Many people have referenced the 1960s, have referenced Ferguson in 2014, but I think it's important to say that these are not just repeats of past events. These are the consequences of the failures of this government and the political establishment, the economic establishment of this country to resolve those crises, and so they build and accumulate over time. And we are watching the boiling over of that. ----   Dr. Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, assistant professor of African American Studies, Princeton

 

We agree with Dr. Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor. It is essential to teach about the long history of white supremacy that has brought us to the boiling point.  

This teaching guide, published by Rethinking Schools, grew directly out of the movement for Black lives.

 

Teaching for Black Lives provides practical resources and shows how teachers connect curriculum to young people's lives and root their daily experiences in what is taught and how classrooms are set up. Teaching for Black Lives highlights the hope and beauty of student activism and collective action.

Order today from  Rethinking Schools and use code T4BL40 for 40% off (through June 11, 2020).

	The Color Line A lesson on the countless colonial laws enacted to create division and inequality based on race. This helps students understand the origins of racism in the United States and who benefits.
	Who Gets to Vote? Teaching About the Struggle for Voting Rights in the United States This three-lesson unit provides historical context for the contemporary struggle against voter suppression and for voting rights in the United States.
	What We Don't Learn About the Black Panther Party ---- but Should   A mixer role play introduces students to the pivotal and largely untold history of the Black Panthers.
	How Red Lines Built White Wealth: A Lesson on Housing Segregation in the 20th Century The mixer lesson shows how 20th-century government policies segregated every major city in the United States with dire consequences for African Americans.

Teachers write to us regularly to tell us how and why they teach people's history. Read their stories for ideas and inspiration. Then add your own. 

This spring, the Zinn Education Project is hosting weekly mini-classes with historians on the Black Freedom Struggle: From Reconstruction to the Civil Rights Movement.

 

The People's Historians Online class this Friday (June 5) features Dr. Keisha N. Blain in conversation with Rethinking Schools editor Jesse Hagopian on "Examining the Historical Roots of the 2020 Rebellion." They will focus on the history of policing in the United States and also address racism in the healthcare system, white nationalism, housing, and more.