The Storytelling Issue

Facing Ferguson Hate Symbols Sikh Captain America 3 teachable topics What you don’t know can hurt Meet a real-life superhero TTEEAACCHIHINNGG

ISSUE 49 | SPRING 2015 TTOOLELERRAANNCECETOLERANCE.ORG

THE STORYTELLING ISSUE Share the world with your students—and invite them to share theirs—through graphic novels, personal narratives, primary sources and more! A NEW FILM KIT AND TEACHER’S GUIDE FROM TEACHING TOLERANCE FREE TO SCHOOLS GRADES 6-12

SELMA THE BRIDGE TO THE BALLOT Discover the Role Educators and Students Played in Securing the Right to Vote

II TEACHING TOLERANCE A NEW FILM KIT AND TEACHER’S GUIDE FROM TEACHING TOLERANCE BRING SOCIAL JUSTICE TO YOUR CLASSROOM. TRY OUR OTHER FILM KITS

Gerda Weissmann was 15 when the Nazis came for her. ONE SURVIVOR They took all but her life. REMEMBERS Gerda Weissmann Klein’s account of surviving the Holocaust encourages

ACADEMY AWARD® WINNER BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT thoughtful classroom Teaching Tolerance and The gerda and kurT klein foundaTion presenT discussion about a difficult-to-teach topic. A film by Kary Antholis l CO-PRODUCED BY THE UNITED STATES HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL MUSEUM AND HOME BOX OFFICE Grades 6-12 streaming online

THE STORY of CÉSAR CHÁVEZ and a GREAT MOVEMENT for SOCIAL JUSTICE VIVA LA CAUSA VIVA LA CAUSA An introduction to MEETS CONTENT STANDARDS FOR SOCIAL STUDIES AND LANGUAGE ARTS, GRADES 7-12. lessons about struggles for workers’ rights—both past and present. Grades 6-12

A Time A TIME FOR JUSTICE On March 7, 1965, 600 civil rights activists gathered in Selma, for Justice Follow the civil rights america’s civil rights movement movement from Emmett Till Alabama, and attempted a journey to the state capitol, to the passing of the Voting Rights Act. ACADEMY® marching for dignity and equality. AWARD WINNER BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT SUBJECT Grades 6-12

COMPLETEStandards-based TEACHING PACKAGE teacher’s guide & FILM with 5 ready-made lessons e attack plus full-sizewith bonus classroom lesson poster • 54 miles • 1 polic •s 18 day • 2,000 U.S. Army soldiers • 900 1, National Guard troops

MIGHTY TIMES and countless stories later … THE CHILDREN’S MARCH

ACADEMY® AWARD WINNER BEST DOCUMENTARY The heroic story of the young SHORT SUBJECT … they arrived in Montgomery — and changed history. people in Birmingham, Ala., THE BRIDGE TO THE BALLOT who brought segregation to its knees. SELMA Grades 6-12 Discover the Role Educators and Students Played in Securing the Right to Vote

COMPLETE TEXT AND FILM PACKAGE FOR TEACHERS

TEACHING TOLERANCE STARTING SMALL Starting Small A tool for early-grades Teaching Tolerance in Preschool and the Early Grades educators creating classrooms in which peace, equity and justice are guiding themes. The Selma-to-Montgomery legacy includes the Professional Development sacrifices of young people whose history is seldom told. Share their stories with your students. A Student, a School and a Case that Made History BULLIED A Student, a School and a Case that Made History You can pre-order Selma: The Bridge to the Ballot One student’s ordeal at at tolerance.org/selma-bridge-to-ballot. SOUTHERN POVERTY LAW CENTER presents the hands of anti-gay bullies culminates in a message of hope. A TEACHING TOLERANCE DOCUMENTARY

The film kit and teacher’s guide will be available this winter. ALEX WILLIAMSON BY ILLUSTRATION Grades 6-12 Observe the 50th anniversary of the Selma-to-Montgomery marches with your students! Recommended for grades six and up. FREE TO EDUCATORS All kits include film and teacher’s guide. ORDER ONLINE! tolerance.org/material/orders TEACHING TOLERANCE ISSUE 49 | SPRING 2015

DEPARTMENTS 5 Perspectives 7 Letters to the Editor 9 Ask Teaching Tolerance 11 Wh y I Teach 24 34 Being optimistic is more than a character trait for Chad Donohue—it’s a guiding principle and a way of life. 13 Down the Hall Meet Becca Valdez, a media specialist whose library is a welcoming activity “hub” for the entire school. 15 Ed Café Browse a menu of ideas that honor student identities, build intergroup awareness and support diverse learners. 58 Staff Picks Our book and film reviews can help you keep your practice fresh and informed. 61 Story Corner Josh is annoyed with his grumpy neighbor, until a family member helps him find compassion. 47 50 64 One World

on the cover Graphic novels are a gold mine for critical literacy instruction! Learn how these texts can inspire students as readers and storytellers.

ILLUSTRATION BY NATE POWELL

ALL ARTICLES ARE AVAILABLE FOR EDUCATIONAL USE AT TOLERANCE.ORG/MAGAZINE/ARCHIVES. ED CAFÉ Storytelling and role-playing can make your classroom more inclusive. See page 15 to learn more!

FEATURES 20 Ferguson, U.S.A. The events surrounding the deaths of Michael Brown and others hold universal lessons. 24 Learning to be “Good” Can kindness be taught? Scientists say yes. 38 National Treasures 42 Help your students travel through time with 34 Hearing the Lions’ Story 28 Racial stress can silence children. Storytelling primary sources from the Library of Congress. can awaken their voices. 42 Doing History in Buncombe County 31 Hate in the Hallways A community gets to know its own stories—past Help erase hateful graffiti from your school. and present—through the study of slave deeds. 34 Behind the Shield 45 A Hand to Hold Meet cartoonist Vishavjit Singh, aka What do children need when personal tragedy CAPTAIN AMERICA! enters the classroom? 47 Shelter From the Storm Trauma shows many faces. Schools that recognize them can be places of healing. 50 Avatars and Activists Digital gaming reaches the next level in social justice education. 54 The Social Justice League Expand your students’ definition of “reading” with 50 54 graphic novels—stories that show and tell!

Online Exclusive! Congressman John Lewis talks to Teaching Tolerance about writing graphic novels! tolerance.org/john-lewis-video

SPRING 2015 3 TEACH FOR JUSTICE

FREE DIRECTOR Maureen B. Costello professional development DESIGN DIRECTOR Russell Estes MANAGING EDITOR Adrienne van der Valk materials from Teaching Tolerance WRITER/ASSOCIATE EDITORS Monita K. Bell, Maya Lindberg NEW MEDIA ASSISTANT Joanna Williams

SENIOR MANAGER, TEACHING AND LEARNING Sara Wicht TEACHING AND LEARNING SPECIALISTS Emily Chiariello, June Cara Christian ADMINISTRATIVE SUPPORT COORDINATOR Michele Lee ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANTS Cecile Jones, Bridget Strength FELLOW Margaret Sasser

DESIGN SENIOR DESIGNER Valerie Downes DESIGNERS Michelle Leland, Sunny Paulk, Scott Phillips, Kristina Turner DESIGN ASSISTANT Shannon Anderson

PRODUCTION ACCOUNTING OPERATIONS MANAGER Regina Jackson PURCHASING PRODUCTION COORDINATOR Kimberly Weaver

CONTRIBUTORS Choose reading for rigor and Trey Adcock, Lincoln Agnew, Andrew Aydin, Kevin Baxter, Melinda Beck, Jamila Bey, Christopher Buzelli, Sue Carloni, Teri Cettina, Chad Donohue, Jason Drwal, Matt Duffin, relevance with Appendix D: Marilyn Elias, Nina Frenkel, Jessica Rae Gordon, Joe Hansen, Peter & Maria Hoey, Jon Krause, A Tool for Selecting Diverse Texts Gracia Lam, Hope Larson, Karston Moran, Steffany Moyer, Vidhya Nagarajan, Nate Powell, tolerance.org/publication/ Jeff Rogers, Vishavjit Singh, Joe Snow, Jordan Stead, Howard Stevenson, Scott Suchmann, projectappendix-d Christina Ung, Diwang Valdez, Pam Watts, Stephen Wesson, Jim West

ADVISORY BOARD MEMBERS Lhisa Almashy, Silvestre Arcos, Anna Baldwin, Trevor Scott Barton, Jennifer Butler, Vanessa D’Egidio, Infuse identity, diversity, justice Darnell Fine, Sonia Galaviz, James Hiller, Amber Strong Makaiau, Janice McRae, Tracy Oliver-Gary, and action into your curriculum Demea Richards-Scott, Daniel Ian Rubin, Robert Sautter, Laurence Tan, Jennifer Trujillo, Katy Wagner with our Anti-bias Framework. SOUTHERN POVERTY LAW CENTER tolerance.org/anti-bias-framework CO-FOUNDERS Morris Dees, Joseph J. Levin Jr. PRESIDENT & CEO J. Richard Cohen CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER Lisa A. Sahulka Revamp your history lessons DIRECTOR OF HUMAN RESOURCES Gregory Lewis OUTREACH DIRECTOR Lecia Brooks with Civil Rights Done Right: A CHIEF COMMUNICATIONS Tool for Teaching the Movement. & DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR Wendy Via tolerance.org/publications/ civil-rights-done right SPLC BOARD OF DIRECTORS Alan B. Howard, Chair Henry L. Solano, Vice Chair Jocelyn Benson Bennett Grau Teach about mass incarceration Bryan Fair Marsha Levick with The New Jim Crow webinars Will Little James McElroy and teacher’s guide. Lida Orzeck Elden Rosenthal tolerance.org/publication/ James Rucker Ellen Sudow teaching-new-jim-crow Julian Bond, Emeritus Patricia Clark, Emeritus Joseph J. Levin, Jr., Emeritus

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FREE professional development Teaching Tolerance is mailed twice and released online three times a year at no charge to educators. materials can help you change the It is published by the Southern Poverty Law Center, a nonprofit legal and education organization. world—one student at a time! For permission to reprint articles, email us at [email protected]. SE RECY A C E L L E ISSN 1066-2847 © 2015 SOUTHERN POVERTY LAW CENTER P

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ad_working.indd 1 12/20/14 12:09 PM Perspectives “Stories can conquer fear, you know. They can make the heart bigger.” —Ben Okri

For quite some time, Teaching Today, fostering tolerance and under- Tolerance has subscribed to Emily standing feels especially critical. I am writing this on Dec. 21, just hours after Style’s view that students need texts two police officers were killed in New that are both “mirrors”—works in York City, executed by a horribly mis- which they see themselves reflected— guided individual who thought he was avenging the deaths of Eric Garner, and “windows”—opportunities to Michael Brown and others. Already, my look into the lives of others. Students social media feeds are freshly abuzz with who encounter a diverse mix of sto- recriminations, finger-pointing and hate. ries that are real and told from expe- Too much of what is being said amounts to fabricated narratives that rience can learn to turn mirrors into demonize young men of color, the police, windows and windows into mirrors. demonstrators and even our president. We desperately need to move beyond In other words, stories reflect the our new curriculum, Perspectives for a this fearful, inauthentic storytelling and essence of human experience in all its Diverse America—we decided to explore work together to see how we all operate variety. how using texts like graphic novels, within social systems that still, unfortu- About a year ago, I had the honor of cartoons and comics in the classroom nately, reflect the legacy of racism. sitting across from Representative John can do more than provide high-inter- If we are to confront and heal the Lewis in a St. Louis hotel and hearing est material to struggling readers. This wounds that divide us as a society, we him tell his story. It was one I’d known, practice can also promote social jus- must be willing to listen to stories that of course, from history books and from tice by providing counter-narratives to are not like our own, and truly hear and having read his newly released graphic traditional stories and privileging the believe them. We must do it for all stu- novel, March: Book I. But listening to voices of protagonists who are rarely dents, regardless of color, income bracket, him describe his first nonviolent sit-in depicted as heroes. national origin, religion, language profi- at a lunch counter, followed by his first Starting with John Lewis and Vishavjit ciency, ability, LGBT status or place on arrest, added layers to my understand- Singh, this issue began to take shape as a the gender spectrum. We must do it for ing. (You can see the interview online at collection of features focused on the ben- our students whose parents’ work in law tolerance.org/john-lewis-video.) efits of storytelling. Virtually every article enforcement and for our students whose Soon after, the story of a costume shows how reading, hearing and telling parents might be behind bars. We must player taking on the role of Sikh Captain stories can increase understanding, spark learn and teach them to ask each other, America came to our attention. The empathy, reduce the stress of oppression “What is it like to be you?” costume and the cartoon based on this and kindle a passion for justice. Howard Stevenson says that our character was a way Sikh American I’m proud of every issue of Teaching fears “are rooted in how little we know Vishavjit Singh could talk about his Tolerance—but this one seems, to me, about families and individuals who are own experiences with intolerance and to embody the essence of TT more than different from us.” Educators can begin explain how the world looks through the most. Storytelling is the closest thing to to erase these fears by helping the chil- eyes of someone many Americans con- walking in another’s shoes if you want to dren of this incredibly diverse gener- sider to be an outsider. see the world from someone else’s point ation speak their truths while also Since Teaching Tolerance has been of view. And that is, after all, what we at acknowledging the truths of others. focusing on literacy—it’s the basis of Teaching Tolerance encourage every day. —Maureen Costello

@Tolerance_org ILLUSTRATION BY HOPE LARSON SPRING 2015 5 TEACHING TOLERANCE COMMUNITY

THERE’S NO TIME. We get it. When you’re an educator, it’s hard to find the time to stay up on social justice issues—so let us do the work for you.

Join the Teaching Tolerance community, and we’ll keep you plugged in to anti-bias education news, resources and tips. That way when you have the rare spare minute, you’re all set to join the conversation with like-minded educators.

@Tolerance_org Facebook.com/TeachingTolerance ToleranceOrg

subscribe to our weekly newsletter at tolerance.org/signup LETTERS TO THE EDITOR 7 ASK TEACHING TOLERANCE 9 BEST OF THE BLOG 10 & 12 WHY I TEACH 11 DOWN THE HALL 13 first bell LESSONS LEARNED 14 FREE STUFF 14

Reader Exchange The launch of TT’s new anti-bias curriculum, Perspectives for a Diverse America (PDA), got educators excited!

I have already been building and using lessons; it’s great! PDA is very customizable to your diverse needs in your school and your classroom. As a teacher of diverse students in so many ways—including multiple disabilities—I have really been able to connect to so many of the resources from Teaching Tolerance. PDA is another great one. —Submitted by Robin Gray King

An exciting time for educators, Teaching Tolerance and students. How wonderful!!! Congratulations. —Submitted by Cathy Smith-Wenska

Many readers shared READY FOR FALL excellent resources for stu- moved away and I miss her opinions about TT My name is Emily Major dents to learn tolerance so much I started crying in materials—from praise for and I am a middle school and civil rights, as well as class. My children saw me Perspectives for a Diverse social studies teacher in build on their strong char- and we talked about miss- America to criticism of our Denver, Colorado. As I [got] acter qualities. ing people who go away latest immigration story. materials ready for this Thank you so much for and they told me stories of upcoming school year, I your work; it is very much how they handled it when stumbled across your web- appreciated. they felt the same way and site and the wealth of free Emily Major gave suggestions as to how lesson plans that you have VIA EMAIL I can handle it better. It made available. was endearing and defi- I am bookmarking many IT’S OK TO BE SAD nitely brought us closer and of these and am so excited [On “Create Safety by strengthened our trust in to teach them to supple- Modeling Vulnerability”] I each other. I hope it also ment my social studies love this article and agree showed them that adults content. All of these are 100%! My mom recently don’t have all the answers

@Tolerance_org SPRING 2015 7 first bell

STELLAR TWEET and that even the littlest its own horn, this blog Tolerance mag- kid has something of value entry shows misguided azine can help Amelia T. Grabowski to offer in a time of need. priorities on the part of educators under- @AmeliaTGrabow Ashley Schwartz “Teaching Tolerance.” … stand the impor- [On “On This Day”] In times VIA FACEBOOK Teaching Tolerance should tance of honoring like these, I’m esp. grateful be focused on real issues religious diversity to orgs. like @Tolerance_org REMEMBER THE ROMA around promoting toler- as well. who help us understand the It would have been ance and not giving more world and improve it. extremely welcomed if PR for TFA. IMMIGRATION Teaching Tolerance would Anonymous OVERSIGHT have brought aware- VIA TOLERANCE.ORG [On “An Educator’s Guide despite being dispro- ness to August 2, the day to the Immigration portionately affected by which the international OFFENSIVE IMAGE? Debate”] This is good, but immigration legislation, Roma (Gypsy) commu- The picture on page 8 of your one important perspective are often entirely over- nity commemorates the last magazine—for me—is excluded is how immigra- looked and excluded from Holocaust and the geno- not a “teach tolerance thing.” tion policy is experienced the decision-making pro- cide of the Roma that took Women covering their heads by Native Americans. Since cess. It would be great if place during WW2. … Roma is so un-tolerance. It has native communities were this site fought against were gassed at the ‘Gypsy nothing to do with religion. here long before the bor- that injustice by includ- Family Camp’ housed … I am offended. der, some native lands ing Native American expe- in Auschwitz. Close to Gary L. Cobb exist on both sides of the riences in immigration 250,000 Roma were killed McKinleyville, CA fences. People living in teaching resources. in death camps. … There those communities have Anonymous are numerous sources that TT RESPONDS been subjected to increas- VIA TEACHING TOLERANCE MAGAZINE ONLINE you can share regarding We use the image you ref- ing militarization and sur- the 1,000 Roma youth that erenced frequently because veillance, as well as ongo- attended the ceremony in we hear from teachers that ing harassment from law TELL US WHAT YOU THINK! Krakow this year. Please anti-Muslim sentiments enforcement and mili- Have an opinion about something help us educate. are common in schools. tia members who can’t you see in Teaching Tolerance Gina Csanyi-Robah Tolerance in schools must differentiate … Native magazine or on our website? Email VIA FACEBOOK extend beyond breaking Americans and indige- us at [email protected] with the down barriers between nous people from Central subject line “Letter to the Editor.” WRONG PRIORITIES those of difference races. America[n] or Mexican cit- Or mail a letter to 400 Washington FOR TT Our hope is that Teaching izens. These communities, Ave., Montgomery, AL 36104. [On “Teach for (a Diverse) America”] While TFA is certainly entitled to toot

Marti Molitor Teaching Tolerance has been such a positive step toward helping us, any of us, all of us, to see ourselves, others, and the world in general. As I worked with students, I learned as well. facebook.com/ teachingtolerance.org JIM WEST

8 TEACHING TOLERANCE Ask Teaching Tolerance Core mean that you endorse the Common Core? No. Teaching Tolerance provides practical and useful tools that teachers need. With the Common Core adopted by more than 40 states, millions of teachers need their materials aligned to these standards. By align- ing Perspectives to the Common Core, we’re meeting teachers where they are and making it easier for them to use the curriculum. We built Perspectives using backward planning to meet the goals and objectives of solid literacy instruction. The mod- ular design allows all educators to incorporate sound, research-based practices into their curricula. Perspectives provides options for instruction in writing, speaking and listening skills, vocab- How can I teach about gender equity when my ulary development, reading comprehension, civic students insist it is no longer an issue? They point engagement and social Q: action. The broad literacy to “women in science” programs and other initiatives as underpinnings of the cur- evidence that this problem has already been addressed. riculum make it useful for any teacher, anywhere, regardless of Common Core adoption. Ask your students what they shifting paradigm, though: Remember, too, that For more information would expect to see in a soci- Today, women outnumber most students have been about Perspectives, see ety that is completely equi- men in college, and the gap exposed to limiting mes- “3-2-1-LAUNCH!” in the table. Prompt them, if nec- is especially wide in commu- sages about what it means Fall 2014 issue of Teaching essary, to consider wages, nities of color. to be a woman or what it Tolerance. You can find it political and business lead- Try to offer honest means to be a man. See our in the magazine archives at ership and childcare respon- opportunities for stu- publication, Gender Doesn’t tolerance.org. sibilities. Be prepared with dents to reflect on the gen- Limit You, at tolerance.org data to show that gender inequities they’ve seen for ideas on how to enter der equity has, in fact, not in their own families and into the discussion. ASK TEACHING TOLERANCE! been achieved. Or, if your communities, and help Need the kind of advice and students are old enough, them to focus on the need Does the fact that expertise only Teaching ask them to research and to ensure equity for all peo- Teaching Tolerance aligned Tolerance can provide? Email report back on these topics. ple who have been histori- Perspectives for a Diverse us at [email protected] with Be ready to acknowledge a cally disadvantaged. America to the Common “Ask TT” in the subject line.

ILLUSTRATION BY VIDHYA NAGARAJAN SPRING 2015 9 first bell

BLOG 5.12.14 // DISCIPLINE AND BEHAVIOR Give the Kid a Pencil

HAVE YOU SEEN OUR BLOG LATELY? Check out some of the most talked- about blog posts. Go to tolerance.org and search for these headlines. I recently taught a university course q in Seattle for graduate students seek- Reader-Writer Exchange: Talking Circles: For ing master’s degrees in teaching. In “I respectfully, yet wholeheartedly, Restorative Justice and one lesson, our focus was on disagree. This makes me think of the Beyond creating a psychologically Chinese proverb, ‘Give a man a fish and q TEACHING TOLERANCE safe learning environ- you feed him for a day. Teach a man “You Guys”? ment for students. It was to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.’ OF THE BLOG an issue of managing stu- I believe that you are giving your stu- q dents fish. You are not teaching them dents and supplies. I posed When Educators to fish. … Helping students to become a question: Understand Race self-sufficient and intrinsically moti- and Racism If a student shows up to class vated leads to the creation of happy without a pencil, how should the and contributing members of society. q teacher respond? The Revolution Will Small groups collaborated for a “I think it’s also important to point be Tweeted few minutes. Ultimately, they came out that the article isn’t saying we up with plans involving taking some- shouldn’t strategize with kids about how to hang on to their supplies. Such thing (a shoe?) from the student DID YOU KNOW? as collateral to remind the student conversations, however, should not be DID YOU KNOW? made public, should not involve col- about the importance of having sup- lateral, should not include eye-rolling 55 percent of teach- plies, notifying parents and even and huffing [and] puffing. … The key is ers allow students to assigning classroom cleanup duty or to avoid the need to shame or call out play digital games lunch detention. for things like this. Kids don’t have it all in the classroom at “What about you, Prof?” they asked. together. We’re the adults.” least once a week. “I would give the kid a pencil,” I said. “You mean the first time?” some- GET THE FULL DISCUSSION HERE: —Games and one asked. tolerance.org/blog/give-kid-pencil Learning “Every time,” I said. Publishing Council

10 TEACHING TOLERANCE ILLUSTRATION BY MELINDA BECK Why I Teach

Chad A. Donohue teaches English language arts and social studies at a middle school in Monroe, Washington. Radical Optimism OPTIMISM IS THE BELIEF that the My seat-preparation method is A child shunned by a cruelly deliv- future holds possibilities. When jux- unoriginal, unremarkable and par- ered “taken” on the first day of my taposed to the more popular cyni- ticularly effective in middle school. class has been wounded from the cism, pessimism and sarcasm, opti- Using sticky notes, I number every start. I refuse to let this happen mism appears positively radical. But seat. I then distribute a duplicate set because I am optimistic that helping despite the fact that smiling people of numbered sticky notes as I wel- each student feel welcome will con- are often viewed with caution, radical come each child to the classroom tribute to everyone’s success. optimism is part of why I teach. for the first time; students must “Welcome to room C-8, Alejandra. Radical optimism requires that find the seats that match their num- I’m Mr. Donohue. I’m excited you are I bolster my beliefs with actions. As bers. In doing this, I protect student here. Seat 7 is yours. It has been wait- a teacher, being radically optimis- dignity by preventing the poten- ing all summer for you.” tic means I acknowledge my students tial for embarrassment or rejection. In the end, optimism is a choice I and their individual identities. I put Imagine the scene in Forrest Gump make for the sake of my students. But out a vibe that says I love what I do. I in which a young Forrest climbs is it really such a sacrifice to be opti- introduce myself to students I have onto the bus and begins the slow and mistic? In more than 20 years of teach- never met and tell them I’m happy terrifying search for a place to sit. ing, optimism has helped me at least as to see them. I introduce students to As he hears the cruel word “taken” much as it has helped my students. other students. I prepare a seat for again and again, he continues to Love is the other reason why I each student before the school year walk, wondering if there will ever be teach, and it relates to my optimism. even begins. a place for him. As a person of faith, I see beauty in

SHARE YOUR STORY What motivates you to get up each morning and serve students in our nation’s schools? We want to hear from you. Send your 600-word submission for the “Why I Teach” column to [email protected]. PHOTOGRAPHY BY JORDAN STEAD SPRING 2015 11 first bell

Jesus’ call to “love your neighbor as BLOG 8.15.14 // ACTIVISM, PREJUDICE REDUCTION, RACE AND ETHNICITY, AND TEACHING yourself.” I have been the fortunate recipient of such love. The significant adults in my life sacrificed much for #dontshoot me, showed me grace when I did not Michael Brown could have been my student. Some years ago, I taught deserve it and took the time to invest at Normandy Middle School in the school district from which “Big in me. They would not give up on me. Teaching is my way of trying to do the Mike” graduated. Students in the Normandy School District confront same for others. a host of issues and concerns that directly impact student achieve- In high school, I wasn’t sure if ment, including woefully inadequate resources and high rates of pov- I was “college material.” I enjoyed erty and crime in their neighborhoods and municipalities. … school but was generally considered This should have been a time of celebration for Brown, a young a class clown with “potential.” Every man who overcame the obstacles inherent in this flawed report card said, “Sense of humor is educational system. Despite being a credit short when enjoyable, but interferes with class- TEACHING TOLERANCE he walked in May, he received his high school diploma room control.” However, my teach- on August 1 and was scheduled to enroll at Vatterott ers were kind and patient with me. OF THE BLOG College on August 11. Instead, he lay dead in the middle In English class my junior year, we had to write a final essay on the of a city street, shot down between an auspicious end and true meaning of growing up. I am cer- a bright beginning. … tain my teacher, Mrs. Cedargreen, Healing can begin in our schools. Perhaps next year, returning expected something half-hearted and students will be using the hashtag #togetherwecanchange. humorous from me. For this assign- ment, however, I really tried. I sweated over the paper, writing and revis- ing, starting over several times. I was very nervous. I worried my teacher wouldn’t like it or that she might not take it seriously. I had uncharacteris- tically made myself vulnerable, and I didn’t know what would happen. A few anxiety-filled days later, I got my essay back. A short note was scrawled in red cursive on the cover. I stared at it for a long time. At first I thought I had someone else’s paper. The note read, “This is beautiful! What a gift you have given me to end the … and readers replied: year.” Then a large circled “A” nearby. “I am starting my 41st year teaching high school on Monday. I pray I still remember the emotional [author] Ms. Christian is right with the #togetherwecanchange. I response that came over me. I kept needed to read a positive article and thank her for this. We teachers the paper close to me for the rest have a lot of work to do and must remain hopeful.” of the day. I kept taking it out of my folder and looking again—checking to “Adults need education on understanding racism too. Just because one see if the note had changed. I didn’t is grown does not mean that he or she totally understands the concept let it get wrinkled. I didn’t fold it. of racism and its various hues. Every public agency should have profes- That was 27 years ago, and I have sional development sessions on racism, not just the children/students never forgotten it. Her sincere, car- in K-12. … We all need it.” ing words strengthened my belief in myself. It made me optimistic about GET THE FULL DISCUSSION HERE: my own future. That’s what I try to do tolerance.org/blog/dontshoot for my students. That’s why I teach. PROTEST) (FERGUSON DOVARGANES AP IMAGES/DAMIAN

12 TEACHING TOLERANCE Down the Hall

Becca Valdez is the media specialist and Web administrator at Griffin High School in Griffin, Georgia. A Place for Everyone

Becca Valdez has worked in a vari- need help—that’s where you go. That’s asking what they made on the proj- ety of library settings, but she’s par- what I enjoy about it. It’s an informa- ect you helped them with, or know- ticularly drawn to working with teens. tion resource for whatever, whether ing their taste in books so that you can Three years into her position as a it’s academic or social. I wanted to find something they’ll like. I feel like high school media specialist and Web make it a place where students can it’s a mutual relationship, that if you administrator, Valdez has cultivated come whether they have a question on respect them, they’ll respect you. a space in the school’s media center what counselor to go to; or if they’re that welcomes all students and keeps being picked on, who to go to; or what How do you know that approach them coming back for more chal- courses they need to take or how to is working? lenges, resources, technology and fun! turn a project in. I had a very close relationship with two Pakistani [sisters], and they were How do you see your role as a media How do you make the media center a both in my book club. One of them specialist fitting into the lives of high lively place where students want to be? had recently become vegetarian, and school students in particular? I try to make sure that it’s a welcom- she knew I was vegetarian, so she said My principal and I just wanted to cre- ing atmosphere. It’s not only learning that she would try to make this tradi- ate the media center as the hub of the the students’ names that makes a dif- tional dish with tofu. [She] brought school, a place where—whenever you ference; it’s having a genuine inter- me some to taste, and then I was like, est. Knowing a little bit about them “Oh, that was so great! I’d love to learn Not all educators stand at the front of a class. and being able to gauge how they’re and have you give me the recipe.” In each issue, we interview an outstanding educator who works outside the classroom. feeling that day, remembering to Then she offered to show me. She ask if they passed their driver’s test, checked with her mom and I checked

PHOTOGRAPH BY DIWANG VALDEZ SPRING 2015 13 first Bellbell

My principal and I just wanted to create Lessons Learned Our classroom resources are grade-specific the media center as the hub of the school, and align to the four domains of the Teaching a place where—whenever you need help— Tolerance Anti-bias Framework—Identity, that’s where you go. Diversity, Justice and Action. Here are four lessons most frequently visited in recent months. Find them at tolerance.org/activities. with my principal that it you’re there to help them with The Sounds of Change—Action would be OK to come over. We exactly what they need. (Elementary, Middle and High School) arranged for a night, and it was Explore the relationship between music and so fun! The sisters were show- What’s the most important culture with students—and challenge them to ing me how to make it, and part of your role as the school’s consider how music can communicate ideas their mom was also there offer- Web administrator? and effect change. ing all kinds of foods and telling That’s another way I’ve been me about them. The students able to know students, get- Maya Angelou—Identity were teaching me a few little ting to see their successes, get- (Middle and High School) words here and there in Urdu, ting to see them taking pictures Use Maya Angelou’s poem “Still I Rise” to and of course the first word I and trying to highlight it on the encourage students to reflect on their own learned was book! [school] website or Facebook— resiliency and the power that lies within or even just trying to find some their voices. How do you engage the teach- reason to take a picture. It’s been ers in your school around neat being able to be out in the Reshaping Body Image—Justice learning and using technology? school and getting to see every- (High School) I think it’s the same as with stu- thing. The website is a beast of Engage students in a conversation about dents, just trying to make sure a project to stay on top of, and where we get our ideas about body image, the that we’re inviting so that they there are so many more things impact of size bias and the value of focusing actually want to come to the that could be out there, so much on internal qualities. media center and actually want cool stuff that our students do. It to know what we have, and is enjoyable being able to spread Place as a Mirror of Self and building a relationship with everything they do. Community—Diversity teachers. I think forming that (Elementary School) relationship to make sure that DOWN THE HALL Ask students to identify which places they feel comfortable and then Know an excellent administrator, have prominence in their lives and their trying to make sure to reach librarian or counselor we should families’ lives and to find common threads out, just being aware. Try and interview? Tell us all about them at across these places. gauge where they’re at so that [email protected].

The King Center—Digital The Google Cultural The Critical Media The Langscape web- Archive features more Institute—The Civil Project provides a wealth site includes an interac- FREE STUFF! than a million primary- Rights Act of 1964 is an of tools curated to help tive map that supports source documents con- interactive timeline that students learn to decon- learning about the world’s These Web resources offer nected to the life of Martin includes narrative descrip- struct media messages 7,000 languages and the diversity-rich information Luther King Jr. Documents tions, photographs, letters about identity and experi- people who speak them. and materials for teachers. are searchable by theme and short videos that pro- ence. Visitors may browse The resource includes a (economics, global visions, gressively unveil political media artifacts as well as K-12 teacher’s guide to the integration of schools, let- and social actions that led to classroom activities and platform, complete with ters from children, nonvi- the Civil Rights Act of 1964. suggestions for align- standards-aligned class- olence) or type (articles, google.com/cultura- ing the content to the room activities. education, oral histories, linstitute/exhibit/the- Common Core. langscape.umd.edu pictures, telegrams). civil-rights-act-of-1964/ criticalmediaproject.org thekingcenter.org/archive wRSRa8FV?hl=en

14 TEACHING TOLERANCE Ed Café offers educators a menu of classroom practices and strategies. Fill up on ideas ED CAFÉ that honor student identities, promote caring relationships and support diverse learners.

Role-playing enlivens the classroom.

“I’m curious about other LIGHTS! CAMERA! LEARN! Why role-play? Role-playing stimulates and deepens authentic learning by ask- people. That’s the essence of ing students to adopt another person’s identity and experience while increas- my acting. I’m interested in ing their own self-awareness. The verbal, physical and intellectual demands of what it would be role-playing sharpen communication skills and foster development of the psy- chomotor, cognitive and emotional learning domains. Best of all, students are like to be you.” likely to remember the content knowledge they learn through role-playing –MERYL STREEP because they’re having FUN!

DID YOU KNOW? Graphic novels make up less than 5 percent DID YOU KNOW? of school library collections.

ASSOCIATED PRESS ASSOCIATED —Journal of Education

ILLUSTRATION BY JESSICA RAE GORDON SPRING 2015 15 ED CAFÉ

Use Put role-plays to work! Simulations Role-playing isn’t just about simulating scenarios. This interactive strategy Safely can be tailored to meet a variety of classroom needs. Stepping into someone else’s shoes can Model Behavior be transformative, Role-play can help establish classroom patterns and routines. Use role-play to model … but it can also be k how to use classroom resources (check out a library book, walk to the scary. Consider the restroom, use technology). emotional safety of k how to respond to conflict. all students before jumping in. k how to take turns.

DO Develop Skills provide relevant Role-play can promote social emotional skill development by … instruction for a fac- k exposing students to different interactive scenarios. tual or hypothetical scenario. k encouraging students to practice a variety of verbal response skills. k emphasizing problem solving and teamwork. allow students to respond authentically to the scenario—no Involve Observers acting necessary! Role-play can be a valuable learning experience for those looking on, too. Be sure to … enable students to k provide context for the observers as well as the role-players. independently make k discuss observers’ reactions, and note the diversity in responses. meaning from their experiences.

DON’T simulate traumatic historical events or situations like the Holocaust or slavery. provide a script or direct student reactions during the role-play. expect students to LOOKING FOR WAYS TO INCORPORATE ROLE-PLAY OR STORYTELLING IN draw from expe- YOUR CLASSROOM? Perspectives for a Diverse America offers several tasks and riences, attitudes, beliefs or skills they strategies that can help your students find their voices—at any grade level. don’t have. Look for Reader’s Theater, What Would They Say?, Poetry and Storytelling Cafe, Oral History Project and Drama for Justice, just to name a few! perspectives.tolerance.org

16 TEACHING TOLERANCE Storytelling honors student experience.

WHY INVITE STUDENTS TO TELL THEIR STORIES? Storytelling invites students to bring their identities and expertise into the classroom. This practice upends the traditional “sage on the stage” dynamic, interrupts stereotypes and fosters intergroup awareness. Giving students space to talk about personal experiences can also help them alleviate stress— whatever the source.

Stories are windows and mirrors. “The window becomes a mirror! And it is the shared humanity of our conversation that most impresses us even as we attend to our different frames of reference.” –EMILY STYLE

ILLUSTRATION BY NINA FRENKEL SPRING 2015 17 ED CAFÉ

Stories encourage understanding. “Conversations about human sameness and difference can take place during many teachable moments throughout the day.” –LOUISE DERMAN-SPARKS AND JULIE OLSEN EDWARDS

Stories break down barriers. “Listening to the stories of those who see the racial dynamic and talking about it is healing and represents a greater demonstration of ethical civility.” Bring storytelling –HOWARD STEVENSON into your classroom three ways.

k Create regular mini-opportunities for students to share their experiences with classmates. k Encourage students to tell stories that counter existing narratives. k Facilitate Serial Testimony, a sharing method developed by Peggy McIntosh. (To learn more about Serial Testimony, see the toolkit for “Unpacking the Knapsack” in our Spring 2014 issue.)

Read More Lee Ann Bell. Howard Stevenson. Louise Derman-Sparks Emily Style. Storytelling for Social Promoting Racial & Julie Olsen Edwards. “Curriculum as About Justice: Connecting Literacy in Schools: Anti-Bias Education Window & Mirror.” Narrative and Arts in Differences that Make a for Young Children and Storytelling Antiracist Teaching. Difference. Ourselves.

18 TEACHING TOLERANCE THE TEACHING TOLERANCE ANTI-BIAS FRAMEWORK DOWNLOAD A road map for anti-bias TODAY! tolerance.org/ education at every grade level anti-bias-framework The Anti-bias Framework provides a common language and organizational structure—perfect for teachers who embrace both social justice values and backward planning.

ANTI-BIAS FRAMEWORK K-2 Grade Level Outcomes and Scenarios

Anchor Code Grade Level Outcome Anti-bias Scenario Standard

Identity 1 ANTI-BIAS ID.K-2.1 FRAMEWORKI know and like who I am and can talk For show and tell, Joi brings in a about my family and myself and name picture of her family on a church some of my group identities. camping trip. “My family goes camping 3-5 Grade Level Outcomesa lot. I like and camping,” sheScenarios says. “I’m a Identity 2 ID.K-2.2 I can talk about interesting and healthy Christian, and sometimes my family Anchor ways that some people who share my goes camping with the church. I’m Code Grade Level Outcome Anti-bias Scenario Teaching Tolerance Standard group identities live their lives. also a big sister, so I have to help my parents take care of my little brother, Identity 1 ANTI-BIAS ID.3-5.1 FRAMEWORK Identity 3 ID.K-2.3 I know thatI all know my groupand like identities who I am are and canespecially whenOmar’s we mother go camping.” is serving as a part of me—buttalk about that I myam familyalways and ALL myself and chaperone on her son’s field trip. On 6-8me. Grade describe our Level various group Outcomesidentities. the bus ride, theand teacher, Scenarios Ms. Robin, overhears a conversation between Identity 2 ID.3-5.2 Identity 4 ID.K-2.4 I can feel goodI know about about myself my withoutfamily history and Omar and Peter. “What is your mother Anchorbeing meanculture or making and otherabout people current feel and past con- Code Grade Level Outcome wearing on herAnti-bias head?” Peter Scenario asks. Standardbad. tributions of people in my main identity anti-bias framework groups. “It’s called a hijab,” Omar replies. IdentityI see 1 ANTI-BIASthat ID.6-8.1 the way FRAMEWORK my familyI know and and I like do who I am and can comfort- Patrick is being raised in a traditional Identity 5 ID.K-2.5 “Many Muslim women wear them.” K-12 Anchor Standards and Domains Identity 3 ID.3-5.3things is bothI know the same thatably allas andmytalk group differentabout identities my family are and myself and Christian home. This year in Mr. from how otherpart ofpeople whodescribe Ido am, things, but our none and various Iof them group fully identities. Sanderson’s social studies class, he 9-12 Grade Level Outcomes“Why does she wear it?” and Scenarios IdentIty dIVeRSIty am interesteddescribes in both. me and this is true for other has been learning about the world’s Identity 2 ID.6-8.2 people too.I know about my family history and culture different beliefs systems. Patrick “Our religion teaches us that the hijab 1. Students will develop positive social identities 6. Students will express comfort with people who I like beingAnchor around peopleand how who I are am like connected As childrento the collective are funneling enjoys into her the company of friends from Diversity 6Identity DI.K-2.6 4 ID.3-5.4 I can feel Codegood about my Grade identity Level Outcomeis a way of being humble and modest.Anti-bias Scenario based on their membership in multiple groups are both similar to and different than them and me andStandard different fromhistory me, and and I canculture be of classroomother people on ina Monday my morning,different Ms. religions and is interested in without making someone else feel badly Muslim women wear it to show they in society. engage respectfully with all people. friendly to everyone. identity groups. Franklin overhears a conversationtheir beliefs and practices. Though he 2. Students will develop language and historical 7. Students will develop language and knowledge Identityabout 1 who ID.9-12.1 they are. I have a positivebetween view twolove of students. myself, God.” including an As part of a class project, Identity 3 ID.6-8.3 I know that overlapping identities combine remains devout, he wonders if being and cultural knowledge that affirms and to accurately and respectfully describe how awareness of and comfort with my membership Rebecca completes the following Identity 5 ID.3-5.5 I know myto family make and me I who do things I am and the that none of my curious makes him a bad Christian. accurately describes their membership in people (including themselves) are both similar I can describe some ways that I amin sim- multiple“What groups did in you society. do last weekend?” Kev- personal mission statement: “I Diversity 7 DI.K-2.7 same as andgroup different identities from on other their people own fully defines Patrick talks to his Sunday school multiple identity groups. to and different than each other and others in ilar to and different from people who in asks Lisa. am more than one identity. I will Identityand 2 groups, ID.9-12.2me and or Iany know otherI how know person. to my use family what history and culturalteacher back- Mrs. Patterson who assures 3. Students will recognize that peoples’ multiple their identity groups. share my identities and those who have “My moms took me to the zoo!” Lisa celebrate all of my in-group and I learn from home, schoolground and otherand can describe how my ownhim identity that he can be Christian and identities interact and create unique and 8. Students will respectfully express curiosity other identities. replies. out-group identities and work Identity 4 ID.6-8.4places thatI matter feel good to me.aboutis informed my many and identities shaped by and my membershipbefriend andin learn from people of complex individuals. about the history and lived experiences of to understand how they overlap know they don’tmultiple make identity me better groups. than peo- different religions as well. In fact, her I want to know about other people and “You have two moms? Do you call both to make up who I am as an 4. Students will express pride, confidence and others and will exchange ideas and beliefs in an Diversity 8Diversity DI.K-2.8 6 DI.3-5.6 I like knowingple with people other who identities. are like me Ms. Ramirez hasbest divided friend herof thirty class yearsinto is a Jewish how our lives and experiences are the of them Mom?” individual. I will not allow others healthy self-esteem without denying the value open-minded way. Identityand 3 different ID.9-12.3 from me,I knowand I treat that alleach my groupsmall identities groups forwoman and a mappingthe she grew activity. up with! Identitysame 5 and ID.6-8.5 different. “I call them Mamma Kendra and and dignity of other people. 9. Students will respond to diversity by building person withI know respect. there intersection are similarities of those and Asidentities the students create are unique gathering toto begin put me into boxes.” Rebecca Mamma Sam,” Lisa says. 5. Students will recognize traits of the dominant empathy, respect, understanding and differences aspectsbetween of mywho home I am culture andwork, that she this overhears is true for one student,explains to her peers in small- Diversity 7 DI.3-5.7 I have accurate, respectful words to de- culture, their home culture and other cultures connection. and the otherother environments people too. and culturesJoao, tell the others that he doesn’tgroup discussion that being a JUSTICEACTION I know everyonescribe has how feelings, I am similar and I to and different and understand how they negotiate their own 10. Students will examine diversity in social, Diversity 9 DI.K-2.9 I encounter, and I can be myself inwant a Jonah, a classmate who usesstudent, sister, female, Latina, IDENTITY want toIdentity get fromalong 4 people with ID.9-12.4 people who share who aremy identities DIVERSITY identity in multiple spaces. cultural, political and historical contexts diversity of settings.I express pride and confidencea wheelchair, in inmy his identity group. JustSpanish as speaker and dancer are similar to andand different those who from have me.other identities. rather than in ways that are superficial or without perceiving orMs. treating Ramirez anyone is about else to as intervene all interconnected and equally Diversity 6 DI.6-8.6 I interact with people who are similar to Darius tells Melissa that he thinks he oversimplified. inferior. and facilitate a discussion withimportant. Joao She displays her Diversity 8 DI.3-5.8I find it interestingI want to thatknowand groups different more aboutof from other me, peo- and I show respect might be gay. Melissa is taken aback. Diversity 10 DI.K-2.10 and the rest of the group, she hearspersonal mission statement on peopleIdentity believeple’s 5 different lives ID.9-12.5andto all thingsexperiences, people. andI recognizelive and I know traits of the dominant culture,She and my Darius have been close friends another student say, “Joao, Jonahthe outside of her class binder. their daily liveshow into differentask questions ways. respectfully home culture and and other cultures, andfor Imany am years. No one in Melissa’s Diversity 7 DI.6-8.7 has a lot to share with our group. It’s JUStICe ACtIOn listen carefullyI can andaccurately non-judgmentally.conscious and respectfully of how I express describe my identitycircle as identifies I as LGBT, and she feels important for us to all work together. ways that peoplemove (including between those myself) spaces. are that her family would not approve. 11. Students will recognize stereotypes and Diversity 9 DI.3-5.9 I feel connected to other people and You shouldn’t think that his physical 16. Students will express empathy when people similar to and different from each other After gathering her thoughts, she hugs relate to people as individuals rather than Diversityknow 6 how DI.9-12.6 to talk, workI and interact play withcomfortably disability and respectfully makes him with a less all importantSheri is a student ambassador, are excluded or mistreated because of their and others in their identity groups. Darius and tells him she wants him representatives of groups. identities and concern when they themselves others even when we arepeople, different whether or theymember are similar of our to or group.” different welcoming new students and Diversity 8 DI.6-8.8 I am curious and want to know more to know he can be himself with her. 12. Students will recognize unfairness on the experience bias. when we disagree. from me. showing them around the individual level (e.g., biased speech) and about other people’s histories and She just wants him to be happy with 17. Students will recognize their own Diversity 10 DI.3-5.10 school. She mentions to one new Four Anti-bias Anchorinjustice at the institutional or systemic levelStandards GradeDiversityI know 7 that DI.9-12.7lived theLevel wayexperiences, groupsI have of and the people Ilanguage ask questions and knowledge himself. to accurately Because neither knows much responsibility to stand up to exclusion, student, Kyle, that she helped PERSPECTIVES FOR A DIVERSE AMERICA >> CRITICAL PRACTICESare treated respectfully today, and the and way respectfullylisten they carefully have describe and non- how peopleabout (including what it means24 to be gay, Melissa (e.g., discrimination). prejudice and injustice. found the school’s Gay-Straight been treatedjudgmentally. in the past,myself) is a part are of both what similar to and differentaccompanies from Darius to see their 13. Students will analyze the harmful impact of 18. Students will speak up with courage and Alliance (GSA). Kyle tells her bias and injustice on the world, historically and makes them who they are.each other and others in their identityhistory groups. teacher, Mr. Gilbert, who has a respect when they or someone else has been Diversity 9 DI.6-8.9 I know I am connected to other people that he is actually transgender today. safe zone sticker on his door. hurt or wronged by bias. Diversity 8 DI.9-12.8and can relateI respectfully to them even express when wecuriosity are about the histo- and changed schools after 14. Students will recognize that power and 19. Students will make principled decisions about different or rywhen and livedwe disagree. experiences of others and exchange beginning transition. Sheri tells Domains privilege influence relationships on Outcomes provide a common him that she will be discreet when and how to take a stand against bias and ideas and beliefs in an open-minded way. interpersonal, intergroup and institutional injustice in their everyday lives and will do so Diversity 10 DI.6-8.10 I can explain how the way groups of people and assures him that the levels and consider how they have been despite negative peer or group pressure. Diversity 9 DI.9-12.9are treated today,I relate and to theand way build they connections have with other administration is welcoming. PERSPECTIVES FOR A DIVERSE AMERICA >> CRITICAL PRACTICES 26 affected by those dynamics. 20. Students will plan and carry out collective been treatedpeople in the past,by showing shapes them their empathy,group respect and Kyle recounts this story fondly at 15. Students will identify key figures and groups, action against bias and injustice in the world identity and understanding,culture. regardless of our similarities or a later meeting with the school’s seminal events and a variety of strategies and and will evaluate what strategies are most differences. counselor. allow educators languagephilosophies relevant to the history of social andeffective. illustrate what Diversity 10 DI.9-12.10 justice action and history around the world. I understand that diversity includes the impact of unequal power relations on the development of group identities and cultures. to engage a range organizational© 2013 Teaching Tolerance tolerance.org anti-biasPERSPECTIVES FOR A DIVERSE AMERICA >> CRITICAL PRACTICES attitudes 28

of anti-bias, structure. and PERSPECTIVESbehavior FOR A DIVERSE AMERICA >> CRITICAL PRACTICES may look 30 multicultural and like in the classroom. social justice issues.

“I’m creating a better curriculum because of the Anti-bias Framework. It’s making me a better teacher.” —AMY BINTLIFF, Oregon, Wisconsin tolerance.org/anti-bias-framework FALL 2014 19 FERGUSON, U.S.A.

HARDSHIPS FACED BY COMMUNITIES IN CRISIS ARE NATIONAL ISSUES WORTH TEACHING.

THE AUGUST 2014 police shooting of Michael Brown Regardless of the support or obstacles they encoun- upended the suburban town of Ferguson, Missouri, tered, teachers all over the country searched for resources and sent ripples of shock, fear, pain, anger and uncer- to help themselves and their students make sense of tainty across the country. Many educators and students what was happening. These educators recognized that learned of the tragedy as they were preparing to start a that Ferguson, Dayton, Staten Island and Cleveland are new school year—a school year delayed by over a week American cities, and that the inequities and violence that for K-12 students in the Midwestern suburb. occurred there reflect biases and systems of oppression Since last summer, three other police-related deaths that harm citizens across the country every day—includ- (John Crawford, Eric Garner and Tamir Rice—all men ing the children of color sitting in their own classrooms. or boys of color), two controversial grand jury deci- Moreover, the deaths of these men and boys remain sions and countless demonstrations across the coun- moments ripe for teaching: about how media outlets try have collectively signaled a need for national dia- cover clashes between civilians and law enforcement; logue about how identity affects outcomes when about the criminalization of communities of color; African Americans encounter law enforcement. about contrasting definitions of civil liberties; about Despite sharp differences of opinion surrounding the tensions that exist within our national dialogue these high-profile deaths—and the outcomes of the about race; and about how all of these issues influence subsequent legal proceedings—one thing is clear: U.S. the long march for freedom and equality. schools were radically unaligned Teaching Tolerance selected three in their responses. Some districts approaches to thinking and talking supported teaching about the inci- about the events of summer and fall dents; others ordered educators BY JAMILA BEY 2014 that are particularly relevant not to discuss the events at all. ILLUSTRATION BY MATT DUFFIN to educators—as practitioners in

20 TEACHING TOLERANCE SPRING 2015 21 the classroom and as citizens who care π FACT Π the events through a constitutional about all communities. The protests in Ferguson erupted on the lens. As captured by the news media 49th anniversary of the Watts Riots. and civil liberties groups, actions taken Supports and Silences by local law enforcement and officials Between the mainstream news and in response to civil unrest in Ferguson social media coverage, it has been Yet, in many classrooms, the response trampled on three First Amendment almost impossible for schools not to to the deaths of Brown, Crawford, Garner principles: (1) the right to assemble respond in some way to the tensions and Rice was silence. Educators who peaceably, (2) the freedom of the press surrounding the Brown, Crawford, shied away from these events often did and (3) the right to petition the gov- Garner and Rice cases. Many educators so because they didn’t have the kind of ernment for a redress of grievances. In immediately responded to the need for professional support that Henderson and Ferguson, New York City, Berkeley and materials that could help break through Simmons offered their colleagues—train- hundreds of other communities around the confusion and pain and allow teaching in how to address systemic racism and the country where citizens gathered ers to understand and explain the sys- privilege. Many teachers became stymied in solidarity, protesters and the media tems and dynamics surrounding each by conflicting viewpoints offered ubiq- reported mass arrests of civilians and loss and the subsequent reactions. uitously on news programs and social journalists, the imposition of nighttime After Michael Brown was killed, Dr. media. In one version of the narrative, curfews, embargos on cameras and cell Marcia Chatelain, an assistant profes- the victims bore responsibility for their phones, and the excessive use of tear sor of history at Georgetown University, deaths by virtue of their questionable gas and rubber bullets. These experi- created the #FergusonSyllabus Twitter behavior, and race was irrelevant to the ences also raised alarm about viola- campaign. Educators, activists, social outcome. In the other, law enforcement tions beyond First Amendment rights. commentators and other contribu- is a component of a larger system that Even protests that occurred off the tors used the hashtag to build a crowd- criminalizes black Americans and rou- streets have been highly scrutinized sourced set of suggested readings, dis- tinely devalues their lives. The fact that and, in some cases, put individuals at cussion topics and classroom activities both viewpoints are held so strongly in risk. In Cleveland, the police demanded related to Brown’s death and the subse- the United States is, in and of itself, a crit- an apology from the Cleveland Browns quent protests. ical conversation for educators to engage after player Andrew Hawkins wore a In District of Columbia Public in with students—and an ideal opportu- shirt calling for justice for Tamir Rice Schools (DCPS), the development of nity to practice perspective-taking. and John Crawford. Other athletes teaching materials focused instead have been criticized for wearing “I Can’t on preparing teachers to take on Civil Discourse About Civil Unrest Breathe” T-shirts in protest of the lack of such painful topics. Chancellor Kaya Many of the resources shared with the indictment in the choking death of Eric Henderson recognized that many #FergusonSyllabus hashtag address Garner. Similar critiques were levied educators needed support, particularly when discussing race and racial hierarchy with students, so she asked Dr. Robert Simmons, chief of inno- Living History vation and research for DCPS, to Several parallels can be drawn between the recent protests and moments in the write a teacher’s guide. The result U.S. civil rights movement, a fact that can help educators address this difficult of his work is a publication titled material in the classroom. “Preparing to Discuss Michael Brown Consider how these approaches to thinking about contemporary civil unrest in the Classroom.” are relevant in the context of civil rights history. How did segregation and violence As Simmons explains, “There are affect schools and students in the 1950s and ‘60s? How did civil rights leaders use multiple levers in this document that the Constitution to further their legal battles? How did protesters communicate? really help teachers think critically, What role did state-enacted violence play in the events? What role did the media but also think through their own bias, play? Educators can use questions like these to connect the past to the present their own perspective around identity and show students that social movements are possible in today’s world. [and] police brutality.” These levers To learn more about teaching the civil rights movement—past and present— include suggestions for framing class- see our publication The March Continues: Five Essential Practices for Teaching the room conversations using democratic Movement, and our professional development resource Civil Rights Done Right: A principles, techniques for gauging stu- Tool for Teaching the Movement. dents’ emotional responses and steps to encourage informed social action.

22 TEACHING TOLERANCE against teachers in Staten Island “I could be Mike Brown. see that an essay they write gets who wore T-shirts expressing seen by one or maybe 30 people support for the New York City Any one of us could be.” if you do peer sharing, but a tweet Police Department on the first can be seen by thousands,” said day of school. That a debate Barrett. “That motivates them.” arose questioning the right of these indi- news vacuum—were using communi- The ongoing virtual commentary viduals to publicly express their views cation platforms such as Twitter and angered some people and empowered makes it clear that the United States Facebook to coordinate their efforts. others. But regardless of the feelings does not have a cohesive perspective on Social media were again central to the it provoked, the prevalence of social the concept of free speech. debate when footage of police hold- media as a tool for logistical commu- In the context of a classroom, using ing Eric Garner in a chokehold sur- nication, solidarity and collective civil liberties and the judicial system as faced online, allowing the country to action-taking is a force that educa- lenses allows students to unpack ques- hear him utter the now-famous chill- tors, media researchers and activists tions raised by the deaths, the courts ing statement, “I can’t breathe.” alike acknowledge as game-changing. and the widespread civil unrest. It also Protests and vigils calling for Although they bear startling resem- challenges students to grapple with the acknowledgement of police brutal- blances to moments of the past, such fact that the most basic liberties can ity and immediate reforms in policy as the protests in Watts in 1965 and in come under assault by the very people and training occurred continuously Los Angeles in 1992, after the acquit- tasked with protecting them: elected throughout fall 2014, peaking with the tal of the four police officers tried for officials and law enforcement. It’s an grand jury decisions in the Brown and beating Rodney King, many moments opportunity that David L. Hudson Jr., Garner cases. Some were spontaneous; of the summer and fall of 2014 could a Vanderbilt University law professor others—like the “die-ins” that occurred be described as game-changing. These and First Amendment Center Scholar, in countless locations nationwide— moments sparked an urgent desire for believes could galvanize an entire gen- were highly coordinated. But a sub- change in a generation often described eration of civil and human rights advo- set of every group of protesters broad- as apathetic, and demanded conver- cates. He called recent events a “perfect cast its message via social media and sations about race in an era many blueprint for teaching the Bill of Rights.” received messages of support back. describe as post-racial. Chatelain agrees. “Educators can play Expressions of solidarity came from For educators, these moments a role in helping students to understand coast to coast and beyond. Reform- brought intense challenges as well as the world around them,” she said. “The minded individuals from as far away vital opportunities. For many young role that policing plays in their day-to- as Asia and Europe expressed support people, it changed the way they saw day lives, the role that disenfranchise- and outrage, and even offered advice on the world. ment and economic instability often may how to survive being tear gassed. T.J., a teenager currently living and play. Understanding these things through Dr. Kimberly C. Ellis, author of attending school in Ferguson, feels that the lens of our American democracy the forthcoming book The Bombastic the events in her community have fun- absolutely belongs in the classroom.” Brilliance of Black Twitter, explains damentally changed her life. “I could be how these online tools made it possible Mike Brown. Any one of us could be,” New Media and Collective Action for events that happened in a small, lit- she says. “And that he didn’t just die in #BlackLivesMatter tle-known town like Ferguson to rise to vain, that people all over the world are #DontShoot international attention almost instantly. speaking out against the way we get #IfTheyGunnedMeDown “Allyship—particularly white ally- treated, shows me that people care.” #ICantBreathe ship—along with global engagement #ShutItDown made this issue of police brutality a Bey is a journalist and speaker based in These are just a few of the most vis- global phenomenon,” she said. Washington, DC. ible examples of hashtags that gave Even young people who were not social media a central and powerful role directly involved in protests used in the action and dialogue surround- social media to express how the inci- ing the deaths of Brown, Garner, Rice dents affected them. Teachers like and Crawford. Beginning just hours Xian Barrett used Twitter to encour- Toolkit after Brown’s death in August, when age their students to practice suc- Use the U.S. Constitution to spur discussion about the events cell-phone video of his body began cinct communication about their in Ferguson. to circulate, activists on the ground emotions following the Garner deci- visit » tolerance.org/ferguson in Ferguson—operating largely in a sion. “I think most of the youth can

Research support for this story was provided by Maya Lindberg, Joanna Williams and Adrienne van der Valk. SPRING 2015 23 Learning to Be “Good”

BY JOE HANSEN ILLUSTRATION BY JOE SNOW

AFTER 20 YEARS as a teacher and counseling aide at Ala Wai try to teach character, truly, you feel like you’re not even moving the nee- Elementary School in Honolulu, Hawaii, Thomas Yos carries with dle a little bit. You think you’ve got- him something a parent once said. ¶ “He put it really nicely,” Yos ten through a really important mes- recalls. “He said, ‘Us parents want our kids to be smart. But even sage about ‘don’t hit your classmates,’ and then the next day they start hitting more than that, we want them to be good.’” each other.” Adam Grant, a professor at the development of strong moral and ethi- It’s clear that the public wants University of Pennsylvania and author cal foundations—what some call char- schools to focus on moral education. of Give and Take: Why Helping Others acter education—is not the purview of In a recent PDK/Gallup poll, 76 per- Drives Our Success, echoed this thought parents alone, Grant says; early educa- cent of respondents agreed with the in an opinion piece he wrote for The tors play a role too. Moral education is statement: “Today’s schools should New York Times, “Raising a Moral often unintentionally neglected, how- build students’ character.” And educa- Child.” In this pivotal essay, Grant ever, as teachers must increasingly tors want the same thing. As Yos points pointed to global surveys showing focus on mandates related to standards out, teaching children academic and that people tend to value caring more alignment and standardized testing. professional skills without giving them than achievement. Grant was writing “You know when your students can a moral compass is a good way to pro- about parenting, but facilitating the read and write,” says Grant. “When you duce clever criminals.

24 TEACHING TOLERANCE But how can early educators aid understand everything there is to the children commonly occur because they moral development? concept of fairness,” Killen says. “So don’t understand the concept of posi- It’s a question that requires a caveat: what we say is that a notion of fair- tive intentions with negative outcomes Moral education is not social indoc- ness evolves throughout childhood (e.g., a toy being broken accidentally). trination. Trying to hammer specific and adolescence.” With age and explicit discussion, chil- moral opinions into children’s minds This means that the preschool and dren can come to see the difference does not help them make moral deci- elementary years are times when edu- between intent and outcome and adjust sions, notes Elliot Turiel, professor and cators can make a difference. Conflict their behavior accordingly. Jerome A. Hutto chair at the University resolution is a good area of focus “Educators need to help children of California, Berkeley Graduate School during the younger end of that spec- think about issues of fairness in the of Education. trum, Killen says, noting that a child’s context of their peer interactions and “It’s not a matter of being taught val- first brushes with fairness often everyday life,” Killen says. “It’s not pun- ues by parents or teachers, but rather involve an object conflict or turn-tak- ishment and removing kids from situa- that children come to understand basic ing issue: a child has taken a toy or is tions—time-outs. Those kinds of strat- ideas about fairness, justice, rights and hogging the swings. egies are just not effective.” people’s welfare,” Turiel says. The instinct for teachers may be to Nadia Chernyak, a researcher at Most experts agree that by the age of resolve the conflict quickly and move both Brown and Harvard University, 2 or 3, children start to experience emo- on, but Killen advocates that these conducted an experiment in which tions relating to events they perceive to incidents offer learning opportunities. preschoolers could share stickers with be right or wrong. By age 4 or 5, those Explaining why an action was fair or a “sad” puppet in one of three situ- nebulous feelings start to crystallize unfair and starting a discussion where ations: children were given a costly into a fundamental sense of fairness, the child can arrive at a fair outcome choice (they could either give up the says University of Maryland develop- on his or her own is a simple but pow- sticker or keep it); a non-costly choice mental psychologist Melanie Killen. erful approach. Another is discuss- (they wouldn’t get to keep the sticker “That doesn’t mean that they ing intentions. Conflicts among young either way); or no choice (they were

SPRING 2015 25 “It’s not a matter of being taught values by parents or teachers, but rather that children come to understand basic ideas about fairness, justice, rights and people’s welfare.”

told to give it). The children were later given the choice to share again in the experiment’s second phase. “It was the children who actually got the difficult or the costly choice in the first phase who were more likely to share or shared more in the second phase,” Chernyak says. “It’s in these kinds of high-cost situations that a lot of learning can happen.” Chernyak says that educators are in a unique position to provide chil- “A really important distinction is sharing. What we take away from that is dren with opportunities to make tough that being a helper is something about that reinforcing or saying ‘that’s a good choices about sharing, and to guide the kind of person who you are,” says thing you did’ is much less effective—it their learning from these choices. University of Washington researcher can even be harmful—than making the “One of the things I think teachers Allison Master, one of the study’s child see themselves as just the kind of and parents are particularly good at is authors. “It changes it from a behavior person who helps others,” Grusec says. knowing exactly what the child is capa- that you do or you don’t do into some- Grant advocates an opposite ble of,” Chernyak says. “Once a child is thing that has implications for who you approach for dealing with uncar- at that point where they’re capable of are or who you are not.” ing behavior. He suggests the best making that difficult choice, probably Nearly 30 years ago, Joan E. Grusec approach is to express disappointment parents and educators can take advan- of the University of Toronto found sim- in the action rather than the person, tage of that.” ilar results in a study comparing 7- to explaining why the action was wrong The manner in which caring behavior 10-year-olds who were praised for shar- and how it affected others. is discussed also matters, even down to ing. The children were complimented “If you criticize bad behavior along the use of nouns versus verbs. A recent with either a noun or a verb struc- with praising character, then when you study published in Child Development ture, then given a later opportunity to express disappointment you will have found that, with 3- to 6-year-olds, donate to a canned food drive. these kids who say, ‘I am a helper, but conversations about “being a helper” “We found that the children who I did not help in this situation. I need yielded significantly more helpful had been told they were helpful peo- to repair it. I need to fix it. I need to behavior in future tasks than conversa- ple brought in a lot more than the chil- do something different in order to tions about “helping.” dren who had simply been rewarded for regain my identity as a helper.’ Those

26 TEACHING TOLERANCE two opposites are really important,” Dunham says. Killen adds things like In-group/out-group identity, he Grant says. explicit prejudice, lack of inter-group says, can be a significant moral obsta- Grant notes that praise of character contact and hierarchical unfairness to cle and an area that needs more focus appears to be most effective around that list, but notes that when children from researchers and educators. age 8, when children are developing a are given the choice between basic fair- “I would love to see more educa- stronger sense of individual identity. ness and in-group preference, they will tors focus on the circle of concern. A But children begin to separate them- typically choose fairness. lot of parents, particularly in the U.S., selves into groups based on identity “It’s very important for educators, tend to be very parochial and provin- characteristics like gender, race, eth- teachers, parents to be talking about cial in the way we teach caring values. nicity and school activities beginning [stereotypes and exclusion] explicitly,” You basically learn to care about your as early as preschool. This fact makes Killen says. “There are a lot of ways you family unit and your friends and neigh- it critical that early childhood educa- can do it; you can set this up as a discus- bors, and that’s about it. That creates tors be aware of how moral judgments sion. Present it as, ‘Hey, I’m a reporter. a really stark ‘in-group/out-group’ related to fairness, equality and group Something happened, let’s talk about divide, where children don’t learn to identity develop. it.’… Kids will talk about these things; care about those who are different from In-group preference (preference it’s just that they’re never asked.” them. That’s where most of our prob- for the group to which one belongs) Grant suggests a twist on the com- lems occur in the world.” is not in itself a negative thing, says mon classroom activity of storytelling Yarrow Dunham, a Yale University to make children think about exclusion. Hansen is a freelance writer based in professor and researcher on inter- “A common classroom activity that Portland, Oregon. group social cognition. is often used in the studies in this area “It’s initially more about ‘I like my would be something like ‘We’re going group more’ and less about ‘I like the to read a story about a child who is other group less.’ It doesn’t immedi- not inviting another child to a birth- ately become dislike for the out-group,” day party,’” Grant says. “Instead of just Toolkit Dunham says. reading the story, the class discussion Ask your students the moral Out-group dislike—the basis for should focus on ‘How do you think the of their story. visit » tolerance.org/ bias and intolerance—can develop due child who wasn’t invited felt? What’s it learning-to-be-good to polarizing factors like competition, like to be that child?’”

Learning Aloha For two decades, Thomas Yos has taught students at Honolulu’s the counseling department after years of teaching, he facili- Ala Wai Elementary School to think and act morally, but he’s tates student-led discussions about moral challenges. Generally never relied on a list of virtues or simplistic allegories like those kids set the topics: bullying, playground indiscretions or why found in old-school character education resources. Instead, Yos their parents yelled at them. Yos serves as a guide but is careful uses the power of the school environment. to allow students to come to their own conclusions about what “It’s a place where people care about each other and show happened and the right way to respond. that they do,” Yos says. “When I explain it to my elementary- “You kind of get a double-dose of character education. You’ve school students, a lot of times I use the Hawaiian word aloha, got the kids talking and reflecting on questions like bullying or which, in addition to meaning ‘hello’ and ‘goodbye,’ also means how we should treat each other. So you have character education ‘love’ and a deep connectiveness between people.” that way, and you’ve also got it by creating this community of Yos holds a doctorate in philosophy and does outreach aloha where people care for each other,” Yos says. “My approach through the University of Hawaii’s Uehiro Academy, work- is less telling kids how they should behave—saying ‘OK, these are ing with the “community of inquiry” developed by Philosophy the virtues, you should act like this’—but rather creating an envi- for Children, an international reasoning skills program. Now in ronment where these things are lived and practiced.”

SPRING 2015 27 hearing the

BYLion’s HOWARD STEVENSON ILLUSTRATION Story BY GRACIA LAM

MANY CITIZENS OF our country—including many educators— wish to believe that major symbolic societal changes (elec- tion of a black president, growing numbers of upper-class families of color) demonstrate racial progress in our nation. This is far from the truth. We have not progressed as much as we would like to believe—not for all people of color, or for those who are poor. The crippling state of American race relations is not simply a matter of morality or decay of civil rights motivation. It is mostly a matter of knowledge deficits, of skill deficits and of fear. Moral people or people who become enlightened don’t suddenly become knowledgeable. Even if we awaken to the struggles of the world, we still require practice, teaching, learning and more practice over much time before claiming does a lion learn to tell a story that isn’t to be talented, knowledgeable or competent. This is true for filtered through the distorted stereo- anything we wish to be good at, and it is true of race relations. types about lions or the subtle heroic supremacy of the hunter? Why do the The Monster of Racial Stress hunters get the press coverage and the Our deficits and fears are rooted in how little we know about lions live in zoos? families and individuals who are different from us. This racial It takes practice for children of color ignorance becomes like a monster that terrorizes the daily lives to emotionally remember, process and of people of color. People of color may not even be aware of the appreciate their own life experiences, racial stress they experience or of their triumphs in spite of the both personal and racial. The energy monster. It is human to not want to see or feel our past hurt and these young people expend to repress, pain—but can healing take place without such an examination? avoid or manage racial encounters may A West African proverb tells us, “The lion’s story will make it impossible to recount them. In never be known as long as the hunter is the one to tell it.” a country where black students are dis- This proverb serves as the thematic cry for my work. How proportionately suspended and expelled

28 TEACHING TOLERANCE all of our life experiences are univer- “The lion’s story will never be known as long sal. Racial storytelling is the first step to healing racial fear, its accompany- as the hunter is the one to tell it.” ing shame and its morbid influence. Without racial storytelling, educators, from school without due process and Racial storytelling allows us to iden- politicians, parents, law enforcement where research tells us we view black boys tify what stresses us, how we cope with and children are stuck tolerating dif- as less innocent than white boys, telling and react to racial stress and how we ferences, acquiescing to levels of racial these stories is often just too painful. hide emotionally. It undermines the avoidance rather than committing to Not knowing how racial relation- tendency to question one’s own experi- the higher ground of racial literacy and ships stress us or how we consciously ence, to belittle the experience of some- competence—of humanity. or unconsciously cope during race rela- one else, to walk arrogantly in spite of tions leads to a kind of racial illiteracy. another’s pain, to deny the racial dis- My Mother’s Story But knowing these aspects of ourselves parities of health, justice and compas- I grew up in a multicultural household allows us to change and grow. sion all around us, and to pretend that even though both of my parents were

SPRING 2015 29 African American. My mother was a us about the attitudes of whites who everyone has to be aware of the fear in the connoisseur of contemporary and his- could not hold back their disgust at our eyes of authority figures as a sign that they torical knowledge, music and literature presence. She frequently challenged the should change their behavior or else risk of the highest order, and she read volu- police when they stopped our car (which unjust treatment, threat to their future minously. She made sure that our child- frightened my brother, sister and me), or physical harm. Not everyone has to hood was full of reading and music from and while nothing negative happened manage unconscious bias that comes various cultural sources, and our second as a result of her standing up for her- from well-meaning educators who ham- home was the local library in Milton, self, that doesn’t mean it wasn’t stress- per achievement and career opportuni- Delaware. We were exposed to Jet, ful. When she would come to school, ties and outcomes for children of color. Ebony, Time, Look, Life, Reader’s Digest teachers would run to the corners of Healthy racial storytelling means and weekly newspapers. If we had lit- the school hoping not to have to deal sharing what those realities mean to tle money available, you could bet that with her. She did not play when it came us emotionally. It’s an emotional shar- books would still be on the priority list of to school if her children were being mis- ing moment that affects our physical well-being. Stereotypes are sto- While parenting racial matters is stressful for all parents, there ries of static identities. Healthy racial storytelling is about fluid identi- are different health consequences for parents of color, and thus ties and meaning-making. It encourages meaning-making and emotional there are different levels of stress that these parents experience. reattachment to a painful past, but also to a promising future relationship. Healthy things to buy. My mother’s musical expo- treated or perceived as not talented. We racial storytelling builds compassion. It sure covered classical, jazz, gospel, blues were often shielded from racial injus- reveals weakness and humility and pro- and soul, broadly defined. Stevie Wonder tice at school because my mother hov- vides the opportunity for forgiveness of was a musical staple in our house, and my ered over the place like a hawk, waiting the former and expression of the latter— brother and sister and I could recite most to pounce on any teacher who didn’t get expressions rarely seen in today’s debate of the words from (and dance feverishly it. Along the way, she made some amaz- on racial progress. in rhythm to) the entire Songs in the Key ing allies among teachers who were seri- By placing ourselves at the center of of Life album. Stevie Wonder’s music ous about teaching black children with the story of racial stress and socialization, was a racial socialization watershed, as an understanding of the stormy racial where weaknesses and strengths can be both racial calamity and racial triumph climate of the 1960s. excavated, administrators, teachers, par- were dealt with throughout his lyrics and As I grew older, I began to under- ents and students can bring a story of music. That album remains as a healing stand her burden of being the one who their own to multicultural conversations. artifact of my existence. called out the injustices of the world, Instead of feeling helpless in a multicul- I witnessed with great sadness the of the country, of the local school sys- tural context, individuals can learn how assassination and funeral of John F. tem. While parenting racial matters is to locate racial shame without pretense Kennedy, whose reputation had previ- stressful for all parents, there are differ- and choose to share rather than be devas- ously made no impression on me and my ent health consequences for parents of tated by feelings of shame and reticence. siblings, as we were children at the time. color, and thus there are different levels By telling our racial stories, we can But our mother’s sadness struck me of stress that these parents experience. observe and silence the monster within powerfully. At five, I knew his death was us and engage rather than avoid racial a monumental event because I remem- Hearing the Lion difference—and begin to hear the lions. ber her words of sorrow and tears of My mother’s story is both unique and pain and fear that if they could shoot the common. Many parents struggle with the Stevenson is a professor of urban edu- president over his efforts to fight racial stress of parenting children within hos- cation and Africana studies at the injustice, then no black child was safe. tile neighborhoods and surroundings, University of Pennsylvania. Her black children were not safe. She where their stress compounds because worried constantly about the insidious- others don’t know about it. Not every- ness of and acquiescence to racial dis- one has to worry whether police offi- parity and hierarchy. This was stressful. cers will view them, their friends or Toolkit In our travels to supermarkets, their children as menaces to society— Reflect on your own racial story. libraries and other public establish- or shoot them without due process— visit » tolerance.org/hearing-lions ments, my mother was keen on teaching because of the color of their skin. Not

30 TEACHING TOLERANCE HATE in the Hallways Recognizing the history of defamatory symbols can help schools see FEWER of them.

BY MARILYN ELIAS ILLUSTRATION BY LINCOLN AGNEW

Two pink swastikas and a racist epithet are painted on the entrance to Martin Avenue Elementary School in Bellmore, New York. ¶ Students at a Springfield, Missouri, high school defy school policy by wearing T-shirts bearing the Confederate flag to memorialize a recently deceased classmate who had embraced the flag as part of his Southern heritage. ¶ A private Islamic school in Bellevue, Washington, is vandalized repeatedly with hateful graffiti, leading some parents to feel their children are not safe on campus.

SPRING 2015 31 IT IS IMPOSSIBLE to know exactly how The targeted students—and others many incidents of hateful graffiti and belonging to targeted identity groups— other defamatory behavior occur in receive the message that returning to schools every year—but they do, in business as usual is more important than schools and communities of every size, providing them a safe place to learn. In location and description. Whether it’s addition, the opportunity to educate the someone scrawling a swastika on a offending students is lost. Fighting Hate locker or kids coming to school in But many educators and students With Love blackface for Halloween, school lead- realize neither the horrific origin of ers struggle with how to react construc- some of these symbols and words, nor Tracy Hobbs tells of an tively when students denigrate or vilify how they’re used now to sow hatred and incident at Lake Orion the identities of other students through intimidation. Here are some examples High School in Lake images or symbols. of hate symbols that commonly appear Orion, Michigan, that Disagreement over how to respond in schools, with a descriptions of their illustrates how a whole to hateful symbols often stems from history and current usage. school can be marshaled ignorance about how much children are in healing from hate- really affected by these incidents. The Lightning Bolts ful acts. He was a faculty fact is, encounters with hostile graffiti in Two slanted vertical bolts, popular advisor for the school’s the school environment can significantly emblems of current white suprema- gay-straight alliance hinder students’ mental health and aca- cist groups, originally were the sym- when someone broke demic progress, reports child psycholo- bol of Hitler’s bodyguards. They grew into the club’s campus gist Lori Evans, Ph.D., of the Child Study to represent “an unholy trinity, the showcase and stole its Center at New York University Langone worst aspects of Nazism,” according rainbow flag. Later that Medical Center. If a student identifies as to Mark Pitcavage, Ph.D., director of day, the flag appeared in part of a targeted group—be it racial, reli- investigative research for the Anti- a common area, shred- gious or LGBT-identified—these experi- Defamation League. The emblems were ded, and marked with ences can trigger anxiety and depres- worn by concentration camp guards, the words “Fags must sion, even in children with no prior men- Waffen-SS (the elite military units) die.” The principal had tal health issues, says Evans. “We’ve seen and the Gestapo (Hitler’s secret police). it removed immediately these kids here. Unless the school reacts and then met with con- in a way that ensures the school commu- Swastika cerned students and the nity is behind him and he’s safe, he can Linked historically to many differ- faculty advisers. They feel very intimidated.” ent cultures and religions—Buddhist, set up a table in the Some school staff may wish to keep Hindu, Native American—with var- commons the next day, hateful graffiti incidents as low pro- ied spiritual meanings, the swastika decorated it with rain- file as possible, disciplining the offend- became the insignia of right-wing bow balloons and dis- ers (if they can be found) and moving on German nationalists in the early 20th tributed pledge cards quickly. The choice to respond this way century. Nazis then embraced it in the reading, “I do not toler- means that the adults responsible for the 1920s, and it became the major symbol ate hate at my school.” safety of all students never acknowledge of Nazi Germany. It’s a trademark of More than 700 stu- the role identity played in the incident. neo-Nazi groups worldwide. dents signed the cards. The two students who defaced the flag were caught and suspended, but the bigger lesson was Responding to Hate that their classmates Don’t wait to find hateful graffiti before making a overwhelmingly rejected response plan. Teaching Tolerance’s publication their bigotry. Responding to Hate and Bias at School can help you be proactive before, during and after such an incident. Look for it on the Publications page at tolerance.org.

32 TEACHING TOLERANCE LIGHTNING BOLTS swastika confederate flag celtic cross

Confederate Flag 1882 and 1951, an estimated 4,730 people Recurrent or particularly dramatic inci- One of many flags used by Southern sol- were lynched in the United States (many dents may merit a press conference. diers during the Civil War, the flag known sources argue that the actual number Even very young children should as the Southern Cross emerged as the is much higher); the vast majority were understand what has happened the wake most popular and became the key symbol African American. White individuals of a symbolic hate incident, says Frances of the Confederacy. After the war, it was were rarely sentenced for their participa- Bennett, principal at Martin Avenue an icon of Southern pride. At the 1948 tion in lynchings and, if so, were usually Elementary. Teachers should assess how breakaway Dixiecrat political conven- pardoned. Lynchings peaked in 1892, but much the students already know and tion favoring segregation, the flag became continued well into the 1980s. explain why what they saw was inappro- the group’s informal banner and then priate. “We go into the historic aspects for became linked with the battle against Blackface Costumes older kids,” says Bennett. She talks to the racial integration, according to The An outgrowth of European shows and child who created the symbol, explaining Confederate Battle Flag: America’s Most carnivals featuring masked charac- why it’s hurtful, and always calls in par- Embattled Emblem by John M. Coski. ters, minstrel shows were a mainstay ents. “They may say, ‘Oh, he didn’t mean Some Southern residents still use the of 19th-century entertainment in the it in that way.’ But I make sure parents Confederate flag to honor their heritage, United States. White performers used know the seriousness of this, and that as says Pitcavage, “but they may not under- burnt cork to blacken their faces and the child moves on, it could get more seri- stand the offensive effect this flag has on mockingly portray slaves or rural blacks. ous.” The North Bellmore Public Schools people. The Confederacy was formed in They performed caricature-packed com- district has a character education program order to protect and maintain the institu- edy skits, music and dancing that rid- that focuses on a different character trait tion of slavery.” The flag is currently used iculed African Americans as lazy, stu- each month; Bennett points outs that by the Ku Klux Klan; the white suprem- pid buffoons. Blackface costumes today hate symbol incidents can often prompt acist Council of Conservative Citizens evoke bitter memories of the once-cel- “teachable moments” anchored to a char- (which has referred to African Americans ebrated humiliation and degradation of acter trait the students have studied. as “a retrograde species of humanity”); African Americans. School psychologist Tracy Hobbs and the League of the South (which advo- agrees that, when hate symbols surface, cates for a second Southern secession Celtic Cross capitalizing on teachable moments in and a Christian theocratic society domi- Originally an ancient symbol of Irish the short term translates into preven- nated by European Americans). Celtic pride, the Celtic Cross is shaped like tion in the long term. a rectangular cross over a circle. A mod- “If you discipline a kid, it’s affect- Nooses/Lynching Re-enactments ern version featuring a square cross over ing that kid,” says Hobbs. “If you turn After the Civil War ended slavery, lynching a circle is a prominent emblem of white it into a teaching moment and educate became a key tactic whites supremacists supremacy. It is the logo of Stormfront, the whole student body about some- used to intimidate and attempt to control the oldest and, for years, most heavily thing, you can affect everyone.” African Americans, especially in south- trafficked white supremacist website. ern and border states. Lynchings were Elias is a freelance writer in Los Angeles, ostensibly perpetrated against individu- The sudden appearance of hateful graf- California. als who had committed crimes, although fiti or symbols can present a learn- the charges were largely fabricated. The ing opportunity for the whole school true intent of these often public acts of community. Clear information about torture and murder was not to pursue jus- how to identify the symbol and what Toolkit tice but to send the message that African it means promptly given to staff, Help your students counteract hate with symbols that express Americans were unsafe and unprotected students and parents—perhaps compassion and justice. in their communities, and that just being even posted on the school website— visit » tolerance.org/ black was punishable by death. Between can quell rumors and speculation. hate-in-hallways

SPRING 2015 33 34 TEACHING TOLERANCE AN INTERVIEW WITH SIKH CAPTAIN AMERICA BEHIND THETHE SHIELD INTERVIEW CONDUCTED BY ADRIENNE VAN DER VALK

Vishavjit Singh is an engineer, writer, educator, activist, costume player and the artist behind Sikhtoons.com. A crusader for cross-cultural understanding, this real-life superhero spoke with Teaching Tolerance about using his powers to dispel myths about Sikhs and to encourage a new generation of comic book artists to share their stories.

How did you come to cartooning? to create too many other cartoons with Sikhs or For me cartooning really came out of a tragedy: 9/11. somebody who looks like me. Maybe I should For America it was life-changing, and for me, I was start doing it!” So I started creating cartoons, and the target of so much hate and bias. One of the first months later created a website, Sikhtoons.com, to victims killed in a hate-crime wave after 9/11 was a house all my work. Sikh out in Arizona. And I personally know friends Since then, I have been creating cartoons who were taken out of trains, who were chased off inspired by the news or my own experiences highways by people, so it was a rough time. focusing on Sikhs in America, Canada, wherever. And I remember a few weeks after 9/11 there And I got a global fan base because it’s just one of was this cartoonist, Mark Fiore. He created a car- those art forms that hasn’t really existed within toon called “Find the Terrorist,” and it was basi- certain communities. Most people don’t see tur- cally these rotating animated images where he was baned, bearded characters in cartoons. trying to make the point that you have Muslims or Hispanics or Sikhs, a lot of different shades of Tell the story of how you transformed yourself brown people in the U.S., [who] are not terrorists. into Sikh Captain America. Something just got inside my head, and I said, It was a purely accidental journey. Three years “OK, Mark did it once, but he’s probably not going ago, I made my first trip to New York City Comic

INTERVIEW CONDUCTED BY ADRIENNE VAN DER VALK PHOTOGRAPHY BY KARSTON MORAN SPRING 2015 35 “I WANT YOU TO THINK ABOUT PEOPLE YOU LOOK UP TO. CREATE SUPERHEROES OUT OF THEM.”

at this point, I was like, “Well ...” I was still uncomfortable. I have body-image problems, which we usually don’t associate with men. But I just felt circumstances had changed, so I said “Sure, why not.” The photographer bought this costume for me. I was so uncomfortable; I was like, “Man, this is not going to work.” I actually went to Sports Authority to buy padding that they use for baseball and football to see if I could somehow stuff it under my costume and make myself look big. My wife [said], “If you’re going to do Captain America, you go out as who you are.” So I stepped out. I was super ner- Con as an exhibitor. I knew I had this brand-new audience; vous because I’m thinking, “OK, I’m skinny and I’m wearing most of them probably don’t know who I am. They presume, this skintight costume, and on top of that, I am turbaned as many people do when they see me with my turban and a and bearded. I don’t know how people [will] respond to it.” beard, [that] I’m not American, I’m not from here. As it turned out, I was just amazed how well people received So I thought, I have to create a marketing kind of poster that me. It blew me away. I had police officers that came up to me to is going to sit behind my booth to somehow visually tell people, take photos. I got pulled into weddings, wedding parties, pro- “Hey, look at my work, come over and let’s have a conversation.” fessional photo shoots, people being like “Hey, can we take a This is the summer when the firstCaptain America movie photo with you?” So there was a transformation that I’ve never came out, and I was like, you know what? There’s not a more experienced as a turbaned and bearded man because people American superhero than Captain America. I’ll create this usually act sort of scared, or apprehensive. So this was like illustration of a Sikh Captain America, a guy with a turban somebody had flipped a switch, and suddenly—I mean, peo- and beard, and a really catchy caption: “Let’s kick some intol- ple were hugging me! So yeah, it was quite a transformation. erant ass!” People loved it. I had tons of people taking photos and Why do you think people are so drawn to Sikh Captain America? coming over to ask me, “Hey, so who are you? What are I think it’s a couple of elements. One is comics are a very you doing?” American creation. They do exist in other parts of the world, A photographer was passing by and she was working on but we are a young nation; we don’t have our own mythol- photography project to capture Sikhs in America just doing ogy. A lot of us grew up with comics and, in many ways, for normal things, [being] farmers, mothers, fathers, whatever us comic books are an essential mythology that we have. And they do. In passing she mentioned to me, “Maybe next year a lot of comic books and superhero characters were created you should come back to the comic con in the costume.” And by immigrants who were Jewish, who were escaping per- I flat out said, “No way.” secution in Europe. I think there’s a certain fascination we I’ve been bullied as a skinny boy all my life, so I could not have with these superhero-like characters who single-hand- envision myself wearing a costume. Then a year passed by, and edly go do amazing things and fight bad guys and bad voices. the Milwaukee massacre happened at a Sikh temple. I wrote So that’s one element. And then, of course, it’s Captain an op-ed piece in The Seattle Times making the argument that America, who is the quintessential American superhero. And we need a superhero in comic books who fights hate crimes. when [people] see me, they don’t expect a turbaned little guy And the photographer happened to read that piece and in the Captain America costume. They realize that they per- she came back to me by email and said, “This is a wonder- ceive me on the negative side of the spectrum—and then, ful piece—would you reconsider your decision?” And then suddenly, when they see Captain America, they are forced

36 TEACHING TOLERANCE to kind of see, “Hey, maybe this is his expression of patrio- black Captain America or a turbaned, bearded Captain America. tism: He is as American as we are!” And I guess people also Captain America is an imaginary character; he’s fic- see the point that “American” is not defined by looks. There tional, right? And yet when I don that uniform and I go out, is no such thing as an American look. We come in all hues it becomes this real thing where I am breaking people’s ste- and shapes and sizes. reotypes and it’s creating these stories. It’s a fictional image, but when we see it [there’s] a real-life transformation. And Why do you think young kids at your workshops then tomorrow if you see a cop who happens to have a turban react so well to you? and beard after having seen the cartoon, you’d be like, “Yeah All kids are a little different, [but] they’re just absolutely sure, why not?” And this is not something you necessarily mesmerized by the fact that I have a shield with me. And verbalize, but subconsciously you make that connection. they’re so honest—they’re like, “I don’t have a problem with [So], it’s the power of images of course, but I think it’s also the turban, I don’t have a problem with the beard, he just that behind those images is the shared experience. Because needs to kind of bulk up, and maybe have better shoes.” if you look beyond and—I like to call it a story, right?—if you One thing that I do with kids is I usually ask them, “Where asked somebody where you are from, they will give you an do you think I’m from?” answer. If you ask me, And most kids, they “Just tell me a little bit don’t say I’m from about yourself,” I’ll say, here, they all have dif- “My name is Vish, I’m a ferent ideas. “Africa!” cartoonist.” But if I tell “Asia!” And when I tell you my life story, then them that I was actually you’re going to make a born here, they’re like, lot of connections. “Really?” And the amaz- And so the key is ing thing is that this sharing those stories. comes from kids who And sometimes you are of all ages and back- can do that in a single grounds, some of them image. And people con- not even born here in nect to that. the U.S. Unfortunately, we live in that reality How would you like to see your art and activism change where being turbaned and bearded is kind of seen as this ulti- the world? mate other. One message I have for people is that we can all be superheroes I do interactive workshops where I showcase some of and we can all get out of our comfort zones. There are moments my work, and then I ask the participants, anywhere from 3- in life when you have to get out on a limb, and I think it’s or 4-year-olds to teenagers, “I want you to create cartoon important that we take the opportunities. illustrations. I want you to use your imagination and I want And that’s what I tried with my art. My hope certainly is that you to personalize it, meaning I want you to think about my work—my cartoons, my costume play performance, social your sphere of circles: family, friends, teachers, people who experiments—can inspire others to realize that there’s a lot of inspire you or who you look up to. Create superheroes out potential they have. Perhaps they can get out of their comfort of them, create comic characters out of them.” zone and they can create something, they can make change. I want them to [know], “If I can do cartooning, certainly But in shifting people’s perceptions, you might disagree you can do it too.” And then I also showcase my work, which with them, but at the same time you realize, “Wow, they’re is very personal at times in my own life. My message to these able to tell a story through their cartoons.” And my hope is guys is, “Create work in words or in pictures that are informed that down the horizon that we can at least say, “Even if you by your life. Bring your story into it.” don’t agree with the perspective, that it can exist there and it’s OK for it to exist.” The key for us is to be able to express How does the style of art you do work with the messaging ourselves and listen to each other. you put out there? I think for a lot of kids and even adults, they might not realize Use Sikhtoons to discuss religious diversity and identity with it, but just by seeing [an] image on a poster or on a computer your students! You can find a selection of student-friendly screen, it goes in our subconscious and it’s like this new data ’toons in the Perspectives for a Diverse America Central Text point that creates a new universe where now we can envision a Anthology, available at perspectives.tolerance.org.

TOOLKIT Who are the superheroes in your classroom? visit » tolerance.org/behind-the-shield SPRING 2015 37 National TREASURES

A BLACK FLAG emblazoned with stark white letters that read, “A MAN WAS LYNCHED YESTERDAY.” A newspaper article written by a suffragist on hunger strike describ- ing being force-fed by her jailers. Photographs of weary children on a poster under- neath the title “Nearly Two Million Child Workers Under Sixteen Years To-day.”

All of these objects are powerful records primary sources represent history at of some of the country’s great social jus- its most personal. Engaging with these tice movements. They are primary sources, unique artifacts in an informed and the raw materials of history. critical way empowers students not Primary sources are documents or only to grapple with the richness and objects that were created during the complexity of history, but also to bring time under study, often by participants the voices of the past to bear on the in or eyewitnesses to historic events. issues of today. These windows into the past are excellent teaching tools for engaging stu- Discovering Primary Sources dents with complex subjects, while also One of the world’s richest sources of supporting the development of high- primary source documents is available er-order thinking skills. at students’ and teachers’ fingertips: By preserving evidence of the the website of the Library of Congress, actions, voices and daily lives of social loc.gov. The Library’s online collec- justice advocates and everyday people, tions span centuries of human history

38 TEACHING TOLERANCE Unlock the history of struggle and progress with primary sources from the Library of Congress. National BY STEPHEN WESSON TREASURES

and include millions of items in a wide history, establishing a connection that in civic life and have particular rel- variety of formats: handwritten letters, allows students to navigate distant or evance for students investigating sheet music, photographs, oral histo- challenging subject matter. social justice issues and movements ries, maps, films and more. DEVELOP CRITICAL THINKING SKILLS. By across disciplines. Rebecca Newland, the Library of analyzing primary sources, students The United States is the country it Congress 2013-14 teacher in residence, move from making concrete observa- is today only because of the concerted has placed primary sources at the core tions to questioning and making infer- efforts of engaged, informed citizens. of her instruction in multiple settings, ences about the materials and the role Through the study of materials they from the English classroom to her mid- they played in history. left behind, students can really learn dle school library. “Engaging students CONSTRUCT KNOWLEDGE. Including how it came to be. Analyzing primary with primary sources immerses them primary documents in the curriculum sources requires students to observe in historical study in a way that nothing encourages students to discern the and question each document or arti- else but a time machine could achieve,” context in which they were created, fact, applying an informed skepticism Newland says. synthesize information from multiple about its purpose and the perspective The “time machine” offered by pri- sources and form reasoned conclusions of its creator(s). No single document mary sources invites students to ask based on a variety of evidence. tells the entire story of any event, and questions that beg answers—and moti- students seeking a definitive account vates them to seek those answers. In this Primary Sources and Social Justice will quickly find themselves weighing mode of inquiry, many students will: The types of higher-order skills sup- multiple, often contradictory, points of ENGAGE WITH CONTENT. Examining ported by working with primary view. At the same time, many histori- materials from the past personalizes sources are critical to participation cal movements, events and even entire

SPRING 2015 39 Beginning this month, Teaching Tolerance and the Library of Congress are offering a new FREE webinar series! Register now for great suggestions on teaching with primary sources that illuminate unjust laws and practices prior to the Civil Rights Act of 1964. http://bit.do/civilrights

populations are woefully underdocu- and noting details; reflect on the item, mented; the few firsthand accounts or generating and testing hypotheses about traces that do exist invite students to what they see; or, ask questions, leading draw lessons from the silences as well them back to the item or launching new as from the artifacts themselves. investigations and further research. Working with primary sources These responses don’t need to come in reveals the partial and incomplete a particular order. A reflection leads to an nature of history and helps students observation, which might prompt ques- see the power that they tions, which could drive the student back themselves have to to make more observations or reflections. complicate and expand Encouraging student analysis through current understanding the lens of social justice invites them to of the past. In addition, reflect on point of view—not only that close examination of of the item’s creator but also of other the documents left individuals who interacted with the behind by social justice item. For example, consider questions advocates from his- a student might ask in response to this tory, such as crusaders exhibit panel. for women’s suffrage k Who are the children in this poster? or the anti-lynching k Why do they look the way they do? movement, makes con- k What points were the creators of this crete the debates, tac- poster trying to make? tics and personalities of k Why did they select the images they earlier struggles. These did? traces and testimonies k Why did they add the words they did? of activists from the past also empower k Who were they trying to reach with students, reminding them that substan- this poster? tive social change is possible, however By recording their thinking, gener- daunting the task may seem. ating a set of reflections supported by concrete observations and posing ques- SKILLS AND TECHNIQUES tions, students will create an intellec- Primary Source Analysis tual foundation and a blueprint to A good way for educators to launch stu- guide further research. dents into the exploration of primary sources is with a simple primary source Sourcing and Contextualizing analysis. The Library of Congress’ After students become familiar with pri- Primary Source Analysis Tool (loc.gov/ mary source analysis, they can explore teachers/primary-source-analysis-tool/) primary sources more deeply to seek is a graphic organizer that helps students answers. Two important strategies engage with any kind of primary source for engaging critically with a primary (e.g., a photo, map, movie or manuscript) source are sourcing the document— and record their responses in a way that thinking about the document’s creator— helps them build understanding. and contextualizing the document—sit- When students analyze a primary uating it within time and place. source, they respond to it in a number Working with primary sources car- of ways: observe the item, identifying ries with it the risk that students will GETTY IMAGES (FLAG); LIBRARY OF CONGRESS (HISTORICAL IMAGES) (HISTORICAL OF CONGRESS (FLAG); LIBRARY GETTY IMAGES

40 TEACHING TOLERANCE assign the authoritative version of an context influence possible responses event or situation to a single artifact or to the portrayals of African-American account. Even though primary sources voters seen in the two images? What were often created by participants in or biases might they identify in both eyewitnesses to significant events, each images? How could students use each item still comes with its own context and of these documents as evidence to sup- history and requires students to evalu- port their conclusions? ate it carefully in light of background Sourcing and contextualizing histor- information and other accounts. ical artifacts that express a wide range of Students can ask a series of questions viewpoints help students deepen their to help them source and contextualize: understanding of an event or era. The k Who created the item? questions that arise can also help them k What role did the creator have in the identify topics for further investigation event(s) referenced by the item? across subject areas and disciplines. k Who else played important roles in the event(s)? Inspiring Research Questions k Who was the item’s intended audience? Historical primary sources often k What was the item’s intended purpose? include long-forgotten language, atti- k What was happening when the item tudes and arguments, fostering curi- Find tools to help was created? osity among students that can be har- unlock the potential The primary source itself and the nessed to direct and focus research. of primary sources on bibliographic record may offer answers After students analyze primary the Library of Congress to some of these questions. (Most items sources and investigate the sources and website for teachers, in the online collections of the Library contexts of each, they will be prepared loc.gov/teachers. This of Congress are accompanied by a bib- to formulate hypotheses and identify page brings together liographic record. Look for the “About research questions to help drive their primary source analy- This Item” link.) investigations. For example, students sis tools, lesson plans, Consider this example of a sourcing working with “The Constitutional primary source sets, and context exercise, based on the poster Amendment!” and “The First Vote” professional develop- “The Constitutional Amendment!” could begin by asking how each document and interactive Educators could begin by invit- ments advances a different position. e-books in one place— ing students to analyze the poster They could also speculate about other and all for free. and asking how it adds to their under- possible positions in the debate over the standing of the struggle for African- rights of black citizens to vote and iden- American suffrage in the years follow- tify strategies for finding other primary ing the Civil War. Students could then sources that deepen their understand- apply the sourcing and contextualizing ing of a complex period in U.S. history. questions, and consult the poster’s bib- By developing research questions liographic record to address any that based on primary source analysis, remain unanswered. students not only build their critical Students could then compare “The thinking and inquiry skills, but they Constitutional Amendment!” to a con- may be inspired to apply what they’ve trasting document, the engraving “The learned to social justice pursuits of First Vote.” They could begin the com- their own. This is yet another way the parison by applying the same sourcing “time machine” of primary sources and contextualizing questions to “The can positively affect young people. First Vote” that they applied to “The Teaching with primary sources today Constitutional Amendment!”. may inspire the social justice leaders Toolkit What additional details might stu- of the future. Give your students the skills to read primary sources and better under- dents discover when answering ques- stand change throughout history. tions about source and context? How Wesson is an educational resource visit » tolerance.org/ does thinking about source and the specialist at the Library of Congress. national-treasures

SPRING 2015 41 g Histo Doin ry

CCountyD

a North Carolina community looks backward—and inward—after discovering a collection of slave deeds.

dBy Trey Adcocke o

ach year, thousands of North Carolina students study historical empathy and agency. So in 1997, when local real slavery as part of the North Carolina and U.S. history estate attorney Marc Rudow told her he had stumbled on a curriculum. It’s not an easy topic—in fact, many edu- collection of slave deeds while researching a parcel of land E cators shy away from teaching about slavery beyond at the Buncombe County Register of Deeds, she was eager to the bare minimum requirements. But in Buncombe County, use them with students. Slave deeds are bills of sale. Enslaved North Carolina, the chance discovery of a cache of slave people were considered property, and any transfer of property deeds led to an opportunity for students to move beyond was recorded between 1792 and 1865 when slavery was abol- textbooks and worksheets and connect with individuals who ished. The cache Rudow found included more than 350 deeds. lived in their own community during slavery. It didn’t make With support from the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation, the topic any easier, but it did lead to a community-wide col- Miles organized a summer internship project for 10 high laboration that has connected Buncombe residents more school and college students. The students worked long deeply to their past and made them participants hours poring over the records, digitizing the doc- in history. uments and providing an initial analysis of each deed. Through this process they began The Buncombe County Slave to better understand both the human Deeds Project face of slavery and the dehumanizing Fostering agency is a central compo- practice of treating people as prop- nent of social justice education. But erty, all while developing the skills before students can see themselves of professional historians. “[They] as agents, they must see themselves became the diggers of history, not as creators of history and connect just passive recipients,” recalls with historical struggles—and peo- Miles. “They made history and set ples—of the past. in motion a chain of events that is Deborah Miles, director of still unfolding.” the University of North Carolina It wasn’t long before Eric Grant, a at Asheville’s Center for Diversity curriculum specialist for the Buncombe Education, knew that primary sources County Schools district, took note of the are an excellent vehicle for promoting project and extended its reach. Grant, Sarah G g ud Meetin ger The power of the deeds project can be seen in the story of Sarah Gudger. She was born into slavery in 1816 near Old Fort, North Carolina, and lived to be 122 years old. One of the most compelling discoveries in the Buncombe County Register of Deeds office was the original deed documenting her ownership, allowing for new possible narratives and perspectives of her life. (More of her story can be found at the Slave Narratives from the Federal Writers’ Project.) Drew Reisinger reflects, “Finding Sarah Gudger’s bill of sale was significant for me because I’ve seen Sarah’s picture, and I have read her interview in the Library of Congress Slave Narratives. It is her story that shows me what life was like in Buncombe County for a slave, and the connection between that story and the documents recorded in this office brought home to me the magnitude of history that sits on our shelves.”

SPRING 2015 43 working with students at a local alterna- confronted with some grotesque facts— tive program for high school juniors and “I am holding the relative price of a young man ver- seniors, used an array of Google tools to sus a young female, the sale of an entire magnify and manipulate the digitized family, that some of the names are deeds for transcription. Grant’s students listed on wills alongside the exchange begin to recognize names: Woodfin, someone’s life of furniture. Recognition of this is pow- Merrimon and Vance. These names mark erful and becomes personal.” the roads the kids travelled on their way He recalls a time when one of the to and from school every day—and they students, who had often struggled in were the names of slaveholders. The con- school, looked up from a deed he’d been nection flipped a light switch: Students in my hands.” working on and marvelled, “I am hold- began to realize how entwined the his- ing someone’s life in my hands.” tory of the region really was with their everyday lives. Future Pathways Then, in 2012, Drew Reisinger, the Teaching Transformation As word about the project has spread and newly elected Buncombe County reg- Teaching the topic of slavery at any educators have seen the value of students ister of deeds, learned of the students’ level can be both emotionally charged working firsthand with the Buncombe work and immediately saw the ethical and confusing, so the educators behind County slave deeds, other partners and practical value of placing the deeds the Buncombe County Slave Deeds have come forward. Pam Smith with online. This act of transparency led Project took steps to prepare their stu- the Smithsonian Institution’s National Buncombe County to become the first in dents. While most of the high school- Museum of American History contacted the country to make such deeds available ers knew basic information about the Reisinger and Miles and soon the proj- to the public. These primary source doc- institution of slavery, many had no real ect spread to Clemson University and uments could now be accessed not only depth of knowledge about the experi- the University of Georgia, evolving into by historians but also by family gene- ences of enslaved people or slavehold- a collaborative project entitled People alogists, who had once been locked out ers. Miles, Grant and other partici- Not Property (peoplenotproperty.org). of the historical narrative of slavery in pants provided students with content Historians, database experts and com- every former slave-holding county from knowledge and background informa- munity advocates are now partnering Maine to Texas. tion so that the deeds could be appro- to create a national slave deeds data- As word of this remarkable proj- priately sourced and contextualized—a base using the investigative work of stu- ect spread, more community partners necessary step if students were going to dents throughout the country as they began to express interest. These part- formulate deeper research questions. too become “diggers of history” in their ners now include state officials, profes- Preservice teachers spent time discuss- own communities. In Buncombe County, sional and amateur genealogists, other ing developmentally appropriate ways the YMI Cultural Center will soon host a local educators and nonprofit agencies. to address the topic of slavery in their conference to provide an overview of the Faculty at a local university began using future classrooms. project and professional development for the online slave deeds with preservice Working with the primary materi- 50 teachers who want to use the deeds in teachers, many of whom plan to teach in als of the past has brought about count- their classrooms. Buncombe County. In one social studies less transformative moments for the Says Smith, “We want teachers, stu- methods course, students transcribed young people participating in the proj- dents and family historians to be able to deeds, reviewed previously transcribed ect. Ashland Thompson, a member of sit at their computers and access local deeds, wrote lesson plans based on the the original cohort of interns and now county records for free—bills of sale, documents and created 30-second public a Ph.D. candidate, reflects, “What was wills, inventories and more—some of service announcement videos to broaden shocking to me was that so much docu- the best historical documents avail- support for the project. The project was mentation still existed in our community. able for connecting the dots and more enthusiastically embraced. Preservice I saw the relevance of tracing ancestry. I easily finding the enslaved. This is cut- teachers gained a deeper understanding learned that summer, at a young age, that ting edge. It’s never been done before, of the ways in which social justice edu- if I wanted to look at my past here is a way and it’s time.” cation can work in the classroom, and, to do it—it can be done.” at the same time, became part of a larger “History has always been so distant Adcock is an assistant professor in community story about slavery, identity, from [students], both in time and space, the education department and direc- reconciliation and the struggle to more but the deeds hit home for many of tor of American Indian Outreach at the accurately understand local history. them,” Grant observes. “They also are University of North Carolina, Asheville.

TOOLKIT 44 TEACHING TOLERANCE Bring your students closer to local history. visit » tolerance.org/doing-history-buncombe-co A HAND to HOLD BY KEVIN BAXTER ILLUSTRATION BY CHRISTOPHER BUZELLI

ON A NORMAL DAY, Ronnie sweeps into flat and dull. They remain fixed on me as When my classroom setup is finished, I the classroom wearing a Cinderella I move around, preparing the classroom squat down low to face her. “What’s going gown, ballet shoes and a tiara. for the day’s activities. I assume by the on, Champ? Something on your mind?” This morning, however, she drags her- way she is hovering so close that she has Her eyes drop to the floor as she leans for- self to her seat with her mismatched shirt something to tell me. ward to whisper in my ear. “My mommy’s and jeans a wrinkly mess, and no socks I am a 25-year-old, male kinder- in her bedroom and won’t get up.” to protect her tiny feet from the old, torn garten teacher early in my career. And Her words take a moment to register. sneakers she is wearing. Ronnie’s nor- nothing in any teacher’s manual has pre- When they finally do, a chill runs through mally bright and playful brown eyes seem pared me for what I am about to learn. my heart. “Ronnie, what do you mean,

SPRING 2015 45 she won’t get up?” Looking back down with an assistant. As Ronnie explains instinctively that she has been hurt at her hands, she says, “She just won’t.” her story to my principal and emer- somehow. As her eyes stay focused on her tiny fin- gency services are called, I know from Throughout the day Ronnie runs gers, I sense what this little girl is des- the look on Ronnie’s face that she will and skips on the playground and holds perately trying to say but just cannot. be loathe to repeat her dreadful secret. hands with another little girl as they Her mother is dead. When the Child Services workers sit and talk. I linger behind them to lis- I pull Ronnie close, enveloping her arrive, they tell me that Ronnie will end ten. Giggling and smiling, they discuss a suddenly quivering body in favorite cartoon show. Every my arms. I can only choke so often Ronnie walks over out, “It’s OK sweetie. You are and leans on me or touches going to be all right.” FOR THE REMAINDER my hand. She sits next to Earlier that morning, for me during snack time as we whatever reason, Ronnie’s OF THE DAY SHE IS MY share some crackers, not mother had reached her limit. talking. Occasionally I’ll rub I will never know what final her back or smooth her hair. event caused her to hit that LITTLE SATELLITE, For the remainder of the breaking point, but whatever it day she is my little satellite, was left her with what she per- ORBITING AROUND ME, orbiting around me, wan- ceived to be only one option, dering off and then return- and she had exercised it. WANDERING OFF AND ing, looking up into my face, Ronnie’s mother had seeking my hand. always seemed like a bit of a At the end of the day, Child flake. On the few days she vis- THEN RETURNING, Services returns for her. I am ited the school, she was usu- allowed a final goodbye and ally disheveled and smelled LOOKING UP INTO when I kneel down in front of alcohol. But she was not a of her, Ronnie wraps her tiny problem parent. She seemed MY FACE, SEEKING arms around my neck and caring and conscientious. squeezes, but she does not cry. Ronnie appeared to be well Then, with nothing more for cared for, and she and her MY HAND. me to offer, she is gone. mother had a very loving When Ronnie told me relationship. A social per- what she’d seen at home son, her mother liked to chat that morning, the awesome with me and the other teach- responsibility of what it ers when she came in for conferences or up living with either her aunt or grand- means to really care for children came school events. Her drinking habit did not mother, neither of whom Ronnie knows crashing down on me. Years later, it is a appear to be affecting Ronnie adversely. well. I convince them to let Ronnie lesson I have not forgotten. In Ronnie’s If she was in some kind of trouble or was remain in my classroom for the rest of case, it wasn’t a matter of what I did dealing with severe problems, she was the day. I want her to have one more for her that day, but what more I could doing a good job of hiding it. day of routine. Wherever she ends up, have been doing all along. Listening Today, though, I know I must focus on Ronnie won’t be getting the familiar harder? Looking for signs of trouble? Ronnie, not her mother. I try to imagine love that she needs right now. Even if there was nothing more I what the morning must have been like. I Ronnie’s classmates do not know could have done, Ronnie made me real- don’t know how Ronnie managed to get what has happened, but they know ize that my job as a teacher is not simply to school. I suppose she knew she had to to fill young children’s heads with facts get here, that this was where she should and ideas, but also to protect them. be. Everything seems a blur as I try to And—when I can’t protect them—to be piece it all together—what has happened Toolkit there, a hand to hold when their fragile and what needs to happen now. Prepare for the moments when hearts are broken. Obviously this must be reported, so students need you most. I take Ronnie by the hand and head to visit » tolerance.org/ Baxter is an early childhood specialist hand-to-hold the principal’s office, leaving my class based in Asheville, North Carolina.

46 TEACHING TOLERANCE Shelter from the Storm

BY TERI CETTINA ILLUSTRATION BY JON KRAUSE

MARIA GARCIA teaches second grade at a dual Spanish-English immersion school in San Francisco’s low-income Bayview neighborhood. Many of the school’s families live on very little; Garcia is accustomed to her students coming to school in the same clothing day after day or complaining of empty stomachs. Many low-income students take their circumstances in stride, but Garcia knows others aren’t so lucky: Some kids are actually traumatized by daily experiences directly and indi- rectly related to living in low-income circumstances (unstable housing, food insecurity, loss of utilities, lack of access to health care, school disrup- tion, and exposure to community hardships like theft or violence). That was the case with Luciana.* Luciana was a transfer student from nearby Oakland. Garcia suspected Luciana might be experiencing poverty-related trauma because she often shared worries about her home life and the family’s constant food shortage. And while she was initially affection- ate and talkative with her teacher, over the course of the school year, Luciana’s behavior changed. She spaced out in class and sometimes fell asleep. She stopped participating in group activities. Most significantly, she was no longer open and chatty when Garcia pulled her aside to ask how she was doing. Fortunately for Luciana, the teachers, counselors and administrators at Garcia’s school had received training that expanded their understanding of

SPRING 2015 47 trauma to include the potential effects Sharon Lacay, a clinical social worker dealing with her anxiety related to her of living in different types of poverty. with the HEARTS program, explains living situation,” says Garcia. They engaged a project called UCSF the need to extend the scope of trauma Healthy Environments and Response to response beyond trauma caused by Reaching Those in Need Trauma in Schools (HEARTS), co-spon- grief, loss or abuse. The first step to helping poverty- sored by the University of California-San “Kids really can’t learn efficiently traumatized kids is identifying them. Francisco and San Francisco General if they’re anxious or sad—to the point The outward signs of poor living con- Hospital. The goal: to help teachers and of being traumatized—about where ditions are obvious in some cases: worn administrators understand how all kinds they’re going to live, or whether they’ll clothing, inadequate hygiene due to of trauma—including trauma induced by have dinner that night,” she says. lack of electricity or running water, or poverty—affect children and their ability Through her participation in attempts to sneak lunch food for later. to succeed in school. This understanding HEARTS, Garcia learned that all kids But not all types of poverty look the helps inform classroom-level responses, respond to trauma differently: While same, and not every child who appears a critical piece of the puzzle because some students push their frustration to be living in poverty is traumatized. punitive discipline is not an effective and fear outward—lashing out at teach- Robin Zorn, 2014 national school intervention for poor behavior or school ers or classmates—Luciana became counselor of the year, says kids experi- performance related to trauma. withdrawn. “It’s her own, quieter way of encing severe anxiety, sadness or anger

Taking Trauma Sensitivity School Wide BY JASON DRWAL

When addressing the trauma of poverty, a school-wide response offers the greatest opportunity for creating meaningful and sustainable changes that will help students succeed, says Susan Cole, director of the Trauma and Learning Policy Initiative, a joint program of Massachusetts Advocates for Children and Harvard Law School. Speaking about how the Initiative helps schools become trauma-sensitive, Cole states, “Becoming trauma sensitive is not a program. It’s a process.” Trauma sensitivity is not a generic agenda or set of policies to be implemented across every school. The process Cole describes as lead author of the resource Helping Traumatized Children Learn is a school-specific culture shift in which the entire building, from cafeteria workers to principal, is guided by the knowledge that trauma affects students’ learning, behavior and relationships. Through the lens of trauma sensitivity, academic programming, counseling and special education can work together to honor students’ strength and address their interconnected challenges related to academics and emotional health. The goal is to make trauma sensitivity a regular part of the way schools are run.

Jason Drwal is a psychologist for the Veterans Affairs Health Care System in Iowa City, Iowa.

48 TEACHING TOLERANCE over their situation will show a range of WORKING TO ALLEVIATE OR BUILD AWARENESS OF POVERTY symptoms similar to those associated in the community can be an empowering experience for students and staff alike. with shock or abuse. Consider picking a local issue, cause or organization and incorporating a ser- “They may have trouble making vice project in your curriculum. Taking action can be an engaging learning experi- friends, since they don’t trust those ence and a way to address poverty on both systemic and individual levels. Explore relationships will last,” says Zorn, who the Do Something tasks in Perspectives for a Diverse America for a selection of works in Duluth, Georgia. grade-level appropriate options. perspectives.tolerance.org Lacay adds, “Some traumatized kids act out toward other students or their teacher—an attempt to show that they are in control of those relationships informs teachers of what they can do at students. The team brainstorms ways to since they aren’t in control of much school to better support the student in support students in school and refers else in their lives.” extenuating circumstances that might children and families to outside coun- Another telltale sign is hypervig- otherwise go undetected. seling when needed. ilance. Traumatized kids often star- “Maybe a student can’t finish cer- As for Garcia, she says she’s learned— tle easily or overreact to minor events. tain assignments because he rarely with the help of her school’s HEARTS They may also become perfectionists in has electricity for reading at night,” counselor—that helping her students their schoolwork. notes Dominguez. “Teachers can work manage poverty-related trauma is nec- “This is a ‘survival-brain’ type of with school officials on special accom- essary if she’s going to succeed in teach- coping mechanism,” explains Lacay. modations like extra periods for the ing them their letters and numbers. “The child thinks, ‘If I do everything student to finish schoolwork or after- But perhaps even more important, perfectly, we won’t have to move again, school tutoring.” she understands that children living I won’t have to leave this school.’” Young people experiencing trauma with trauma need the support and the also may need some strategies—and confidence of their educational com- Classroom Strategies spaces—to calm themselves when munity—often their main emotional Recognizing poverty-induced trauma is they’re too anxious to focus on class- resource outside their family. only the first step toward making a dif- room work. Dominguez advocates Dominquez agrees. In addition, she ference. Garcia knew that children in making peaceful spaces available says, when a teacher steps in to help unstable circumstances could benefit within each classroom or in another individual students at risk, the entire from having trusted adults in their lives, supervised areas of the school. Younger classroom benefits. “You’ll have a more so she began inviting Luciana to spe- kids benefit from sensory toys like a calm, focused class with fewer distrac- cial, small-group lunches with her and a box filled with rice, simple puzzles tions and outbursts,” she says. Both few other students. She also connected and calming music heard through kids and teachers will also have the Luciana with a volunteer school mentor headphones. Older students can jour- chance to get to know students who who met with her monthly at lunchtime. nal about their stress and fear, lis- might otherwise have been written off Another arena in which schools can ten to music or practice deep-breath- as discipline problems or kids who can’t help is access to basic needs. Although ing exercises. Lacay notes that leading learn. That would be a mistake, says technically not the responsibility of the classes in simple body stretches or an Dominguez. “You shouldn’t underes- staff, many educators feel compelled to eyes-closed visualization of a calming timate these kids.” help; one approach is school-level col- scene can take as little as two minutes laborations with community agencies. and benefit all students without sin- * Name changed to protect privacy Zorn helped her school partner with a gling out those living in particularly Cettina is a freelance writer specializing nearby church to put together weekend tough circumstances. in parenting and education topics. She food bags for kids in need. Her school lives in Portland, Oregon. also refers parents to organizations that Adopting a Trauma-Sensitive Lens can help them find temporary housing, At Dominguez’s school, teachers food vouchers and other services. share stories and observations with Making calls or scheduling meetings the school’s Response to Intervention Toolkit with families whenever possible can (RTI) committee. Administrators and Need strategies to support young also help, suggests Monica Dominguez, teachers, along with a social worker, a people experiencing trauma? a school counselor in El Paso, Texas. nurse and Dominguez, collaborate on visit » tolerance.org/ Opening the lines of communication how best to help poverty-traumatized shelter-from-the-storm

SPRING 2015 49 50 TEACHING TOLERANCE Avatarsand Activists Digital gaming offers a new frontier for social justice educators.

BY MAYA LINDBERG ILLUSTRATIONS BY CHRISTINA UNG

IT’S JUNE 7, 1995. COLLEGE STUDENT me enough to believe me.” The game that stemmed from corporate and pub- Kaitlin Greenbriar returns to her fam- prompts players to grapple with the lic partnerships facilitated by Games ily home after a yearlong trip abroad story as it unravels. for Change. Drawing from the book and finds a foreboding letter taped to The idea that digital gameplay Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into the front door: “Katie, I’m sorry I can’t can raise awareness about real- Opportunity for Women Worldwide and be there to see you, but it is impossi- world issues, such as the alienation the PBS series by the same name, the ble. … —Sam” endured by LGBT youth, has caught game involves an “empowerment jour- This is the opening scene of Gone the attention of K-12 educators. But ney” across the globe. Each player takes Home, a widely acclaimed digital game they encounter an industry in which the perspective of Radhika, an Indian by The Fullbright Company. At first the vast majority of digital games are woman who navigates a series of quests glance, Gone Home, with its ominous not developed with social issues, civic that reflect the real-world hardships opening, stormy skies and suburban action or curricular standards in mind. experienced by women and girls, includ- home full of flickering lights, appears Nicholas Fortugno, a game designer ing poverty, domestic violence, genital to be an interactive horror story. But in and co-founder and chief creative offi- mutilation and sex trafficking. Through fact, it’s an LGBT-inclusive game that cer of Playmatics, says the commercial the gameplay, players “empower” belongs to a category of digital games game industry knows very little about Radhika and also unlock real-life dona- that engage players in social issues and the education field. tions from corporate sponsors—such social impact: “games for change.” That’s where organizations like as books published by Pearson and fis- The gameplay of Gone Home involves Games for Change, the leading global tula surgeries funded by Johnson & stepping into Kaitlin’s shoes and find- advocate for digital games for social Johnson—for communities in need. ing clues about Sam’s disappearance in impact, come into play. Founded in Emily Treat, vice president of pro- quite ordinary objects—journal entries, 2004, Games for Change works to duction services at Games for Change, letters and homework assignments. build popular interest in social-im- says, “We knew that a lot of our players Kaitlin pieces together that her sister pact games, as well as to facilitate cru- would be young teenagers. … [W]e don’t Sam, a 17-year-old high school junior, cial partnerships between game devel- expect them to have money to make big, came out to their parents as a lesbian. opers who hold design expertise and significant donations, but we wanted Sam’s journal entries reveal they wrote social entrepreneurs, government them to still feel that their gameplay off her sexual identity as a phase. “I agencies and researchers who hold the was being a contribution.” was prepared for them to be mad, or content expertise. Games for change can effectively disappointed, or start crying or some- Half the Sky Movement: The Game, take on relevant and serious topics and thing,” Sam writes, “but they were just a hugely popular Facebook game with offer unique possibilities for educators. in denial. [T]hey wouldn’t even respect over 1.3 million players, is one example The digital format means these games

SPRING 2015 51 “can be gauged to be self-paced, to be (many are free). “A lot of what you’re adopt them into their curriculum, be adaptable, and quite an engaging expe- seeing are what I call pioneers,” Treat creative about how they’re using them.” rience,” Treat observes. says, “teachers who are basically tak- One of these pioneers is Chad Yet, educators aren’t lining up ing it upon themselves to look at these Sansing, an eighth-grade teacher at to buy them—or even not buy them games, think about when to use them, Shelburne Middle School in Staunton, Virginia. He uses digital games in his classroom as an access point to the Vetting Games for Change curriculum. He says, “There are times when you want to use scenario-based To effectively and equitably use games for change, educators highlight the [digital] games, games that are really importance of vetting a game prior to using it in the classroom. They point to intentional and purposeful to help stu- these considerations: dents really understand what it’s like Make sure the game is fun. Without engagement, the impact of a game will be to have an experience outside of their significantly lower. own, or where a person is coming from, Identify misrepresentation and biases in the game. These could be found or how much help or hurt can be given within the story arc or the characters. in a situation.” Weigh the pros and cons of role-playing. Role-playing allows students to test Sansing sees digital play in the same out decisions, experiences and consequences without real-world repercus- light as freewriting, filmmaking or art sions—and learn through trial, mistakes and repetition. But there are caveats: making: as a democratic pedagogical Role-playing is not a substitute for or a perfect mirror of lived experiences and tool. By removing some of the scaffold- should never ask students to endure directly simulated trauma. ing around learning, Sansing says, new Aim for a hybrid of free digital play and scaffolded learning.Sansing says, “You opportunities arise. “When you open would not leave students to experience the game world on their own, disassoci- up to role-play, you’re searching for a ated from whatever else is going on and then expect change.” lot of things schools don’t often search Don’t choose a game because it’s a game. Just because a game deals with a for, such as emotional truth, the kind of social issue, doesn’t mean it’s high quality. Evaluate any digital game as a media naked honesty students are sometimes form and see if it might be more advantageous to use a documentary, novel or discouraged from showing in their rela- another resource. tionships with one another and the Involve your administration. The genre of digital games for social impact is teachers in the building.” new enough that some territory remains unchartered. Bring questions to your Michael Baran, a cultural anthro- colleagues and school leaders as they arise. pologist and president of Interactive Diversity Solutions, offers another

52 TEACHING TOLERANCE Get Gaming! Games for change cover a wide spectrum of social issues. Here are some examples:

Spent An unbeatable game that addresses poverty and homelessness.

mission 3 A Cheyenne Odyssey A portrayal of the detrimen- tal effects of white settlers’ encroachment in the 1860s and 1870s from a Northern Cheyenne perspective. The third installment of a multime- dia project, Mission US.

Papers, Please take on role-play. Baran co-created two or meaningless. Learning by Playing: A single-player game in which quiz-based games with game designer Video Gaming in Education, edited by players take on the role of Michael Handelman—Who Am I? Race Fran C. Blumberg, is one piece of recent an immigration inspector in Awareness Game and Guess My Race— scholarship that explores the idea that Arstotzka, a fictional country. that don’t place players in someone digital games can actually enhance stu- else’s shoes. Baran says, “I wanted dent-centered experiences by allowing Guess My Race people to stay in their own shoes … to them to exercise agency, problem-solv- A quiz-based game that develop a more thoughtful, critical per- ing skills and social responsibility. shows players photos of peo- spective on the world around them, and Kurt Squire, a professor of digital ple’s faces—and asks them to not think of it like a temporary change media at the University of Wisconsin- guess how each person racially and perspective. I want you to feel a lit- Madison and the co-founder and current self-identities. Once the player tle unsafe and a little more critical in director of Games+Learning+Society, guesses, information on how your own shoes permanently.” offers a piece of advice for approaching the person self-identifies With these kinds of possibilities, why digital play in the classroom. “Games are appears—challenging biases aren’t games for change in more class- being built about a variety of topics now, and assumptions. rooms? Limited technological infra- including things like racial bias or non- structure and resources, the parame- violent conflict resolution, and they’re who am i? ters of curricular standards and stan- actually getting pretty decent and we’re Race Awareness Game dardized testing, and the trend toward starting to see results that they’re often A fun and educational guessing pushing out playtime are easy suspects. times better than other [pedagogical] game that encourages parents But many educators dismiss digital techniques.” But ultimately, he says, the and educators to communi- games without asking a crucial question. potential impact of digital play is highly cate responsibly about race and “I think a lot of people don’t think contingent on the quality of games and diversity issues with young about why use games,” says Treat. “A how they’re implemented. children (ages three and up). lot of people hear, ‘Well, it’s fun—it’s games … therefore, it’s not as serious The Migrant Trail as the stuff I’m teaching. It’s not going Examines the experiences of to be as effective as direct instruction Toolkit migrants and border patrol or peer-to-peer [learning].’” Learn about free games your agents on the U.S-Mexico bor- Research, however, is slowly debunk- students can use to make change. der. The gameplay draws upon ing the myth that all digital games visit » tolerance.org/avatars-activists the popular game The Oregon are socially isolating, desensitizing Trail—and addresses undoc- umented immigration from a humanitarian perspective. SPRING 2015 53 THE

GRAPHIC NOVELS have come into their own in the publishing world—and from a critical literacy standpoint, it’s well deserved. Unlike their more traditional text-only counterparts, contemporary graphic novels trend toward SOCIAL diverse voices and stories, and in the past 10 years the market for these stories has skyrocketed. Nearly every traditional publishing house is seeking to add graphic novels to its list. As a result, publishers are seeking a greater variety of stories and voices from talented but JUSTICE lesser-known authors who might not have been picked up otherwise. This trend is good news for educators who care about social justice. A teacher want- ing to expose her students to diverse perspectives and narratives could do no better right now than to look toward LEAGUE graphic novels. Graphic novels are also slowly escaping the stereotype that they are picture includes them as part of her curriculum can be either dialogue or narration. books with no value to literacy instruc- in a masters of fine arts program. Images are divided into panels, which tion. Their new status opens avenues “The discussions contain a lot that are separated by gutters laid out strate- for more educators to realize that these we’d consider during discussions of gically on the page. texts can be taught using nearly the prose,” McCaffrey says. “We examine McCaffrey also notes several exam- same approaches as any other book, character development, aspects of plot, ples of opportunities graphic novels fiction or non. Even most state and theme and real-world relevance. Even offer to focus on visual literacy. “We Common Core English Language Arts the discussions of style and tone relate might discuss repeated images that and literacy standards can be taught to style and tone as these are expressed become symbols over the course of a via graphic novels. They can be used in by prose writers.” story. We might also discuss visual style. What is the difference between the style Gene Luen Yang uses and [that of] GRAPHIC NOVELS ARE THE NEW Marjane Satrapi or Art Spiegelman? We might discuss stylistic contrasts within SUPERHEROES OF LITERACY INSTRUCTION. a text. In addition, we discuss the relationships between aspects of the story BY PAM WATTS ILLUSTRATION BY HOPE LARSON that are relayed through words and aspects relayed through images.” nearly every subject and are particu- Using graphic novels does, however, The narrative of a graphic novel is larly valuable as counter-texts in social require a sophisticated set of skills and carried by images instead of words. studies and ELA classrooms. understanding of a few basic differ- Readers often have to infer what has Young adult author Laura Williams ences between illustrated and all-text happened during the transition from McCaffrey teaches graphic novels as texts narratives. Setting, pacing, and story one panel to the next, a cognitive leap in her ELA classes at an alternative mid- structure are largely the same, but the referred to as “closure.” Effective use of dle and high school in Vermont and also units used to tell the story differ. Words graphic novels in the classroom helps

54 TEACHING TOLERANCE SPRING 2015 55 Worth a Thousand Words

One of the main diffi- culties with teaching literacy standards to English language learners and other students who are not reading at grade level is that the texts they can read are generally not complex enough to meet the appropriate standards. But these students can read much more sophisticated graphic novels because the brunt of the storytelling burden lies in the pictures. A high school student, for instance, with no written English profi- ciency at all can analyze theme, structure, char- EXPOSURE TO DIVERSE VOICES AND EXPERIENCES CAN acter and point of view in a complex graphic REDUCE IN-GROUP/OUT-GROUP PREJUDICES, EVEN WHEN novel like Shaun Tan’s THE EXPOSURE OCCURS THROUGH READING. critically acclaimed The Arrival. In fact, the only Common Core ELA- students analyze how authors juxtapose struggle, conflict, injustice and other highly Literacy standard he images to create moments of closure. emotional topics. (See examples like Maus by could not study with Because closure requires a high level of Art Spiegelman, The Wall by Peter Sis, American that book is standard reader participation, the emotional impact of Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang and Persepolis RL.6.4: “Determine graphic novels can be quite high. Particularly if by Marjane Satrapi.) Depending on the artist’s the meaning of words the student is reading about something outside intent, the story might be depicted literally or and phrases as they are his realm of experience, such as the civil rights veiled as an allegory or a counter-text alterna- used in the text.” The movement, closure can generate reader empa- tive to more traditional narratives. In any event, Arrival is wordless. And thy for the characters in the story. This makes social justice content may be both empowering because there are so graphic novels especially valuable to social jus- and unsettling for young readers. many quality interna- tice educators who want to provide their stu- “[Graphic novels] contain powerful tional narratives and dents with windows into multiple identities images, some of which have been used in the stories from different and experiences. This approach is an exten- past as stereotypes or slurs,” says McCaffrey. cultural perspectives, sion of contact theory: Research indicates that “The presence of these images in the stories they are often more exposure to diverse voices and experiences can forces readers to confront them and discuss directly relevant to the reduce in-group/out-group prejudices, even them. … The stories also include visual repre- experiences of English when the exposure occurs through reading. sentations of protagonists we don’t always see language learners. As with comic books, graphic novels’ smaller represented as protagonists.” cousins, the dramatic impact of these visual Reading and teaching graphic novels through texts lends itself to subject matter related to a critical literacy lens offers opportunities for

56 TEACHING TOLERANCE Check out our exclusive online extras! k Read March author Andrew Aydin’s essay about how Martin Luther King and Davis. “Last year, we had a student who the Montgomery Story changed history. bit.do/montgomery wrote his entire graphic novel about k Watch Congressman John Lewis explain why he wrote his memior as a a man who lives in his neighborhood series of graphic novels. tolerance.org/john-lewis-video and yells racial slurs at the children when they play outside. When this stu- students to question the text and make text is also a primary source, an artifact of dent shared his project with his peers, a meaning of images and of characters history that played an active role in fur- majority said they had their own stories who, as McCaffrey points out, they may thering the civil rights movement. of racism or xenophobia.” not be used to seeing as protagonists. In Another way to extend the learn- The potential for transformation is this way, the genre draws on the history ing benefits of teaching graphic novels is not lost on Slakey. Although many of of zines, historically created and distrib- to let students create their own. This is his students are reluctant to talk about uted through grassroots efforts to inform the approach that Chris Slakey, an ELA their own experiences with injustice, the and empower specific audiences. In some teacher at De Vargas Middle School in opportunity to tell their stories through cases zines—and even commercial comic Santa Fe, New Mexico, takes through a graphic art allows them to change the books—have been used to spread sub- partnership with the Santa Fe Art Institute power dynamics surrounding their neg- versive images and messages aimed at (SFAI). According to Nicole Davis, an edu- ative experiences. “They can … talk about undermining powerful or unjust entities, cation program associate with SFAI, the things they’ve been through, but through as in the case of the classic underground project started to help students become the creation of these other characters,” comic book Martin Luther King and the more aware of the issues that affect their says Slakey. “It allows them a shield.” Montgomery Story, which served as a non- own lives and neighborhoods. violence primer for African Americans in “A large majority of De Vargas kids Watts is a writer and educator based in the deep South during the 1950s. This deal with a lot of everyday racism,” says in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

A Modern Classic In August of 2013, Congressman John Lewis, a lifelong human rights and simple for another generation to understand, not just my story, but advocate and civil rights activist, released March: Book One, the first a story of a long and ongoing struggle to bring about justice in America.” volume in a trilogy of graphic novels detailing Lewis’ experiences at The Washington Post declared, “Lewis’ gripping memoir should be the forefront of the civil rights movement. It was a surprise smash stocked in every school and shelved at every library.” It is well on its hit, debuting at number one on both The New York Times and The way. March: Book One has already been taught in over 30 states at the Washington Post bestseller lists. postsecondary level with several schools adopting it as common read- More importantly, however, March has quickly captured the imag- ing for all students. Teachers at the middle- and high-school levels inations of thousands of young readers and become a critical resource also report that their students eagerly dive into the visual narrative of for educators seeking creative and engaging materials to deliver the March and learn critical literacy skills and civil rights history at a level history of the civil rights movement into the hands of students. of depth and sophistication not offered by most traditional textbooks. March: Book One spans Lewis’ youth in rural Alabama, his As identified by Teaching Tolerance, all nine of the essential areas life-changing encounter with Martin Luther King Jr., the birth of for civil rights education (events, leaders, groups, history, obstacles, the Nashville Student Movement, his arrest at a nonviolent sit-in tactics, connections to other movements, current events and civil par- protesting a segregated lunch counter and builds ticipation) can be found within the pages of March. The to a stunning climax on the steps of Nashville City book’s themes—equality, citizenship, agency and col- Hall. In its creation, Lewis drew from his memories lective action—are more than just lessons of history. of Martin Luther King and the Montgomery Story and This vivid rendering of Lewis’ story stimulates both how it helped prepare his own generation to study robust learning about the past and critical thinking nonviolence and join the struggle for civil rights. about current and future events, making March a pow- Lewis intentionally continues this legacy by using erful and urgently relevant title for today’s classrooms. graphic art to bear eyewitness to one of our nation’s March: Book One was co-authored by John Lewis most historic struggles. His writing is personal, the and Andrew Aydin and features the art of Nate Powell. drawings are vivid and dynamic, and the message pow- A free teacher’s guide is avaialble at the Top Shelf erful and provocative. Says Lewis about his motivation Productions website. Look for the release March: Book for writing March, “We wanted to make it plain, clear Two this month!

TOOLKIT Help your students create their own justice-oriented comic strips. visit » tolerance.org/social-justice-league SPRING 2015 57 staff picks

The Teaching Tolerance staff review What We’re Reading the latest in culturally aware literature and resources, offering the best picks for professional development and teachers of all grades.

In Bad Teacher! How Blaming Teachers Distorts the Bigger Picture, Kevin Kumashiro examines many of the faulty “common sense” ideas that have guided the educational reform movements of the last several decades. If we wish to make schools more equitable, Kumashiro argues, we must move past the current flawed framework for talking about reform. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

“Places families and communities at the heart of the Trail of Tears discussion.” –Monita Bell

“A great example of speaking up to make change.” –Bridget Strength

“A poignant civil rights era coming- of-age story.” –Steffany Moyer

“Sets the stage for moving from discussion to dialogue in all communities.” –Sara Wicht 58 TEACHING TOLERANCE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT This Is Not a Test: A New Narrative on Race, Class, and Education by José Luis Vilson

Race, Empire, and English Language Teaching: Creating Responsible and Ethical “An incisive look at the motives Anti-Racist Practice by Suhanthie Motha behind contemporary education MIDDLE & HIGH reform movements.” SCHOOL The Blossoming –Steffany Moyer Universe of Violet Diamond by Brenda Woods

Push Girl by Chelsie Hill and Jessica Love

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL Exclamation Mark by Amy Krouse Rosenthal, illustrated by Three Years and Eight Months, written student voices and action steps for facil- Tom Lichtenheld by Icy Smith and illustrated by Jennifer itating dialogue within families, schools, Kindert, is about two courageous boys in organizations and faith-based communi- The Girl Who Heard Colors by Marie Harris, Hong Kong who put their lives on the line ties about LGBTQ youth and allies. illustrated by Vanessa to join the Chinese resistance effort during PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT Brantley-Newton World War II. While this story depicts how badly the people of China were treated at Narrated by Isaac, a 10-year-old American the hands of Japanese forces, it also points Indian who has recently become a ghost, out that some of the occupiers showed Tim Tingle’s How I Became a Ghost: A Fog Machine paints an honest picture of Jim humanity and compassion. Choctaw Trail of Tears Story explores the Crow and Freedom Summer while empha- ELEMENTARY SCHOOL tragedy and heartbreak of the Trail of Tears sizing that our lives, our ideas and our worlds while also presenting the pride of Choctaw are shaped by the people we love. Waking Up White and Finding Myself in the traditions. Students will find humor and HIGH SCHOOL Story of Race tells of author Debby Irving’s horror, levity and weight in this engaging wake-up call: realizing that an inherited leg- piece of fiction about one of our nation’s Most people know about the incredible acy of white privilege had tainted her with darkest hours. transformations Malcolm X made during injustice and kept her from really under- MIDDLE SCHOOL his adult life, from prisoner to activist, fam- standing the racism around her. In time, she ily man, minister and humanitarian. Now, learns how to use her privilege to speak up Susan Follett tells the story of C.J. Evans, a in Malcolm Little: The Boy Who Grew Up fearlessly against wrong. young white woman who grows up believ- to Become Malcolm X, written by Ilyasah HIGH SCHOOL ing that if she wishes to protect herself, she Shabazz and beautifully illustrated by AG must always follow society’s rules. When a Ford, the activist’s daughter gives us a Out & Allied: An Anthology of new friend, a young black man, enters her glimpse into the tender and trying child- Performance Pieces Written by LGBTQ life, she begins to hope that someday these hood that shaped her father. Youth and Allies is a collection of both rules can change. Never patronizing, The ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

@Tolerance_org SPRING 2015 59 staff picks

What We’re Watching

America by the Numbers With Maria documents the aftermath of this harrowing to young transgender individuals, who are not Hinojosa* examines dramatic demographic event as the Sikh community and their allies only excluded from the mainstream media shifts across the United States and what grieved the attack and found solace in stand- but also experience harassment, violence and they mean to our national identity. With ing together against hate. At the time of the economic hardship at overwhelmingly dis- award-winning news anchor and reporter massacre, the U.S. Justice Department did proportionate rates. The T Word is a call for Hinojosa at the helm, this eight-part docu- not track hate crimes against Sikhs, prompt- action—a call for complete justice, respect mentary series captures how “a new American ing Sikh activists to push for greater visi- and inclusion. (41 min.) mainstream” composed of people of color, bility. In one scene, Harpreet Singh Saini, a mtv.com/shows/ immigrants, women, youth and LGBT individ- young man who lost his mother in the tem- laverne-cox-presents-the-t-word/ uals is changing social, political and cultural ple shooting, speaks at a congressional hear- HIGH SCHOOL AND PROFESSIONAL landscapes. Each episode employs a combina- ing. “Senators, I came here today to ask the DEVELOPMENT tion of interviews, reporting, infographics and government to give my mother the dig- statistical analysis to tackle topics ranging from nity of being a statistic.” His voice—along American Promise* follows 13 years in the lives the high dropout rate among Cambodian- with those of fellow community members of two African-American boys: Idris Brewster American youth to the inadequate health in Waking in Oak Creek—highlights the role (son of directors Joe Brewster and Michèle care services provided to Guamanian veter- everyone can play in building safe, inclusive Stephenson) and his best friend, Oluwaseun ans. As suggested by the series tagline—“Be- communities. (34 min.) “Seun” Summers. The film documents Idris hind every number, there’s a story”— America niot.org/cops/wakinginoakcreek and Seun’s first steps into a kindergarten by the Numbers focuses on the human face MIDDLE SCHOOL AND HIGH SCHOOL classroom at the Dalton School, an exclu- of demographic change, offering educators a sive private school in New York City, and takes dynamic way to address modern currents of Laverne Cox Presents: The T Word, an MTV viewers all the way to their respective high inclusion, equity and diversity with students. and Logo TV documentary, details the lives of school graduations. As black males, Idris and (eight 30-min. episodes) seven transgender youth ranging in age from Seun encounter barriers and biases inside and video.pbs.org/program/america-numbers/ 12 to 24. Actress Laverne Cox is best known outside of their elite, college-prep classrooms. episodes/ for her role in Orange Is the New Black and Seun eventually transfers out of the Dalton MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL is the first transgender woman to be hon- School, while Idris remains. American Promise ored with the GLAAD Stephen F. Kolzak situates their divergent stories in a larger con- On August 5, 2012, a white supremacist Award and an Emmy nomination. Her narra- versation about how boys and young men of named Wade Michael Page walked into a tion weaves together the stories of how these color are systematically pushed out of the U.S. Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, with a youths navigate school, love, friendships, dis- education system. (120 min.) loaded gun and murdered six people. Waking crimination, identity, sexuality and day-to-day americanpromise.org in Oak Creek, a film from Not In Our Town, life. The T Word brings much-needed visibility PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

*Teaching Tolerance has developed professional materials to help educators make the most of these documentaries. Find them at tolerance.org/lesson/america-numbers and tolerance.org/american-promise. 60 TEACHING TOLERANCE PHOTOGRAPHY BY MICHÈLE STEPHENSON & CONRAD LOUIS-CHARLES ILLUSTRATION BY PETER & MARIA HOEY SPRING 2015 61 62 TEACHING TOLERANCE SPRING 2015 63 ONE WORLD tolerance.org to hang on a classroom wall. It is created with just that purpose in mind. Enjoy! with just that is created It wall. hang on a classroom to Teaching Tolerance and participating artists encourage educators to clip the One World page World clip the One to educators encourage artists and participating Tolerance Teaching !

ILLUSTRATION BY JEFF ROGERS I need a tool to help me teach … diversity … literacy … identity … action … social justice … college and career readiness … equity …

AVAILABLE TODAY! You spoke. We listened. perspectives.tolerance.org Introducing Perspectives for a Diverse America, the first literacy-based curriculum that allows you to backward plan for social justice and college and career readiness. Perspectives is:

Simple Create, save and share learning 1 plans in one easy-to-use platform. Practical Access Common Core-aligned content that also 2 meets the needs of diverse classrooms. Powerful Engage social justice topics, and 3 empower your students to make change.

PERSPECTIVES for a DIVERSE AMERICA

A K-12 LITERACY-BASED ANTI-BIAS CURRICULUM

65 TEACHING TOLERANCETEACH FOR EQUITY. PLAN WITH PERSPECTIVES. It’s online, and it’s free. Try it today. perspectives.tolerance.org TEACHING TOLERANCE Non Profit Org. TELL YOUR FRIENDS! U.S. Postage A PROJECT OF THE SOUTHERN POVERTY LAW CENTER Teaching Tolerance magazine is free to PAID 400 Washington Avenue • Montgomery, AL 36104 Southern Poverty educators! tolerance.org/subscribe Law Center

PERSPECTIVES AVAILABLE for a DIVERSE TODAY! AMERICA perspectives.tolerance.org A K-12 LITERACY-BASED ANTI-BIAS CURRICULUM

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PAUL C. GORSKI founder of EdChange and associate professor at George Mason University

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TEACH FOR JUSTICE. PLAN WITH PERSPECTIVES. It’s online, and it’s free. Try it today. perspectives.tolerance.org