Book — Fiction. By Patricia McKissack. 2006. 112 pages.
Historical fiction about the lunch counter sit-ins for ages 9+.
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Audio. By Howard Zinn. Read by Matt Damon. 2003. 8 hours, 44 minutes.
Audio book version of excerpted highlights from A People's History of the United States.
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Book — Fiction. By Mildred Taylor. 1998. 56 pages.
Cassie witnesses a Black man address a white storekeeper by his first name.
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Website.
Portraits by Robert Shetterly and biographies of individuals who have taken a stand for justice.
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Film. Directed by Francine Cavanaugh and Adams Wood. 2010. 81 minutes.
This film takes viewers on a gripping emotional journey into a community surrounded by a looming toxic threat.
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Book — Fiction. By John Sayles. 2011. 955 pages.
Spanning five years and half a dozen countries, Sayles' novel of historical fiction paints a picture of the late 1890s — from the racist coup in Wilmington, North Carolina, to the bloody dawn of U.S. interventionism in Cuba and the Philippines.
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Book — Non-fiction. By Howard Zinn. Introduction by Staughton Lynd. 2011. 192 pages.
A collection of 27 writings on activism, electoral politics, the Holocaust, Marxism, the Iraq War, and the role of the historian.
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Teaching Activity. By Bill Bigelow and Bob Peterson. Rethinking Schools. 4 pages.
Using photographs to spark creative writing and critical thinking about child labor issues and social justice.
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Book — Non-fiction. By Barbara Ehrenreich. 2008. 256 pages.
Undercover journalism exposing hard realities of life for the working poor.
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Picture book. By George Ella Lyon. Artwork by Christopher Cardinale. 2011. 40 pages.
This children's book tells the story of a classic union song written in 1931 and the harsh conditions under which it was written.
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Film. By Jordan Mechner. 2004. 26 minutes.
A documentary about the politics and economics of land in the United States, based on the story of a Mexican American village razed in the 1950s to build Dodger Stadium.
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Film. Directed by Michael Moore. 1989. 91 minutes.
Documentary chronicling the efforts of the world's largest corporation, General Motors, as it turns its hometown of Flint, Michigan, into a ghost town.
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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.
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Book — Non-fiction. By Bruce Watson. 2006. 352 pages.
The riveting story of one of the most remarkable strikes in U.S. history.
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Poem. By Nigel Gray.
Poem about the causes and impact of the Irish Potato Famine.
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Book — Non-fiction. By Ronald Takaki, adapted by Rebecca Stefoff. 2012. 368 pages.
An adaptation for young readers of the classic multicultural history of the United States, A Different Mirror.
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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.
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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.
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Teaching Activity. By Bill Bigelow and Norm Diamond. 3 pages.
This lesson introduces students to Bertolt Brecht’s poem, A Worker Reads History. Students reflect on the creative role of workers in making history.
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Teaching Activity. By Bill Bigelow and Norm Diamond. 6 pages.
Students work with a chapter from Milton Meltzer’s classic book, Bread and Roses, to see the impact of late 19th century factory work on workers’ home lives.
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Teaching Activity. By Bill Bigelow and Norm Diamond.
This lesson uses Charlie Chaplin’s hilarious classic film, Modern Times, to help students think about the impact of “scientific management” on the workplace.
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Teaching Activity. By Bill Bigelow and Norm Diamond. 8 pages.
In this lesson, students re-examine and restructure a burger joint so that it is more democratically and imaginatively operated.
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Teaching Activity. By Bill Bigelow and Norm Diamond. 11 pages.
This role play activity on the famous 1892 Homestead Strike, explores the possibility of solidarity among workers of very different backgrounds and at different levels in the workplace hierarchy.
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Teaching Activity. By Bill Bigelow and Norm Diamond. 7 pages.
Writing activity for students to complete the narrative of women workers striking at a glove-making factory, exploring possible outcomes.
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Teaching Activity. By Bill Bigelow and Norm Diamond. 20 pages.
Students “become” several of the social groups who participated in the 1934 Longshore Workers Strike — some of whom had to answer the question, “Which side are you on?”
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