People's history class, free book on budget justice, voting rights workshop, and more
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Coordinated by Rethinking Schools and Teaching for Change
The Social Movements Teenagers Built
Join Us on Monday, September 28
When people think of student activism, they typically picture college campuses. Yet during the 1960s and 1970s, teenagers built social movements that intersected with broader grassroots struggles and responded to both local and national issues.
This activism is little remembered today, in part because it remained largely localized and national coverage was short-lived.
But these youth-led movements have had a long-lasting impact on school districts across the United States, and they can provide young people today with clues as to what enables successful student activism.
Fountain will be joined by Jon N. Hale for a discussion of their books on high school student organizing with Zinn Education Project campaign director Jesse Hagopian.
Join us. Invite your students and colleagues. The class is free. ASL interpretation and professional development certificates are provided.
Teachers around the country are requesting our Voting Rights Teaching Toolkit to help young people see voting as part of a broader effort to improve their lives and communities — and to see themselves as agents of change rather than spectators to politics. The National Education Association printed the lessons, voting rights organizations provided additional resources, and individual donors are contributing to the cost of postage.
Here are comments from teachers who requested the toolkits:
This is important because voter registration is down in our community, and I want to inspire them to become active voters while they are enthusiastic about the process. — High school social studies teacher, Nashville, Tennessee
My students have faced barriers throughout their lives and often feel disconnected from change-making processes. I want them to learn about concrete actions people have taken before them and to take action themselves. — High school social studies teacher, Saint Paul, Minnesota
My aim is to help students move beyond passive citizenship and recognize the power of their voices. Studying people who created change within their own communities can help students see themselves as participants in democracy. — High school history teacher, Camden, Mississippi
This critical focus is especially vital for our school and community in Hawai‘i right now; our state’s unique history with colonialism, sovereignty, and representation makes the question of “who gets a voice” deeply personal and resonant for our students. — High school social studies teacher, Mililani, Hawai‘i
We need your support to send more.
Make a donation todayto send more voting rights teaching toolkits to classrooms nationwide.
The Marguerite Casey Foundation donated copies of the book to organizations designated by Su, who selected the Zinn Education Project and The Debt Collective. Su recognizes the importance of young people being informed about — and, in return, engaging or even reshaping — the public policies that govern their lives, and working together for a future in which they can truly thrive.
More Events
Check out these events hosted by the Zinn Education Project and our coordinating organizations (Rethinking Schools and Teaching for Change).
On Wednesday, September 23, join the America433+ coalition, led by the Resistance Rangers and including the Zinn Education Project, for Get Loud! End Censorship in Our National Parks,a Climate Week NYC session on the Staten Island Ferry.
This event will connect NPS suppression and censorship to visible local stakes: rising seas, threatened wildlife, and the future of public lands throughout the New York metropolitan region. Learn more and register.
On Thursday, September 24, join Show Up, Speak Up: Vote for the Freedom to Read, a virtual variety show with freedom to read champions celebrating books, authors, and readers. This collective call to action was created by a coalition of grassroots organizations from across the country, including the Zinn Education Project. Learn more and register.
On Saturday, September 26, join the 10th annual Native Knowledge 360° (NK360°) Teach-In at the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, D.C. Keynote speaker Dr. Gabrielle Tayac (Piscataway) will discuss her work centering Native history, identity, and contemporary Indigenous experiences.
Through interactive workshops, educators will explore K–12 lessons centering Native voices and histories and learn how to bring the museum’s exhibitions and resources into their teaching.Learn more and register.
Partner Teach-Ins
Chicago
The Field Museum
Learn more and RSVP.
New York
National Museum of the American Indian in New York City
On Thursday, October 8, as part of our call-to-action to teach about voting rights and the Constitution this fall, we’re hosting a “Who Gets to Vote?” curriculum workshop. This event introduces educators to a voting rights mixer role play that includes people with firsthand experience having their voting rights granted or denied.
Participants will have an opportunity to meet social justice educators from across the country to discuss ways to address this topic in their own teaching. Learn more and register.
On Saturday, October 17th, attend the 19th Annual Northwest Teaching for Social Justice Conference — co-sponsored by Rethinking Schools — at Lindbergh High School in Renton, Washington (near Seattle).
Workshop leaders include Rethinking Schools editors Wayne Au, Linda Christensen, Grace Cornell Gonzales, and Ursula Wolfe-Rocca, and Prentiss Charney Fellows Julia Kirkpatrick and Suzanna Kassouf. Learn more and register.
Continue learning with us all year! For educators and learners seeking more than a typical professional development session, the Teach the Black Freedom Struggleonline series combines live access to leading people’s historians, structured reflection in small groups, and an ongoing national community committed to truth and historical justice.
Attend on your own, add the classes to your syllabus, or bring your students as a group.Join educators, students, and community members committed to teaching truth and building a more just world. ASL interpretation and professional development credit provided. Learn more and sign up.
Teachers are under attack for teaching truthfully about U.S. history.Please donate so we can continue to offer free people’s history lessons and resources, and defend teachers’ right to use them.
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