Pandemic Lessons from Irish History on St. Patrick's Day
The coronavirus pandemic reminds us of other times of mass human suffering, times when, like our own, a crisis hit those hardest who could least afford it — and deepened inequality.

The Great Famine in Ireland can be studied to reflect on how it differs from, but also prefigures, what's going on today.

This article by Bill Bigelow, first published in 2012, looks at how the famine was the result of British colonialism, not a potato blight; there was abundant food in Ireland during the worst years of the famine.
The Real Irish American Story
Not Taught in Schools
By Bill Bigelow
"Wear green on St. Patrick's Day or get pinched." That pretty much sums up the Irish-American "curriculum" that I learned when I was in school. Yes, I recall a nod to the so-called Potato Famine, but it was mentioned only in passing.

Sadly, today's high school textbooks continue to largely ignore the famine, despite the fact that it was responsible for unimaginable suffering and the deaths of more than a million Irish peasants, and that it triggered the greatest wave of Irish immigration in U.S. history. Nor do textbooks make any attempt to help students link famines past and present.

Throughout the Irish potato famine, there was an abundance of food produced in Ireland, yet the landlords exported it to markets abroad.

Like with today's climate crisis, the capitalist market ruled, and commerce trumped need. . . .
Teach Climate Justice Giveaway
Our lesson on the Great Famine in Ireland and other lessons from the Teach Climate Justice Campaign help students see that environmental devastation is not simply a "natural" disaster.

Share your teaching story with us, about how you used any of our climate justice materials, and we will send you three books.
A People's Curriculum for the Earth
A People’s Curriculum for the Earth is a Rethinking Schools publication with articles, role plays, simulations, stories, poems, and graphics to help breathe life into teaching about environmental justice.

The book features some of the best articles from Rethinking Schools magazine alongside classroom-friendly readings on climate change, energy, water, food, and pollution — as well as on people who are working to make things better.

At a time when it’s becoming increasingly obvious that life on Earth is at risk, here is a resource that helps students see what’s wrong and imagine solutions.
Support People's History Students
The main support to sustain and grow the Zinn Education Project comes from individual donors like you. Read our Donor Testimonials and What Teachers Are Saying.
COORDINATED BY:
PO BOX 73038, WASHINGTON, D.C. 20056 
202-588-7205 | zinnedproject.org