Black Lives Matter and Music (Library of Congress webcast)

The recent tragic deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery have left us more determined to work productively and peacefully against racism and oppression in society. 

As educators, we are committed to imparting to our students lessons which build empathy and foster civic values. We further encourage students to reflect on how their actions – and inactions – contribute to the kind of world in which we wish to live. 

The resources provided here will hopefully make possible a deeper exploration of the history and legacies of racial oppression and enslavement in America’s past.

We are reminded of the important words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.”

In learning the lessons of the past, we can strive to stamp out racism and hate in our society.

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Educational Resources

ADL’s ultimate goal is a world in which no group or individual suffers from bias, discrimination or hate.

• George Floyd, Racism and Law Enforcement  (background article, discussion questions)

• Teaching about Racism, Violence, Inequity and the Criminal Justice System(overview & additional resources)

• When Perception and Reality Collide: Implicit Bias andRace (lesson plan)

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Educational Resources

Booklist Reading for Change

Reading for Change: Booklist Recommends Antiracism Titles for All Ages is part of an American Libraries post from Booklist Magazine. The titles address such systemic problems as white supremacy, police brutality, centuries of violence against black people. It is hoped that the books serve as catalysts for the self-reflection and group discussion that often preface effective antiracist action.

African Americans Primary Source Sets  from DPLA provide a growing collection of primary source sets with teaching guides on topics ranging from Transatlantic Slave Trade to Civil Rights Movement.

Reflecting on George Floyd's Death and Police Violence  from Facing History And Ourselves is a Teaching Guide with suggested activities & background material to empower students to think critically about history, to stand up to bigotry & hate, and to understand the impact of their choices.

Kidlit Rally for Black Lives brought together award-winning authors Kwame Alexander, Jacqueline Woodson, Jason Reynolds and other popular YA writers in a Facebook Live event on June 4, 2020. A recording is available onYouTube with additional resources for anti-racist education, parenting, and living provided on the Brown Bookshelf website.

LHS Racial Equity Collection

The Lakeview High School Racial Equity Collection consists of instructional resources, lesson plans, curriculum support, news articles. These materials help promote racial & cultural Equity in the Lakeview School District (Battle Creek, MI).

See also the LHS Library Racial Equity News Alert page and a recommended  booklist of titles on Race & Culture.

Talking about Race is a new teaching resource from the NMAAHC education department whose mission is to be a “brave space” to discuss race, equity, and inclusion.

Teaching Ideas and Resources to Help Students Make Sense of the George Floyd Protests have been provided by The Learning Network from the New York Times. Articles, essays, images, videos, graphics and podcasts are included.

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Educational Resources

In Blackface Then and Now, students learn historical context in which blackface emerged and understand why photographs in old yearbooks & use in Halloween costumes are offensive and part of centuries-old degradation of one race by another.

Confronting Anti-Black Racism from PBS LearningMedia offers free, standards-aligned digital teaching resources including videos, documents & opportunity for student reporting labs.

A project of the Southern Poverty Law Center, Teaching Tolerance strives to help teachers & schools educate children & youth to be active participants in a diverse democracy.

• Black Oppression and Resistance(lesson plan)

• Teaching About Race, Racism and Police Violence (curriculum web package)

• Teaching Tolerance Film Kits includingAn Outrage (film can be streamed online)

• Teaching Tolerance magazine Issue 58, Spring 2018 offers an insightful article on “Teaching Hard History.”

The TPS (Teaching With Primary Sources) Teachers Network is a professional social media platform designed to host and facilitate community conversations, connections, and collaborations among educators. The focus is on use of digital Library of Congress based primary sources to improve student learning. TPS members have shared these relevant posts:

• Black Codes to Black Lives Matter Website with Lesson Plan (TPS Album of resources andWeebly site withlesson plan on Institutional Racism)

• Injustice, Rage and Despair (TPS Album focusing on Racial Injustice, Civic Unrest & materials related to Washington DC 1968 & Tulsa Oklahoma 1921) 

• Searching for and Analyzing Primary Sources about difficult and controversial topics (TPS Album includes graduate student examples from NCSS 2019 Workshop)