Teach students about the history of the N-word, its harm and impact and engage them in exploring school-based scenarios.
244 Results
By Kwame Alexander
Ages:6-10
This discussion guide about the musical Parade will help middle and high school students and adults reflect upon and discuss the themes and artistic elements of Parade.
Teach students about Bellen Woodard, how she became a "crayon activist," and how they can change something they think is unjust.
GRADE LEVEL: Middle School, High School
COMMON CORE STANDARDS: Reading, Writing, Speaking & Listening, Language
SEL STANDARDS*: Self-Awareness, Social Awareness, Relationship Skills, Responsible Decision-Making To what extent do the Brian Flores lawsuit, the Rooney Rule, and other historical issues reveal racial discrimination in the N.F.L.?
In February 2022, former N.F.L. (National Football League) Miami Dolphins Head Coach Brian Flores filed a class action lawsuit against the…
By Nic Stone
Ages:14-17
Civics Lesson
GRADE LEVEL: High School What is privilege? How does privilege impact the criminal justice system?
On August 9, 2014, Michael Brown, an unarmed 18-year-old Black teenager, was shot and killed by a white police officer in Ferguson, Missouri. The officer was not indicted. The story captured the attention of the nation and the media, and in many ways became the beginning of the Black Lives Matter movement. Many stories like this occurred in the following years and continued…
GRADE LEVEL: High School
COMMON CORE STANDARDS: Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening, Language
SEL STANDARDS*: Self-Awareness, Social Awareness, Relationship Skills, Responsible Decision-Making In May 2020, George Floyd was killed by then Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, who kneeled on Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes, while Floyd pleaded for his life, continually stating that he could not breathe. The killing was recorded on video by a bystander and the…
Direct to Student Activity
GRADE LEVEL: Middle School, High School In December of 2019, cases of pneumonia from an unknown cause were treated by Chinese authorities in Wuhan, China. Those cases, which are now known to have been caused by the coronavirus, or COVID-19, were the first documented cases of a pandemic. The coronavirus has spread to at least 147 countries since then. The first case in the United States was found in Washington State, on January 21st, 2020. Since then,…
Civics Lesson
GRADE LEVEL: High School How Were Youth Involved in the Civil Rights Movement?
Throughout history, young people have stepped up and into leadership roles during different civil rights and social movements. This was never more evident than in the Civil Rights Movement, where young people were on the frontlines of the Montgomery bus boycotts, Freedom Rides and sit-ins. Given that student activism is on the rise again across the U.S., understanding how those young voices…
GRADE LEVEL: Middle School, High School
COMMON CORE STANDARDS: Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening, Language
SEL STANDARDS*: Self-Awareness, Social Awareness, Responsible Decision-Making Baseball and Segregation
In December 2020, Major League Baseball (MLB) announced that they will correct a longtime injustice in the game’s history by officially elevating the Negro Leagues (of 1920-1948) to “Major League” status. For historical context, in the…
GRADE LEVEL: High School What is the 15th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution?
What was Frederick Douglass’s Argument for Why Black Men Should Have the Right to Vote?
During the Reconstruction Era after the Civil War, large questions loomed about the futures of four million formerly enslaved people. The 15th Amendment, one of three crucial amendments passed in the immediate wake of the Civil War, was essential to securing voting rights for African-American men. One…
Recommendations on Slavery Reparations
In September 2020, California passed a bill to establish a task force to study and make recommendations on slavery reparations. The bill (AB 3121) is the first of its kind in any state. While California is the first state to pass such legislation, the issue of reparations has a long history in the United States. Since 1989, federal legislation has been introduced many times, including H.R. 40, the “Commission to Study and Develop Reparation…
Racism: A Unique Point of View from a Young Black Actor
In June 2020, Lonnie Chavis, the twelve-year old actor who stars in This Is Us, wrote and published an essay called “America Needs to Change” about his experiences with racism. He wrote the essay in the wake of an ongoing public conversation and reckoning about the ongoing issue of police violence against Black people and systemic racism. Chavis has a unique point of view as a Black actor and as a young person who speaks…
By Tameka Fryer Brown
Ages:6-10
How is the Coronavirus Impacting People of Color?
Coronavirus is devastating nations and communities around the globe. New demographic data from some U.S. cities and states reveals that the disease is disproportionately impacting communities of color in the U.S. According to the data, African American people are more likely to become infected with and die from coronavirus than other racial groups. For example, in the state of Michigan, where COVID-19 hit early and intensely, African…
GRADE LEVEL: Middle School
COMMON CORE STANDARDS: Reading, Speaking and Listening, Language Seeing a Positive Reflection of Yourself in Media
O’Plérou Grebet, a 22-year-old digital artist from the Ivory Coast, was recently in the news because he created his own emojis, reflecting life in contemporary West Africa. In an interview with CNN, he stated, "I noticed that media and most articles about Africa were talking about the bad sides of the continent only. They reduced the…
Racial Profiling and Police Use of Force
In 2014, the police-involved deaths of Michael Brown (Ferguson, MO), Eric Garner (Staten Island, NY) and Tamir Rice (Cleveland, OH) brought questions, anger, protests and an important public conversation about the police use of force and violence against Black people. According to the Associated Press’ annual poll of editors and news directors, the high-profile death of Black people at the hands of the police and the investigations and protest…
GRADE LEVEL: Elementary School, Middle School
COMMON CORE STANDARDS: Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening, Language Does Entertainment Represent Our Increasingly Diverse Society?
In September 2019, Kodi Lee won America's Got Talent, which was a groundbreaking and emotional victory. Lee is a person who is Asian-American, blind and has autism. While he is one example of on-screen diversity, there is still more work to be done to ensure that the stories told reflect all people…
Controversy about Casting Decision of African-American as Ariel
In July 2019, it was announced that Halle Bailey, an African-American actress and singer, would play the leading role of Ariel for the upcoming live-action remake of The Little Mermaid. There has been some controversy about this casting decision. Some critics questioned why an African-American actress was chosen for the role because, according to them, the character should be White; the 1989 version of Ariel was a White, red…