Rosa Parks Lived a Long and Active Life, So Why Is This Timeline So Boring and Short? Teaching Activity. By Ursula Wolfe-Rocca. 3 pages. This timeline activity builds on students’ viewing of the 2022 film, The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks, and involves collaborating on a new timeline of Mrs. Parks' life. Continue reading
Half American: The Epic Story of African Americans Fighting World War II at Home and Abroad Book Non-fiction. By Matthew Delmont. 2022. 400 pages. This book tells the stories of Black heroes during World War II and their bravery and patriotism in the face of unfathomable racism and fascism. Continue reading
Daniel Shays’s Honorable Rebellion: An American Story Book — Non-fiction. By Daniel Bullen. 2021. 320 pages. A history of Shays’ Rebellion, where farmers challenged the state’s authority to seize their farms for flagrantly unjust taxes, told from the protesters’ perspective. Continue reading
A Worthy Piece of Work: The Untold Story of Madeline Morgan and the Fight for Black History in Schools Book — Non-fiction. By Michael Hines. 2022. 224 pages. The story of Madeline Morgan, a teacher and an activist who created curricula that bolstered Black claims for recognition and equal citizenship. Continue reading
Born in Blackness: Africa, Africans, and the Making of the Modern World, 1471 to the Second World War Book — Non-fiction. By Howard W. French. 2021. 521 pages. This sweeping history reveals a long-concealed history of trivialization and, more often, elision in depictions of African history throughout the last five hundred years. Continue reading
Reconstructing the South: What Really Happened Teaching Activity. By Mimi Eisen and Ursula Wolfe-Rocca. 47 pages. A follow-up lesson to “Reconstructing the South,” using primary source documents to reveal key outcomes of the Reconstruction era. Continue reading
The Sum of Us: How Racism Hurts Everyone (Young Readers Edition) Book — Non-fiction. By Heather McGhee. 2023. 240 pages. This young readers edition analyzes racism in U.S. politics and policymaking, and provides a potential path forward through solidarity. Continue reading
We the Elites: Why the U.S. Constitution Serves the Few Book — Non-fiction. By Robert Ovetz. 2022. 240 pages. This collection of essays exposes the U.S. Constitution for what it really is — a rulebook to protect capitalism for the elites. Continue reading
Rosa Parks: Countering the Master Narrative Teaching Activity. By Jesse Hagopian. 4 pages. With a short video and readings with competing viewpoints, students will learn about master narratives and counter-narratives and how they apply to Rosa Parks’ life. This activity can be introduced before watching the film or reading the book, The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks. Continue reading
How Should Rosa Parks’s Legacy Be Memorialized? This lesson by Cierra Kaler-Jones invites students to consider how Rosa Parks’ legacy is memorialized by critically examining her statue at the U.S. Capitol. Students learn the fuller story of Rosa Parks’ life and use that information to determine how they would memorialize her legacy. Continue reading
Word Bank for The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks Definitions of selected terms and organizations from the lessons and related readings in The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks. Continue reading
Arise!: Global Radicalism in the Era of the Mexican Revolution Book — Non-fiction. By Christina Heatherton. 2022. 336 pages. This book tells the international history of radical movements and their convergences during the Mexican Revolution, reconstructing how this era's organizers found new ways to fight global capitalism. Continue reading
The Emancipation Circuit: Black Activism Forging a Culture of Freedom Book — Non-fiction. By Thulani Davis. 2022. 464 pages. The author traces how people newly freed from bondage created political organizations and connections that mobilized communities across the South during Reconstruction, building on a long tradition of organizing against all odds. Continue reading
Indian No More Book — Historical fiction. By Charlene Willing McManis and Traci Sorell. 2016. 224 pages. This award-winning children's book follows a young Indigenous girl's quest to understand her identity as an Indian despite being so far from home. Continue reading
The People Shall Continue Picture Book. By Simon J. Ortiz, illustrated by Sharol Graves. 2022. 32 pages. This powerful telling of the history of the Native/Indigenous peoples of North America recounts their story from Creation to the invasion and usurpation of Native lands. Continue reading
No More Police: A Case for Abolition Book — Non-fiction. By Mariame Kaba and Andrea Ritchie. 2022. 400 pages. No More Police calls on us to turn away from systems that perpetrate violence in the name of ending it toward a world where violence is the exception, and safe, well-resourced and thriving communities are the rule. Continue reading
I’ve Been Here All the While: Black Freedom on Native Land Book - Non-fiction. 224 pages. 2021. Through chapters that chart cycles of dispossession, land seizure, and settlement in Indian Territory, Alaina E. Roberts connects debates about Black freedom and Native American citizenship to westward expansion onto Native land. Continue reading
Being Clem Book — Fiction. By Lesa Cline-Ransome. 2021. 256 pages. The final novel in the award-winning Finding Langston trilogy, this novel examines mid-twentieth century America through the eyes of Clem, a young boy whose family is torn apart after his father's untimely death. Continue reading
Under the Skin: The Hidden Toll of Racism on American Lives and on the Health of Our Nation Book — Non-fiction. By Linda Villarosa. 2022. 288 pages. This book details the racial health disparities in America, revealing the toll racism takes on individuals and the health of our nation. Continue reading
“Intolerable Conditions”: Teaching About Northern Racism Through Rosa Parks’s Detroit Teaching Activity. By Say Burgin, Jeanne Theoharis, and Ursula Wolfe-Rocca. This lesson, which focuses on the Detroit Uprising of 1967, equips students to “talk back” to official accounts of the riot by focusing on its root causes. Additionally, the lesson provides students an opportunity to get a fuller sense of Rosa Parks’s life and politics and to learn about the Black freedom struggle outside of the South. Continue reading
Harlan County USA Film. Directed and produced by Barbara Kopple. 1976. 103 minutes. This documentary tells the story of a Kentucky coal miners' strike and the thirteen-month struggle between a community fighting to survive and a corporation dedicated to the bottom line. Continue reading
Anne Braden Speaks: Selected Writings and Speeches, 1947-1999 Book — Non-fiction. Edited by Ben Wilkins. 2022. 216 pages. A representative collection of Anne Braden's writings, speeches, and letters, from the relationship between race and capitalism, to the role of the South in U.S. society, to the function of anti-communism. Continue reading
Our Kind of Historian: The Work and Activism of Lerone Bennett Jr. Book — Non-fiction. By E. James West. 2022. 328 pages. This biography examines the life of historian and activist Lerone Bennett Jr. and his influence on African American culture and history. Continue reading
I Saw Death Coming: A History of Terror and Survival in the War Against Reconstruction Book — Non-fiction. By Kidada E. Williams. 2023. 352 pages. An account of the brutal white supremacist violence and terror that formerly enslaved people were faced with during Reconstruction. Continue reading
The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks Film. Directed by Johanna Hamilton and Yoruba Richen. Produced by Soledad O’Brien. 2022. 101 minutes. This documentary sheds light on Rosa Parks' extensive organizing, radical politics, and lifelong dedication to justice. Continue reading
Rosa Parks Lived a Long and Active Life, So Why Is This Timeline So Boring and Short? Teaching Activity. By Ursula Wolfe-Rocca. 3 pages. This timeline activity builds on students’ viewing of the 2022 film, The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks, and involves collaborating on a new timeline of Mrs. Parks' life. Continue reading
Half American: The Epic Story of African Americans Fighting World War II at Home and Abroad Book Non-fiction. By Matthew Delmont. 2022. 400 pages. This book tells the stories of Black heroes during World War II and their bravery and patriotism in the face of unfathomable racism and fascism. Continue reading
Daniel Shays’s Honorable Rebellion: An American Story Book — Non-fiction. By Daniel Bullen. 2021. 320 pages. A history of Shays’ Rebellion, where farmers challenged the state’s authority to seize their farms for flagrantly unjust taxes, told from the protesters’ perspective. Continue reading
A Worthy Piece of Work: The Untold Story of Madeline Morgan and the Fight for Black History in Schools Book — Non-fiction. By Michael Hines. 2022. 224 pages. The story of Madeline Morgan, a teacher and an activist who created curricula that bolstered Black claims for recognition and equal citizenship. Continue reading
Born in Blackness: Africa, Africans, and the Making of the Modern World, 1471 to the Second World War Book — Non-fiction. By Howard W. French. 2021. 521 pages. This sweeping history reveals a long-concealed history of trivialization and, more often, elision in depictions of African history throughout the last five hundred years. Continue reading
Reconstructing the South: What Really Happened Teaching Activity. By Mimi Eisen and Ursula Wolfe-Rocca. 47 pages. A follow-up lesson to “Reconstructing the South,” using primary source documents to reveal key outcomes of the Reconstruction era. Continue reading
The Sum of Us: How Racism Hurts Everyone (Young Readers Edition) Book — Non-fiction. By Heather McGhee. 2023. 240 pages. This young readers edition analyzes racism in U.S. politics and policymaking, and provides a potential path forward through solidarity. Continue reading
We the Elites: Why the U.S. Constitution Serves the Few Book — Non-fiction. By Robert Ovetz. 2022. 240 pages. This collection of essays exposes the U.S. Constitution for what it really is — a rulebook to protect capitalism for the elites. Continue reading
Rosa Parks: Countering the Master Narrative Teaching Activity. By Jesse Hagopian. 4 pages. With a short video and readings with competing viewpoints, students will learn about master narratives and counter-narratives and how they apply to Rosa Parks’ life. This activity can be introduced before watching the film or reading the book, The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks. Continue reading
How Should Rosa Parks’s Legacy Be Memorialized? This lesson by Cierra Kaler-Jones invites students to consider how Rosa Parks’ legacy is memorialized by critically examining her statue at the U.S. Capitol. Students learn the fuller story of Rosa Parks’ life and use that information to determine how they would memorialize her legacy. Continue reading
Word Bank for The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks Definitions of selected terms and organizations from the lessons and related readings in The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks. Continue reading
Arise!: Global Radicalism in the Era of the Mexican Revolution Book — Non-fiction. By Christina Heatherton. 2022. 336 pages. This book tells the international history of radical movements and their convergences during the Mexican Revolution, reconstructing how this era's organizers found new ways to fight global capitalism. Continue reading
The Emancipation Circuit: Black Activism Forging a Culture of Freedom Book — Non-fiction. By Thulani Davis. 2022. 464 pages. The author traces how people newly freed from bondage created political organizations and connections that mobilized communities across the South during Reconstruction, building on a long tradition of organizing against all odds. Continue reading
Indian No More Book — Historical fiction. By Charlene Willing McManis and Traci Sorell. 2016. 224 pages. This award-winning children's book follows a young Indigenous girl's quest to understand her identity as an Indian despite being so far from home. Continue reading
The People Shall Continue Picture Book. By Simon J. Ortiz, illustrated by Sharol Graves. 2022. 32 pages. This powerful telling of the history of the Native/Indigenous peoples of North America recounts their story from Creation to the invasion and usurpation of Native lands. Continue reading
No More Police: A Case for Abolition Book — Non-fiction. By Mariame Kaba and Andrea Ritchie. 2022. 400 pages. No More Police calls on us to turn away from systems that perpetrate violence in the name of ending it toward a world where violence is the exception, and safe, well-resourced and thriving communities are the rule. Continue reading
I’ve Been Here All the While: Black Freedom on Native Land Book - Non-fiction. 224 pages. 2021. Through chapters that chart cycles of dispossession, land seizure, and settlement in Indian Territory, Alaina E. Roberts connects debates about Black freedom and Native American citizenship to westward expansion onto Native land. Continue reading
Being Clem Book — Fiction. By Lesa Cline-Ransome. 2021. 256 pages. The final novel in the award-winning Finding Langston trilogy, this novel examines mid-twentieth century America through the eyes of Clem, a young boy whose family is torn apart after his father's untimely death. Continue reading
Under the Skin: The Hidden Toll of Racism on American Lives and on the Health of Our Nation Book — Non-fiction. By Linda Villarosa. 2022. 288 pages. This book details the racial health disparities in America, revealing the toll racism takes on individuals and the health of our nation. Continue reading
“Intolerable Conditions”: Teaching About Northern Racism Through Rosa Parks’s Detroit Teaching Activity. By Say Burgin, Jeanne Theoharis, and Ursula Wolfe-Rocca. This lesson, which focuses on the Detroit Uprising of 1967, equips students to “talk back” to official accounts of the riot by focusing on its root causes. Additionally, the lesson provides students an opportunity to get a fuller sense of Rosa Parks’s life and politics and to learn about the Black freedom struggle outside of the South. Continue reading
Harlan County USA Film. Directed and produced by Barbara Kopple. 1976. 103 minutes. This documentary tells the story of a Kentucky coal miners' strike and the thirteen-month struggle between a community fighting to survive and a corporation dedicated to the bottom line. Continue reading
Anne Braden Speaks: Selected Writings and Speeches, 1947-1999 Book — Non-fiction. Edited by Ben Wilkins. 2022. 216 pages. A representative collection of Anne Braden's writings, speeches, and letters, from the relationship between race and capitalism, to the role of the South in U.S. society, to the function of anti-communism. Continue reading
Our Kind of Historian: The Work and Activism of Lerone Bennett Jr. Book — Non-fiction. By E. James West. 2022. 328 pages. This biography examines the life of historian and activist Lerone Bennett Jr. and his influence on African American culture and history. Continue reading
I Saw Death Coming: A History of Terror and Survival in the War Against Reconstruction Book — Non-fiction. By Kidada E. Williams. 2023. 352 pages. An account of the brutal white supremacist violence and terror that formerly enslaved people were faced with during Reconstruction. Continue reading
The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks Film. Directed by Johanna Hamilton and Yoruba Richen. Produced by Soledad O’Brien. 2022. 101 minutes. This documentary sheds light on Rosa Parks' extensive organizing, radical politics, and lifelong dedication to justice. Continue reading
