Organizing Archives

Sylvia & Aki

Book — Historical fiction. By Winifred Conkling. 2011. 160 pages.
Based on the true story of two girls who meet in 1940s California and a landmark lawsuit on education.

Daisy Bates: First Lady of Little Rock

Film. Directed by Sharon LaCruise. 2011. 54 minutes.
Documentary on the life of Daisy Bates, best know for her role with the Little Rock Nine.

Film. Produced by the Annenberg Institute for School Reform at Brown University. 2011. 35 minutes.
A documentary about parents in the Bronx who organized to bring high-quality education to their neighborhood.

Precious Knowledge

Film. Directed by Ari Luis Palos and produced by Eren Isabel McGinnis. 2011. 70 minutes.
High school seniors become community leaders in Tucson's embattled Ethnic Studies classes while state lawmakers attempt to eliminate the program.

Bread & Roses: Mills, Migrants, and the Struggle for the American Dream

Book — Non-fiction. By Bruce Watson. 2006. 352 pages.
The riveting story of one of the most remarkable strikes in U.S. history.

I Must Resist: Bayard Rustin’s Life in Letters

Book — Non-fiction. Edited by Michael G. Long. By Bayard Rustin. Foreword by Julian Bond. 2012. 276 pages.
The story of the behind-the-scenes strategist, organizer, and advocate of non-violence, Bayard Rustin.

350.org

Website. Building a global grassroots movement to solve the climate crisis by pushing for policies that will put the world on track to get to 350 ppm of CO2 in the atmosphere.

Dirty Oil and Shovel-Ready Jobs: A Role Play on Tar Sands and the Keystone XL Pipeline

Teaching Activity. By Abby MacPhail. Rethinking Schools. 17 pages.
A lesson on the Keystone XL Pipeline battle.

Scholastic Inc. — Pushing Coal: A 4th-grade Curriculum Lies through Omission

Article. By Bill Bigelow. Rethinking Schools, Summer 2011.
Rethinking Schools exposes links between Scholastic and the coal industry.

Teaching Activity by Bill Bigelow

Diane Wilson

Profile. Diane Wilson (born 1948) is a shrimp fisher, environmentalist, and activist.

Even the Rain/También la lluvia

Film. Directed by Icíar Bollaín and written by Paul Laverty. 2010. 103 minutes.
As a crew shoots a film about Columbus' genocide, local people in Cochabamba, Bolivia rise up against plans to privatize the water supply.

The Lincoln Brigade: A Picture History

Book — Non-fiction. By William Loren Katz and Marc Crawford. 2013. 196 pages.
Interviews, documents, and photos from the first fully integrated United States army, who volunteered to help Spain defend its democracy against fascism.

Teaching Activity by William Loren Katz

Plessy v. Ferguson: The Organizing History of the Case

Article. By Keith W. Medley.
The role of the Comité des Citoyens and The Crusader newspaper in the Plessy v. Ferguson case.

101 Changemakers: Rebels and Radicals Who Changed US History

Book — Non-fiction. By Michele Bollinger and Dao Tran. 2012.
A collection of 101 brief and accessible profiles of rebels, radicals, and fighters for social justice.

Roots of Justice: Stories of Organizing in Communities of Color

Book — Non-fiction. By Larry Salomon. Introduction by Kim Klein. 1998. 176 pages.
Stories of people who fought back against exploitation and injustice — and won.

“They’re Bankrupting Us!”: And 20 Other Myths about Unions

Book — Non-fiction. By Bill Fletcher Jr. 2012. 224 pages.
Scholar and labor organizer Bill Fletcher Jr. unpacks the 21 myths most often cited by anti-labor propagandists.

Teaching Activity by Bill Fletcher Jr.

Lawrence and the 1912 Bread and Roses Strike

Book — Non-fiction. By Robert Forrant and Susan Grabski. 2013. 128 pages.
Images, documents, and quotes tell the story of the 1912 landmark strike.

Organic Goodie cartoon | Zinn Education Project

Organic Goodie Simulation

Teaching Activity. By Bill Bigelow and Norm Diamond. 8 pages.
Lesson engages students in a lively simulation that helps them experience some of the pressures that lead workers to organize.