Purpose:
This text set is to examine what the Civil Rights Movement
looks like in modern day America in African-American communities.
AudienceAn eleventh grade class with a range of students who are somewhat below grade level, mostly at grade level and a few who are above grade level. |
Essential QuestionWhat does the Civil Rights movement look like today? |
StandardsClick on the photo above to read the standards covered by this text set. |
Anchor TextThis novel challenges readers to consider what they think of the racial tension in our country, specifically with the police brutality toward African-Americans. It also challenges them to consider what role they want to play in the this national dilemma. The authors share in the novel that choosing silence is also taking a stand, there is no neutral.
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Supporting Texts
Monster by Walter Dean MyersThis novel is written as a script by a black teen who is wrongly accused of robbing and murdering the owner of a corner shop.
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I, Too by Langston HughesThis poem addresses racial identities and aspirations for the future.
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The Bluest Eye by Toni MorrisonThis novel explores social class and racial dynamics in the 1940's.
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This podcast is one where Michael Gungor and Science Mike talk with Propaganda and William Matthews about race, racism, white supremacy in America. They discuss white supremacy, white fragility, some of the history of racial policies in the U.S. and the current state of racial relations in the U.S. They also discuss the definition of racism.
We Need to Talk About an Injustice by Bryan Stevenson
This Ted video explains the injustices in our judicial system that is disproportionately persecuting African-Americans. Bryan Stevenson works with children and adults who have been imprisoned, often unjustly, and don’t have the resources to represent them. He founded the Equal Justice Initiative that aims to confront “racial injustice, advocates for equality, and creates hope for marginalized communities” (Equal Justice Initiative, 2017).
This Ted video explains the injustices in our judicial system that is disproportionately persecuting African-Americans. Bryan Stevenson works with children and adults who have been imprisoned, often unjustly, and don’t have the resources to represent them. He founded the Equal Justice Initiative that aims to confront “racial injustice, advocates for equality, and creates hope for marginalized communities” (Equal Justice Initiative, 2017).
Letter from Birmingham JailMartin Luther King Jr.This is an extremely influential Civil Rights primary source written by Martin Luther King Jr., a major leader in the Civil Rights movement. This letter can offer context of the civil rights movement and help students draw connections to what it was about in the 1960’s and what it is about today. There are many racist encounters Dr. King mentions in the letter that still happen today. |
Changes by 2pac Shakur
This song is written from the perspective of a poor, black man reflecting on the plight of his impoverished community, including police relations and the war on drugs. A quote from the lyrics is, "Cops give a damn about a negro. Pull a trigga, kill a nigga, he's a hero." This song is both honest about struggles and hopeful about changing the world for the better. It doesn’t sugarcoat the challenges poor African-Americans face. It acknowledges the wrong choices some African-Americans makes and puts it into context. It validates the black struggle while challenging the community to rise above the hand they've been dealt and change their lives and communities for the better.
This song is written from the perspective of a poor, black man reflecting on the plight of his impoverished community, including police relations and the war on drugs. A quote from the lyrics is, "Cops give a damn about a negro. Pull a trigga, kill a nigga, he's a hero." This song is both honest about struggles and hopeful about changing the world for the better. It doesn’t sugarcoat the challenges poor African-Americans face. It acknowledges the wrong choices some African-Americans makes and puts it into context. It validates the black struggle while challenging the community to rise above the hand they've been dealt and change their lives and communities for the better.
Project Windows by Nas
This song is also written from the perspective of a poor, black man reflecting on the plight of his impoverished community living in the projects. This song brings us into the reality of a child growing up where they see crime, police and hopelessness around them and how hard it is to overcome that path in their own life. It offers more context to struggle of many African-Americans living in the U.S. today. Nas’ experience is more tranquil than some. He mostly had a peaceful family situation, even though his father wasn’t always around.
Why are people still racist? What science says about America’s race problemThis article is written for an adult audience with many quotes from an NYU professor. It explains some of the findings that researchers in psychology, sociology and neurology have learned through studying the roots of racism.
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Charlottesville and the Effort to Downplay Racism in AmericaThis article is written for an adult audience and it discusses historical and contemporary hate crimes that have been tolerated and deemed legal against racial minorities.
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Protest PhotoThe message in this photo is the heart message behind the Black Lives Matter movement. Some think that the goal of Black Lives Matter is to exalt the black community over other races. However, the goal and hope is to raise the value of black lives to be level with other races. The rate at which black people are killed by cops and unjustly treated by the justice system shows that black lives are devalued compared with others.
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Ain’t I a Woman read by Kerry Washington
This speech was shared by Sojourner Truth in 1851 at the Women's Convention in Akron, Ohio. This is really powerful to hear because it is another attempt of an African-American to establish her humanity. This video also has black and white footage of police beating unarmed black people. As Washington says in the video, “it’s frightening and affirming how similar the thoughts [of those in the past] are [to what people are thinking today]” (History.com, n.d.).
This speech was shared by Sojourner Truth in 1851 at the Women's Convention in Akron, Ohio. This is really powerful to hear because it is another attempt of an African-American to establish her humanity. This video also has black and white footage of police beating unarmed black people. As Washington says in the video, “it’s frightening and affirming how similar the thoughts [of those in the past] are [to what people are thinking today]” (History.com, n.d.).