Aug. 15 and 17, 1973: Two Striking United Farm Workers Killed
Two striking United Farm Workers (UFW) were killed on Aug. 15 and 17, 1973, while picketing.
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Theme: Organizing
Organizing
Aug. 22, 1964: Sharecroppers Demand Delivery of Full Suffrage in the U.S.
Mrs. Fannie Lou Hamer, and the other members of the MFDP at the Democratic National Convention, questioned the nation about the lack of “one person, one vote” in the United States.
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Sept. 8, 1965: Delano Grape Strike Began
The Delano grape strike began in California.
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Aug. 28, 1963: March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom
Hundreds of thousands of civil rights activists marched on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.
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How to Make Amends: A Lesson on Reparations
Teaching Activity. By Ursula Wolfe-Rocca, Alex Stegner, Chris Buehler, Angela DiPasquale, and Tom McKenna.
Students meet dozens of advocates and recipients of reparations from a variety of historical eras to grapple with the possibility of reparations now and in the future.
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Students meet dozens of advocates and recipients of reparations from a variety of historical eras to grapple with the possibility of reparations now and in the future.
Sept. 20, 1830: The First Meeting of the Colored Conventions Movement
Forty African Americans, elected by communities in nine states, met in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1830 to organize for improving the lives of Black people in North America. That week, they founded the National Colored Conventions movement and held its first official series of formal meetings.
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Oct. 17, 1950: Empire Zinc Strike
The local chapter of the International Union of Mine, Mill, and Smelter Workers went on strike to protest their segregated housing and unfair wages and living conditions.
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‘We Had Set Ourselves Free’: Lessons on the Civil Rights Movement
Teaching Activity. By Doug Sherman. Rethinking Schools. 4 pages.
The author describes how he uses biographies and film to introduce students to the role of people involved in the Civil Rights Movement beyond the familiar heroes. He emphasizes the role and experiences of young people in the Movement.
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The author describes how he uses biographies and film to introduce students to the role of people involved in the Civil Rights Movement beyond the familiar heroes. He emphasizes the role and experiences of young people in the Movement.
After Gandhi: One Hundred Years of Nonviolent Resistance
Book — Non-fiction. By Anne Sibley O'Brien and Perry Edmund O'Brien. 2009. 192 pages.
Stories about 15 activists who continue in the tradition of Gandhi, written and illustrated for upper elementary and middle school.
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Stories about 15 activists who continue in the tradition of Gandhi, written and illustrated for upper elementary and middle school.
Salt of the Earth
Film. By Herbert Biberman. 1954. 94 minutes.
This classic, powerful film about a miners strike in New Mexico can be used to teach about the intersection of class, race, national origin, and gender.
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This classic, powerful film about a miners strike in New Mexico can be used to teach about the intersection of class, race, national origin, and gender.
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.
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Asian Americans in the People’s History of the United States
Profile.
Brief profiles of people and events from Asian American and Pacific Islander people's history.
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Oct. 15, 1966: The Black Panther Party Founded
The Black Panther Party sought justice for African Americans and other oppressed communities through a combination of revolutionary theory, education, and community programs.
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March 1, 1954: The Green Feather Movement Launched
Five students from Indiana University at Bloomington (IU) started the Green Feather Movement to protest censorship.
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Oct. 12, 1898: Battle of Virden
A small band of striking coal miners in southern Illinois called out Chicago coal barons and stood their ground at Virden.
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April 3, 1934: Southern Tenant Farmers’ Union
The Southern Tenant Farmers Union broke away from a larger organization and became a racially integrated workers union.
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June 21, 1964: Three Civil Rights Workers Murdered in Mississippi
James Chaney, Michael Schwerner, and Andrew Goodman were tortured and murdered by the Ku Klux Klan in Neshoba County, Mississippi.
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Nov. 13, 1953: Call to Ban Robin Hood in Indiana Schools
Mrs. White of the Indiana Textbook Commission called for a ban of Robin Hood in all school books for promoting communism.
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Teaching a People’s History of Abolition and the Civil War
Teaching Guide. Edited by Adam Sanchez. 2019. Rethinking Schools. 181 pages.
Students will discover the real abolition story, one about some of the most significant grassroots social movements in U.S. history.
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Students will discover the real abolition story, one about some of the most significant grassroots social movements in U.S. history.
Food, Farming, and Justice: A Role Play on La Vía Campesina
Teaching Activity. By Bill Bigelow, Chris Buehler, Julie Treick O'Neill, and Tim Swinehart. Rethinking Schools.
This role play invites students to take on identities of La Vía Campesina activists around the world, to compare/contrast circumstances in order to discover the common goal of “food sovereignty.”
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This role play invites students to take on identities of La Vía Campesina activists around the world, to compare/contrast circumstances in order to discover the common goal of “food sovereignty.”
Who Fought to End Slavery? Meet the Abolitionists
Teaching Activity. By Adam Sanchez, Brady Bennon, Deb Delman, and Jessica Lovaas.
This mixer role play introduces students to the stories of famous and lesser-known abolitionists, through biography and investigation.
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This mixer role play introduces students to the stories of famous and lesser-known abolitionists, through biography and investigation.
Nov. 20, 1835: New York Committee of Vigilance Founded
Radical abolitionists organized to liberate kidnapped Black New Yorkers and fight racist police violence in the decades after New York abolished slavery.
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How to Change Everything: The Young Human’s Guide to Protecting the Planet and Each Other
Book — Non-fiction. By Naomi Klein and Rebecca Stefoff. 2021.
Young leaders are showing the world that this moment of increasingly dangerous climate change is also a moment of great opportunity — an opportunity to change everything for the better.
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Young leaders are showing the world that this moment of increasingly dangerous climate change is also a moment of great opportunity — an opportunity to change everything for the better.
Sept. 23, 1968: Young Lords Founded
The Young Lords were established in Chicago, Illinois in 1968, led by a street activist named Cha Cha Jiménez, who organized the group to fight local gentrification, police brutality, and racism.
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