Students will analyze how the Black freedom struggle is ongoing and intersects with other civil rights movements and will identify opportunities for activism in the present day.
Essential Knowledge
14.A. The United States’ power structure, deeply rooted in white supremacy, is sustained through active attempts to deny and obscure an honest reckoning with history. Black Americans, especially young people, are at the forefront of confronting this culture of historical denial and are actively demanding honest engagement with the past to create justice in the present and future.
14.B. While the specific language, tactics and groups involved might change over time, pushback against racial justice is an intentional and coordinated reality of white supremacy
Related Resources
- [14.A.] Educators can refer to resources from The 1619 Project—the groundbreaking work of Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Nikole Hannah-Jones and The New York Times—to conceptualize the consequences of American slavery more accurately and center the humanity and contributions of enslaved Africans and their descendants. The six-part Hulu series The 1619 Project expands on the work, with episodes on themes of justice, fear, capitalism, music, race and democracy.
- [14.A.] For educators and young people looking to learn from and share examples of contemporary student advocacy, the LFJ article “‘We Won’t Wear the Name’” highlights students advocating for the removal of Confederate names from their schools.
- [14.A.] The LFJ article “SPLC’s Whose Heritage? Report: A Teaching Opportunity” provides data highlighting the vast reach of the Lost Cause of the Confederacy narrative and how local communities and governments across the country continue to enshrine a distorted view of history. This resource can help students identify where Lost Cause narratives might be present in their own communities and school experiences, as well as examples of people actively counteracting those narratives.
- [14.A.] Students can watch an interview with the late U.S. Rep. John Lewis, in which he connects the Freedom Rides to the Black Lives Matter movement and encourages young people to learn from the past and get involved. “John Lewis Reflects on the Freedom Rides and What He Thinks About Today’s Protests” is available from The Washington Post on YouTube.
- [14.A.] Teachers can lead a class discussion around “New Orleans’ Mayor Mitch Landrieu’s Address on the Removal of Four Confederate Statues,” which clearly states the harm done by denying history and unravels the justifications used for honoring the Confederacy.
- [14.B.] To help students understand how some people are actively working to prevent schools from accurately teaching about race, history and gender, teachers can share the NPR segment “Uncovering Who Is Driving the Fight Against Critical Race Theory in Schools,” which analyzes a movement that currently consists of more than 150 local and national groups.
- [14.B.] Students can also analyze the interactive map included in the African American Policy Forum’s #TruthBeTold Campaign, which highlights all current and proposed legislation attempting to prevent schools from critically engaging students around topics of race and gender.
- [14.B.] Even in the face of opposition to teaching accurate history and about race and racism, students have the power to stand up for what’s right. The Washington Post article “These Texas Teens Stayed Silent About Racism. Then Their Black Principal Was Suspended” explores how students tried to support their principal who suffered discipline after trying to address racism.
- [14.B.] Students can consider the appropriateness of governmental responses to protests when analyzing the image of Iesha Evans being arrested by police in riot gear (available in the LFJ text library).
- [14.B.] The International Center for Not-for-Profit Law’s interactive map tracks pending and enacted federal and state laws since 2017 that restrict the right of peaceful assembly. Students can analyze the language of these laws and also see when the majority of them were proposed and enacted, comparing these dates to highly visible protests for social justice such as gun safety protests following the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida or racial justice protests following the 2020 murder of George Floyd.
- [14.B.] Stateline’s article “Eight States Enact Anti-Protest Laws” provides context for the ICNL map and highlights the increase in laws after the Black Lives Matter protests during the summer of 2020.
- [14.B.] The NPR segment “Wave of ‘Anti-Protest’ Bills Could Threaten First Amendment” provides context in audio and transcript formats.
- [14.B.] For a message to young people from a movement veteran who worked continuously in the ongoing struggle for freedom, students can read the final essay by the late U.S. Rep. John Lewis, “Together, You Can Redeem the Soul of Our Nation.”
