20th Century Archives

I’ve Got the Light of Freedom: The Organizing Tradition and the Mississippi Freedom Struggle

Book — Non-fiction. By Charles M. Payne. 1995. 506 pages.
A people's history of the Civil Rights Movement in Mississippi.

Local People: The Struggle for Civil Rights in Mississippi

Book — Non-fiction. By John Dittmer. 1995. 560 pages.
A detailed, grassroots description of the Civil Rights Movement in Mississippi.

Mirror to America: The Autobiography of John Hope Franklin

Book — Nonfiction. By John Hope Franklin. 2006. 416 pages.
Autobiography of one of the leading historians of the 20th century.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

Book — Fiction. By Sherman Alexie. 2007. 288 pages.
Coming-of-age-tale set on Spokane Indian Reservation.

Lessons from Freedom Summer: Ordinary People Building Extraordinary Movements

Teaching Guide. Edited by Kathy Emery, Linda Reid Gold and Sylvia Braselmann. Foreword by Howard Zinn. 2008. 456 pages.
Readings and lessons on the 1964 Mississippi Summer Project.

Matewan

Film. Written and directed by John Sayles. 1987. 132 minutes.
A feature ﬁlm depicting a strike in a mining town in Appalachia and the struggle for solidarity across racial lines.

Putting the Movement Back into Civil Rights Teaching

Teaching Guide and Website. Edited by Deborah Menkart, Alana D. Murray, and Jenice L. View. 2024. 390 pages.
This second edition provides lessons and articles for K–12 educators on how to go beyond a heroes approach to the Civil Rights Movement, with a focus on education, economics, labor, youth, women, and culture.

Teaching Activity by Deborah Menkart

My Mother the Cheerleader

Book — Fiction. By Robert Sharenow. 2009. 320 pages.
Louise's mother spends her mornings at the local elementary school with a group of women known as the Cheerleaders, who harass the school's first Black student, six-year-old Ruby Bridges.

Patrol: An American Soldier in Vietnam

Picture book. By Walter Dean Myers. 2005. 40 pages.
Sophisticated picture book on one soldier's patrol in Vietnam, for upper elementary.

Chávez Ravine: A Record by Ry Cooder

Songs. By Ry Cooder. 2005. 70 minutes.
The story of the Chicano community bulldozed to pave the way for the Dodger Stadium in Santa Monica, told through bilingual songs.

Scraps of Time 1928: A Song for Harlem

Book — Fiction. By Patricia C. McKissack. 2007. 108 pages.
Story for young readers about a 12-year-old girl's education during the Harlem Renaissance with Zora Neale Hurston as her teacher.

Teaching About Asian Pacific Americans: Effective Activities, Strategies, and Assignments for Classrooms and Communities

Teaching Guide. Edited by Edith Wen-Chu Chen and Glenn Omatsu. 2006.
Comprehensive collection of articles and lessons on Asian Pacific American history.

That's Not Fair! / No Es Justo! (Book) | Zinn Education Project: Teaching People's History

That’s Not Fair! Emma Tenayuca’s Struggle for Justice/¡No Es Justo!: La lucha de Emma Tenayuca por la justicia

Picture book. By Carmen Tafolla, Sharyll Tenayuca, and Celina Marroquin. 2008. 40 pages.
Bilingual (Spanish and English) biography of labor activist Emma Tenayuca for upper elementary.

The Corporation

Film. By Mark Achbar, Jennifer Abbott, and Joel Bakan. 2004. 145 minutes.
This award-winning documentary examines the nature, evolution, impacts, and future of the modern business corporation and the increasing role it plays in society and our everyday lives.

Making a Killing: Philip Morris, Kraft and Global Tobacco Addiction

Film. By Kelly Anderson and Tami Gold. 2001. 30 minutes.
How Philip Morris has conspired to hook children on tobacco and keep governments from protecting public health.

Waiting ‘Til the Midnight Hour: A Narrative History of Black Power in America

Book — Non-fiction. By Peniel E. Joseph. 2007. 432 pages.
A narrative history of the Black Power Movement.

Teaching Activity by Peniel E. Joseph

Warriors Don't Cry (Book - Non-fiction) | Zinn Education Project

Warriors Don’t Cry: A Searing Memoir of the Battle to Integrate Little Rock’s Senior High

Book — Non-fiction. By Melba Pattillo Beals. 2007. 336 pages.
Story of a teenage girl chosen to integrate Little Rock High School.

We Are One: The Story of Bayard Rustin

Picture book. By Larry Dane Brimner. 2007. 48 pages.
A sophisticated picture book on key civil rights leader Bayard Rustin.

We Took the Streets: Fighting for Latino Rights with the Young Lords

Book — Non-fiction. By Miguel Melendez. 2003. 260 pages.
Legacy of the Young Lords in the Puerto Rican struggle for equality and independence.

Teaching Activity by Miguel Melendez

book cover reading "The Eyes on the Prize: Civil Rights Reader"

The Eyes on the Prize Civil Rights Reader: Documents, Speeches, and Firsthand Accounts from the Black Freedom Struggle, 1954–1990

Book — Non-fiction. Edited by Clayborne Carson, David J. Garrow, Gerald Gill, Vincent Harding, and Darlene Clark Hine. 1991. 784 pages
Readings to accompany the film, Eyes on the Prize.

Through My Eyes

Book — Non-fiction. By Ruby Bridges. 1999. 64 pages.
Biography of Ruby Bridges for middle school.

Hubert Harrison

Profile. By Jeffrey B. Perry.
Overview of the life and work scholar and activist Hubert Harrison.

“The Good War”: An Oral History of World War II

Book — Non-fiction. By Studs Terkel. 2004. 608 pages.
Interviews with over 120 people about WWII.

Teaching Activity by Studs Terkel

Remembering Jim Crow: African Americans Tell About Life in the Segregated South

Book — Non-fiction (with CD). Edited by William H. Chafe, Raymond Gavins and Robert Korstad. 2008. 346 pages.
Extensive oral history of African American life under segregation.

Nobody Gonna Turn Me ‘Round: Stories and Songs of the Civil Rights Movement

Picture book. By Doreen Rappaport. Illustrated by Shane W. Evans. 2008. 64 pages.
Stories and songs for upper elementary from the Civil Rights Movement from 1955 to 1965.

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