News - Zinn Education Project

On the Anniversary of the 2020 Uprising: Teach the Movement That Shook the Nation

Educators have a vital role to play in preserving the truth of what happened in 2020. Let’s help students understand both the power of protest — and the necessity of ongoing struggle — to build a more just future.

On a MOVE: Repairing Histories of State Violence

Activist Mike Africa Jr. and scholar Dr. Krystal Strong joined Rethinking Schools editor Jesse Hagopian to discuss the story of the MOVE organization, repairing histories of state violence, and the “On a MOVE” curriculum project in Philadelphia. This class was part of the Zinn Education Project’s Teach the Black Freedom Struggle online people’s history series.

Popular Lessons in 2025–2026

Check out this list of frequently downloaded lessons from the Zinn Education Project website during the 2025–2026 school year.

A mural on Whiterock Road in Belfast commemorating the Irish famine. The mural reads "Britain's genocide by starvation. Ireland's holocaust, 1845-1849. Over 1,500,000 deaths."

Teaching About Famine and Irish History on St. Patrick’s Day

Too often, textbooks present famines as natural phenomena. They are not. As Gaza moves closer toward famine, it is not hard to see its causes.

People’s History Audiograms

Listen to the audiograms of people's history scholars from the Teach the Black Freedom Struggle monthly online classes.

Lessons on Palestine-Israel

Lessons and books for K-12 on the history of Palestine and the current crisis.

Teach Truth Prep Session

At this Teach Truth Prep Session, participants will hear from the growing chorus of diverse voices speaking out to defend students’ freedom to learn and educators’ freedom to teach.

Exposing the Rhetoric of War

Resources to introduce the U.S.-Israeli war against the people of Iran in the context of history and imperialism.

Women’s History Month

For International Women’s Day and Women’s History Month, we offer a collection of classroom resources, including bios of women in labor history, a class on A Black Women's History of the United States, a SNCC toolkit on women & gender, this day in people's history posts, a lesson on Black women and voting rights, a lesson on Seneca Falls, recommended children's books, and more.

Teach the Black Freedom Struggle Online Classes

Online classes for educators on teaching the Black Freedom Struggle. People's historians interviewed by classroom teachers and teacher educators.

Why I Registered

Hundreds of educators register for free each month at the Zinn Education Project to access lessons and other resources. Here’s why.

Spotlight: Prentiss Charney Fellows

Our annual Prentiss Charney fellowship offers support for a cohort of people’s history educator leaders to study, learn, and organize together. Read spotlights from both Prentiss Charney Fellows cohorts.

Summer Study Group hosted and facilitated by the Zinn Education Project announcement with Teaching for Black Lives cover and quote from Tonette Campbell, This group gave me the tools, language, and collective energy to push back against inequity and reimagine what education can look like for Black students.

National Teaching for Black Lives Summer Study Group

In the summer of 2026, the Zinn Education Project will host and facilitate a Teaching for Black Lives study group for educators across the United States.

Share Your American Revolution Teaching Story

In appreciation for teaching stories about the lessons on the American Revolution, we offer The Rediscovery of America: Native Peoples and The Unmaking of U.S. History by Ned Blackhawk or We Refuse: A Forceful History of Black Resistance by Kellie Carter Jackson.

Question the President

This Presidents Day, rather than mythologize past presidents as kinder and gentler than Trump, let's remind students that this country has been at its best when people have organized to question and challenge presidents — opposing presidential support for slavery, war, invasion, segregation, and injustice of all kinds.

Champions for Educators

While the Seattle Seahawks just won the Superbowl, they have also been champions for educators.

I’ll Make Me a World: The 100-Year Journey of Black History Month

Historian Jarvis Givens joined Rethinking Schools executive director Cierra Kaler-Jones and editor Jesse Hagopian to discuss his latest book, I’ll Make Me a World: The 100-Year Journey of Black History Month. This class was part of the Zinn Education Project’s Teach the Black Freedom Struggle online people’s history series.

Philadelphia Exhibit on Slavery Removed

The federal government tore down a memorial to people enslaved by George Washington at his Philadelphia residence, in the shadow of Independence Hall.

Free Copy of King of the North

Thanks to generous donors, we can offer hardback copies of King of the North: Martin Luther King’s Freedom Struggle Outside of the South to teachers in exchange for stories about using any of our lessons about Martin Luther King and the Civil Rights Movement in the North.

Black History Is for Everyone

Educator Brian Jones spoke about his latest book Black History Is for Everyone, a look at how the study of Black history challenges our understanding of race, nation, and the stories we tell about who we are. This class was part of the Zinn Education Project’s Teach the Black Freedom Struggle online people’s history series.

Ice Storm Is Not a Natural Disaster

The same administration sending ICE to terrorize communities contributes to the dangerous ice and snow storms, threatening the safety of millions this weekend. Fossil fuel extraction helps turn annual snow (and heat, fires, and rain storms) into extreme weather.

Outside Agitators

“Outside agitators” is a trope used throughout history in response to slave resistance, Reconstruction, the labor movement, the anti-apartheid movement, the Civil Rights Movement, and more to dismiss and repress the legitimate agency, intellect, and concerns of local people.