The Moment Archive

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.

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.

Women’s Equality Day commemorates the ratification of the 19th Amendment on Aug. 26, 1920. It’s important to remember that many Black women and more women of color didn’t earn the right to vote until years later. Read Sojourner Truth’s “Ain’t I a Woman?” with its intersectional message delivered during her 1851 speech at the Women’s Rights Convention in Akron, Ohio. Also, check out an LFJ lesson featuring an accurate voting rights timeline, and identify ways to take a deeper look at women’s history this Women’s Equality Day—and beyond.

August 23 is International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition. With blatant, nationwide attempts to keep truth-telling out of schools, it’s especially critical to teach the whole truth about American slavery. Use our Teaching Hard History framework, its accompanying online archives and databases, and this film to help you and your students dig deeper into lessons about the slave trade and its lasting effects, as well as an often-forgotten part of our nation’s history: Indigenous enslavement.

As the school year starts, we extend a warm welcome—or a welcome back—to you! We hope you’ll take time to dive into our many resources, including our Social Justice Standards and One World posters. We appreciate you and all you do to create inclusive school communities for all students.