Democracy Now! Archives - Zinn Education Project

Burned Out of Homes and History: Unearthing the Silenced Voices of the Tulsa Massacre

Teaching Activity. By Linda Christensen. Rethinking Schools. Teaching about racist patterns of murder, theft, displacement, and wealth inequality through the 1921 Tulsa Massacre.

Teaching Activity by Linda Christensen

May 1: International Workers Day

International Workers' Day began as a commemoration of the 1886 Haymarket massacre in Chicago.

Sept. 6, 2017: U.S. Virgin Islands Hit by Hurricane Irma

The Virgin Islands were hit by Hurricane Irma. Also, on #tdih in 1928, Hurricane Okeechobee formed and hit Puerto Rico and Florida soon in mid-September.

Standing with Standing Rock: A Role Play on the Dakota Access Pipeline

Teaching Activity. By Ursula Wolfe-Rocca, Bill Bigelow, and Andrew Duden. Article by Ursula Wolfe-Rocca. 15 pages. Rethinking Schools. A role play helps students recognize the issues at stake in the historic struggle of the Standing Rock Sioux to block construction of the Dakota Access oil pipeline.

Teaching Activity by Ursula Wolfe-Rocca

Pitchfork Magazine on Education and the Election

Pitchfork magazine wrote about the 2016 elections in an article titled, "How to Get Involved in Politics Right Now: Take These Musicians’ Leads." They stressed the importance of teaching people's history, "...we must take seriously the ways in which public school resources represent our history. One easy way to do so it to look at the Zinn Education Project."

Slavery by Another Name

Film. By Sam Pollard, Catherine Allan, Douglas Blackmon and Sheila Curran Bernard. 2012. 90 min. Reveals the interlocking forces in the South and the North that enabled “neoslavery” post-Emancipation Proclamation.

The Voting Rights Act: Ten Things You Should Know

With the 2016 presidential election in the news, we share this article by Emilye Crosby and Judy Richardson, “The Voting Rights Act: Ten Things You Should Know.” Crosby and Richardson discuss key points in the history of the 1965 Voting Rights Act missing from most textbooks. We also share a segment from Democracy Now! on voting rights today.

Blood in the Water: The Attica Uprising of 1971 and Its Legacy

Book – Non-fiction. By Heather Ann Thompson. 2016. The hidden history of the infamous 1971 Attica Prison Uprising.

Berta Cáceres: Environmental Organizer

Profile. Overview and related resources about Honduran environmental activist Berta Cáceres.

Henry Kissinger Is No Friend of Humanity

Did you see the Democratic debate last night? Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger became a point of contention. We can take this opportunity to introduce students to Kissinger. It was Kissinger who famously called anti-Vietnam War activist and whistleblower Daniel Ellsberg "the most dangerous man in America."

Native American Activism: 1960s to Present

Overview of Native American activism since the late 1960s, including protests at Mt. Rushmore, Alcatraz, Standing Rock, and more.

Wendell Pierce on Hurricane Katrina Anniversary

On this tenth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, we recommend listening to this interview with actor, activist, and author Wendell Pierce on the "greatest crime" in the wake of the storm.

Bree Newsome: I Refused to Be Ruled by Fear

In June, while politicians continued to debate about the implications of taking down the Confederate flag after the shooting of nine people at Emmanuel AME Church and several arson fires on Black churches in the South that followed, Bree Newsome scaled the South Carolina state flag pole and took the flag down herself. She did not organized this effort alone.

June 27, 2015: Bree Newsome Removes Confederate Flag

While politicians debated the implications of taking down the Confederate flag after the white supremacist murder of nine African Americans at Emmanuel AME Church, Bree Newsome scaled the South Carolina state flag pole and took the flag down.

Eduardo Galeano, ¡Presente!

The great writer, historian, activist, and critic, Eduardo Galeano, died on April 13, 2015. His work was a gift to every teacher who hopes to make sense of this "upside down world" with students.

Malcolm X: Make It Plain

Film. Written by Steve Fayer and Orlando Bagwell. 1994. 2 hours, 18 min. Documentary film on the life and words of Malcolm X/ El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz.

The Koch Brothers Sneak into School: How Right-wing Billionaires Seek to Shape the Social Studies Curriculum

How Right-wing Billionaires Seek to Shape the Social Studies Curriculum

By Bill Bigelow

This month in Boston, thousands of teachers will gather for the annual National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) conference. Two non-teachers will be there, too: Charles and David Koch, the notorious right-wing billionaires.

Well, the Kochs won’t be there in person, but they will be represented by a Koch-funded and controlled organization: the Arlington, Virginia-based Bill of Rights Institute.

Tè Tremblé: An Unnatural Disaster: A Trial Role Play Probes the Roots of Devastation in Haiti

Teaching Activity. By Adam Sanchez. Rethinking Schools. A trial role play asks students to question the role played by the U.S. government and other international actors in the 2010 earthquake.

Teaching Activity by Adam Sanchez

Hundreds of High Schoolers Walk Out to Protest Conservative Takeover of History Standards

By Zaid Jilani, Alternet.org As part of the long-running textbook wars over American school curricula, the Jefferson County Colorado Board of Education moved earlier this month to alter AP U.S. history standards to meet a more right-wing view of the world, emphasizing “patriotism” and the “free enterprise system” and downplaying “social strife.”

The Counter-Revolution of 1776: Origins of the United States of America

Gerald Horne, professor of history and African American studies at the University of Houston, was interviewed on Democracy Now! on "the great disparity between how people in the United States talk about the creation myth of the United States."

Freedom Summer 1964

Profile. Summer initiative to register African American voters in Mississippi.

Ordinary Citizens Catalyzing Change: A ‘People’s History’ of 2013

By Katy Swalwell This year has been full of examples of people making history. Although newspapers and textbooks often focus on political and military leaders, the real story was with "ordinary people" in the streets who challenged injustice and worked for good.

Forever Young: Staughton Lynd

by Andy Piascik In an epoch of imperial hubris and corporate class warfare on steroids, the release of these books could hardly have come at a better time. Soldier, coal miner, Sixties veteran, recent graduate---there’s much to be gained by one and all from a study of Lynd’s life and work. In so doing, it’s inspiring to discover how frequently he was in the right place at the right time and, more importantly, on the right side.

The Speech: The Story Behind Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Dream

Book - Non-fiction. By Gary Younge. 2013. Chronicle behind "The Speech" and other events surrounding the March on Washington.

Censoring Howard Zinn: Former Indiana Gov. Tried to Remove “A People’s History” from State Schools

On July 22, Democracy Now! reported on former Indiana governor Mitch Daniels’ efforts to…