during these challenging times. Our challenge of the past year and a half has been to be responsive to the changing landscape and needs of educators, schools, and organizations. Together, we are having brave conversations about

5 Commitments to Building Resilience
March can be a hard month. We are exhausted from the responsibilities that have piled up since the start of the year. We are eager to welcome the beauty of spring but are still reaching for our winter coats and scarves. On top of that, we are constantly faced with new moments of collective grief,

Leaders in Racial Justice: The Past, Present, and Future
For Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, AMAZEworks shared a social media series reflecting on racial justice work spanning from the Civil Rights Movement to today. We sought inspiration from Civil Rights leaders of the past, reevaluated the dominant framing of MLK’s work in the present, and celebrated young leaders investing in their future. In

Resiliency: Taking Vestiges of the Past to Reimagine the Future
An Interview with Dr. Artika R. Tyner Written by Sophie Herrington, Interviewed by Jenni Bratulich and Sophie Herrington Dr. Artika R. Tyner is a passionate educator, lawyer, justice advocate, and founder of Planting People Growing Justice (PPGJ), a publishing company and nonprofit that promotes literacy and diversity in books. She is a professor at the University

Be the Spark to Create Meaningful Change
At AMAZEworks, we believe belonging is a human right. We champion equity and belonging for all. Our work has been challenging, necessary, and rewarding for over 25 years. As you can imagine, creating the conditions for belonging has been particularly important in the last two years. Belonging during a pandemic, amidst racial unrest, and climate

22 Anti-Bias Education Journal Prompts on Identity for 2022
Here are 22 journal prompts on identity self-awareness to further your journey as an Anti-Bias Educator or Leader. On identity development Think about your identity, now and when you were a child. What makes you unique? How was this identity nurtured, or how could it have been nurtured? What have been the biggest influences on

21 Things to Celebrate from 2021
Here’s what we are celebrating this year… MN Celebrations Local anti-bias educators, artists, creators: Change the World Challenge Wing Young Huie Ricardo Levins Morales Cheryl Minnema Thuba Nguyen Seema Pothini Dr. Artika Tyner Kao Kalia Yang 2. Black Garnet Books, Birchbark Books, Boneshaker Books, Moon Palace Books 3. Mille Lacs Band launched a language revitalization