Open Letter to the College Board | |
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As African American History teachers in Philadelphia, where African American History has been a required course since 2005, we express our deep disappointment that the College Board bowed to political pressure from conservative ideologues to whitewash its new AP African American Studies course.
Many of us hoped that the AP course could provide for students nationally what we already experience: The teaching of African American history and the discussions of racism and resistance that not only allow Black students to see themselves in the curriculum — but give all students the opportunity to grapple with how our racist past has shaped, and continues to shape, the world around them. Students learn how people have organized to shape a more just future; drawing inspiration and joy from the literature, the arts, culture, and community.
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The College Board’s Race Problem
By Melinda Anderson
| There’s no mention of the racial wealth gap in AP Economics, and AP Environmental Science glosses over environmental racism, experts say. | |
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The Long History of Conservative Indoctrination in Florida Schools
By Tera W. Hunter
| When I was growing up, my Florida high school required me to endure a course called “Americanism vs. Communism.” | |
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Join us on International Women’s Day, March 8 at 6:30 pm ET, to view the documentary The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks. The free screening will be hosted by American Federation of Teachers (AFT) Share My Lesson and the Zinn Education Project. The film will be hosted online with the opportunity to chat with educators across the country as you view the film.
Teachers and teacher educators can request a streaming license for The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks to use multiple times through March 31.
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This participatory, online workshop, is hosted by the Boston Teachers Union Climate Justice Committee and facilitated by the Zinn Education Project. We will offer educators examples of how to teach both the climate crisis’s universality — it’s happening everywhere — and its inequality — colonialism, white supremacy, geographic location, and economic inequality leave some groups much more vulnerable than others.
Attendees will also engage with brand new curriculum designed to prevent students from becoming overwhelmed by hopelessness when learning about the climate crisis. All participants will receive free, classroom-friendly materials and pedagogical strategies to use in their own settings and classrooms.
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Join the Zinn Education Project in Brattleboro, Vermont, on Saturday March 25th, for an all-day, in-person workshop on teaching Reconstruction. Participants will engage in a series of classroom-friendly activities that both uncover the underrecognized, bottom-up history of this era and ask how the unfulfilled promises of Reconstruction might shape our politics and curriculum moving forward. Lunch and books provided. | |
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For the past two summers, teachers rallied across the country at historic sites to speak out against anti-history education bills and to make public their pledge to teach the truth.
The teacher-led rallies received national media attention, providing a valuable counter narrative to the oversized coverage of anti-CRT protests at school board meetings. We invite educators, students, parents, and community members to host #TeachTruth events on June 10, 2023.
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Spotlight
Teaching for Black Lives Study Group
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Since 2020, the Zinn Education Project has hosted hundreds of Teaching for Black Lives Study Groups. Teachers discuss how to teach for Black lives and gain the collective strength to face right-wing attacks. There is power in numbers.
We periodically spotlight Teaching for Black Lives groups for you to meet.
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Prince George’s County, Maryland, Study Group | |
The Racial and Social Justice Committee of the Prince George’s County Educators Association (PGCEA) Teaching for Black Lives (T4BL) study group meets via Zoom with 20 members from across the school district. | |
It’s important to have conversations and not shy away from them. The first time that we talked about race in my family, I was probably around 5 or 6. | | |
Clarissa Simmons-Cameron, a co-coordinator and former elementary educator, added: “Picture books are always a good way to have any kind of courageous conversations. Our children are smart enough to be able to have those conversations.” | |
Donate to the Zinn Education Project | |
Teachers are under attack for teaching truthfully about U.S. history. Please donate so that we can continue to offer free people’s history lessons and resources, and defend teachers’ right to use them. | | | | |
