The February 14, 2018 school shooting in Parkland, Florida, and the subsequent swell of student activism focused our national discussion on mass shootings and school safety. This edition of The Moment explores three ways educators can join this important conversation: approaching the topic of mental health with students, getting involved (directly and indirectly) in the growing movement, and honoring the history of young change makers.
As we remember the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom of 1963, it’s critical not to whitewash this history. Contextualize the campaign and the struggle associated with it, including the impact of the march’s organizer, Bayard Rustin—an openly gay Black man. That also includes complicating the event’s most iconic figure, Dr. Martin Luther King, and his famous “I Have a Dream” speech. These resources can help.
We're saddened by the news of yet another classroom lesson on slavery involving a troubling simulation—but we're not surprised. Our research has shown some common pitfalls when teaching and learning about slavery. In this edition of The Moment, we explain why mock auctions—along with simulations of the Middle Passage—do more harm than good, and we provide resources for teaching this history more effectively.
The Fourth of July is a quintessentially American holiday, but the celebrated right to liberty has never applied to every American. These resources can help you consider how July 4th fits into the complex relationship between the United States and its citizens of color and how you can bring this history and an important message to your diverse classrooms: There is no template for Americanness, and there never should have been.
Juneteenth, celebrated June 19, marks the day enslaved Texans learned they were free in June of 1865. While the history of the holiday includes the injustice of enslavement, Juneteenth should also be understood in the context of Black people’s fight for justice and freedom. As Staff Writer Coshandra Dillard notes, “Students, particularly Black students, can find empowerment in the jubilant celebrations of culture, activism and the humanity of a people.”
It’s essential to understand—and to teach young people—that enslaved Africans fought for their own liberation, including the first recorded rebellion on Sept. 1, 1663; the Stono Rebellion on Sept. 9, 1739; and David Walker’s September 1829 Appeal to the Colored Citizens of the World. For resources on enslaved people’s work toward freedom, check out these texts and this summary objective from our Teaching Hard History framework.