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Hi Reader,

How inclusive and accurate was the history you learned in school? I often tell people that going to majority-Black public schools, I learned more Black history than many students did in the early 1990s. But I don't remember learning anything about Asian American history.

Because of this knowledge gap, I learned so much reading Sarah-Sooling Blackburn's book for kids ages 8 - 12, Exclusion and the Chinese American Story (affiliate link).

I share some of what I learned from the book in my kid-friendly video series on birthright citizenship and why it matters. (In case you missed it, birthright citizenship is one of the things Trump is trying to destroy, and the Supreme Court will be hearing arguments in May about this.)

The four quick videos in the series explain:

• what birthright citizenship is and why it matters
• the 120+ year history of birthright citizenship, and how Black and Chinese Americans fought to obtain this right.
• what young people and their grownups can do to stand up for immigrant rights, especially the right to birthright citizenship.

I also want to give you an update on Ameera Skaik's family and how you can support them as famine takes over Gaza.

(If you're new to my email list, I first got to know Ameera through a heartfelt volunteer effort called Coffees for Gaza, which has provided critical mutual aid to 25 precious families as large-scale aid efforts have been blocked again and again.)

Conditions throughout Gaza are the worst they have been since the war started in October 2023. There is no electricity, which also means that clean water has to be purchased. The last bakery in Gaza, operated by the charity World Central Kitchen, shut down this week because there is no flour avilable to buy.

Ameera and her family are struggling with malnutrition, low blood pressure, and days-long headaches She told me last week that in the markets, there are no fruits, vegetables, meat or eggs. The last time we talked the only food her family had was a bit of rice and flour, and canned chickpeas and beans. The price of water is also very high.

You can support Ameera's family in 3 ways:

1) Donate directly to her GoFundMe. Donations of all sizes are helpful.

2) Purchase an item from my Knits for Gaza store. I donate all the profits after shipping to Ameera's GoFundMe. I have added a bunch of items since I last shared about the store with you, including lightweight-cotton rainbow pride and trans pride flag scarfs, cotton washcloths in a variety of colors, and fun plushies for kids and kids at heart.

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3) Follow Ameera on Instagram and interact with her posts to give them more visibility, and/or share her GoFundMe link with friends. Your emotional support means a lot to her right now, as she is feeling incredibly alone.

With gratitude,

Rebekah

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