Posts in People's History
Teach Truth Day of Action at AACWM 2022

“The Color Line…Teach it! Reconstructing the South…Teach it! Teaching SNCC…Teach it! What we don’t learn about the Prison Industrial Complex…Teach it! The Black Panther Party…Teach it! Who Gets to Vote? Teach it! Those were the chants heard at the African American Civil War Memorial in DC on Saturday, June 11 for the #TeachTruth event hosted nationally by the Zinn Education Project, African American Policy Forum, and Black Lives Matter at School.

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D.C. Educators Present Columbus Trial During National Deaf Education Conference

This year, D.C. educators, Lia Bengtson and Tarja Lewis presented during the 2020 National Deaf Education Conference. Bengston and Lewis are middle school educators at the Kendall Demonstration School, Secondary School for the Deaf. Their presentation, Exploring Hidden Narratives to Engage Diverse Students cover topics of representation and cross-curricular lessons that teach hard history.

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A Day of Transformation and Growth: Indigenous Peoples' Day Curriculum Teach-In 2019

For attendees at the 2019 Indigenous People’s Curriculum Day and Teach-in, it was a day centered in learning and development to be able to better teach students about Indigenous People’s history and life today.  Read more >>

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Teaching for Change Delivers Workshop to Pre-Service Teachers at Marymount University

Can you name a historical figure from Central America? This was one of the opening questions Teaching for Change Executive Director Deborah Menkart asked a class of graduate students in Dr. Elizabeth Langran’s Cross-cultural/International Curricula class at Marymount University. Read more >>

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Reconstruction Teach-In at Howard University

On April 24, close to 100 D.C. area educators filled the Blackburn Center at Howard University for a teach-in on the hidden history and relevance today of Reconstruction. The event was hosted by the Howard University School of Education, Teaching for Change’s D.C. Area Educators for Social Justice, and the Zinn Education Project as part of the Zinn Education Project campaign to teach Reconstruction. Read more >>

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Across the Generations: SNCC Veteran Talks to High School Students

High school U.S. history students attended a presentation by SNCC veteran Courtland Cox, coordinated by teacher Lordsline Exantus. Cox explained to the students that his years of activism began when he was their age, and like many of them, he grew up in an immigrant household. He also told them that the in the 1960s, the apartments near their school were for whites only and that he protested the DC football team for not allowing Black players.

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Indigenous Peoples' Day Curriculum Night

More than thirty teachers gathered on October 2, 2017 for an Indigenous People’s Curriculum Night at Busboys and Poets. Hosted by D.C. Area Educators for Social Justice, the event began with a “people bingo” activity that provided educators from various schools and organizations an opportunity to meet and get to know one another. Through a combination of brief presentations and structured discussions, educators shared curriculum ideas and strategies for teaching about Columbus and Indigenous People’s history and life today. Read more >>

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Special D.C. History Guest at E.L. Haynes

World famous after her visit to the White House for the 2016 Black History Month reception, Ms. Virginia McLaurin spoke with D.C. history classes at E.L. Haynes Public Charter School on March 16, 2016. McLaurin was born in South Carolina and came to D.C. during the Great Migration. Media outlets from all over the world have interviewed McLaurin about what it was like to meet the the Obamas. Read more >>

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“It Was Like a Visit from the President”: Timothy Jenkins Talks to Fifth Graders

Rachel Hull’s fifth graders were studying the founding of the United States from various perspectives in a unit called “Know Your Rights.” Through their analysis of primary sources and research, they began to uncover a version of history that was missing from their textbooks. To deepen their knowledge, they invited Teaching for Change board member Timothy Jenkins as a guest speaker. As a lawyer, lifelong activist, and veteran of the Civil Rights Movement... Read more >>

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