Zinn Education Project

Teaching Historic and Contemporary Racism in Elementary Classrooms A teacher educator uses the excellent picture book That Flag to explore ways to address race and racism in the classroom.

For adult discussions too. Erin Green used it in her Texas teacher ed course. She read the book aloud and "reaching a particularly crucial moment in the story, I paused. 'How should teachers respond in a moment like this? What do you hope Ms. Greyson will do?'" rethinkingschools.org/articles/tea...

Feminist 250 America turns 250 this year. Who actually built this democracy? Founding Feminists centers the women and gender-nonconforming people written out of the origin story—from Phillis Wheatley to Ona Judge ...

For more resources to #TeachTruth about the American Revolution on this 250th anniversary, check out @msmagazine.com's Feminist 250 initiative.
msmagazine.com/feminist-250/

That Flag Picture Book. By Tameka Fryer Brown. Illustrated by Nikkolas Smith. 2023. 40 pages. Learn about the history of the Confederate flag, the myths and the reality, through the story of two young girls.

"That Flag" is brilliant. It introduces the Lost Cause narrative to young children, shows the critical roles parents & teachers can play in challenging white supremacy, & has an unresolved ending that makes clear how serious this topic is. No sugarcoating. ⬇️ www.zinnedproject.org/materials/th...

Wonderful article by our colleague Greg Wickenkamp about rural educators who, despite censorship campaigns and laws, "take pains to present history in all its complexity, encouraging students to develop their own informed stances through critical thinking." ⬇️ #TeachTruth

March 5, 1868: Impeachment Trial of Andrew Johnson Begins The impeachment trial of President Andrew Johnson began in the Senate.

#tdih 1868 impeachment trial of President Andrew Johnson began in U. S. Senate.

"The transubstantiation of Andrew Johnson was complete . . . the tragedy of American prejudice made flesh." -- W. E. B. Du Bois in "Black Reconstruction" #TeachTruth

Read ⬇️
www.zinnedproject.org/news/tdih/im...

“…the version of McCarthyism we offer our students should restore the powerful and inspiring stories of the activists and organizations who were its victims.”

March 4, 1877: Hayes Takes Office in 1877 Compromise Rutherford Hayes became the 19th President of the United States with a devastating impact on Reconstruction.

"What this meant in plain English was that the people demanded the sacrifice of the Black man & the letter and spirit of the Declaration of Independence." -- Lerone Bennett Jr. on compromise that led to Hayes' inauguration #tdih 1877

#TeachReconstruction Read ⬇️
www.zinnedproject.org/news/tdih/ha...

Aug. 19, 1953: U.S. and Britain Topple Democratically Elected Government of Iran Democratically elected Iranian Premier Mohammad Mossadegh was removed from power in a coup.

That's why we defend educators who #TeachOutsideTextbook. In "Disguising Imperialism: How Textbooks Get the Cold War Wrong & Dupe Students," HS teacher @ladyofsardines.bsky.social includes US-British orchestrated coup. & J. Loewen in "Lies My Teacher Told Me." ⬇️
www.zinnedproject.org/news/tdih/ir...

Just a random reminder that over 50 members of Congress collectively own millions of dollars in defense contractor stocks.

They stand to personally profit from wars that enrich these contractors.

Make no mistake, this is legalized corruption.

Watch how they vote this week.

Feminist 250 America turns 250 this year. Who actually built this democracy? Founding Feminists centers the women and gender-nonconforming people written out of the origin story—from Phillis Wheatley to Ona Judge ...

As the U.S. turns 250 years old, we're reflecting on who actually built it.

Explore FEMINIST 250, an online initiative from Ms. reflecting on the semiquincentennial of US democracy from a feminist perspective—continuing through April 16:

March 3, 1873: Comstock Act Enacted This Reconstructon era anti-obscenity law made it a federal crime to disseminate birth control across state lines or through the mail.

#tdih 1873 Comstock Act enacted

"The Comstock Act defines obscenity so broadly that it can be used to go after not just people making pornography, but sex workers, brothel owners, activists, journalists, writers." - @chenjerai.bsky.social Empire City podcast ⬇️
www.zinnedproject.org/news/tdih/co...

Yes, we go way back. ❤️

On a MOVE: Repairing Histories of State Violence Activist Mike Africa Jr. and scholar Dr. Krystal Strong will discuss the story of the MOVE organization, repairing histories of state violence, and the "On a MOVE" curriculum project. This session is ...

That is why we are hosting a free online class for educators (and everyone who wants to attend) on the bombing of MOVE and the “On a MOVE” curriculum project in Philadelphia.

Learn more and register below.

www.zinnedproject.org/news/on-a-mo...

‘TCB – The Toni Cade Bambara School of Organizing’ Review: A Riveting Documentary That Reveals the Person Behind the Icon Filmmaker Louis Massiah pays captivating homage to the literary and political star without hagiographic reverence.

The new documentary about Toni Cade Bambara is phenomenal and includes a lot about TCB's dedication to filmmaking -- including interviews with Shirikiana Aina and Haile Gerima, Toni Morrison, and more. (May be coming to Filmfest DC www.filmfestdc.org)
variety.com/2025/film/re...

Claudette Colvin - Americans Who Tell The Truth

Claudette Colvin died this year on January 13 in Texas at the age of 86. 💔

She had worked for decades in New York as a nurse. The portrait below by Robert Shetterly is available as a poster from Americans Who Tell the Truth.

#WomensHistoryMonth

americanswhotellthetruth.org/portraits/cl...

Traveling Black: A Long Journey of Resistance Historian Mia Bay discussed her book, Traveling Black: A Story of Race and Resistance, which explores racial restrictions on transportation and resistance to the injustice. This class was part of the ...

Watch the recording of a "freedom school" class with Professor Mia Bay. Bay was interviewed by
@rethinkingschools.bsky.social editor Jesse Hagopian.

All our Teach the Black Freedom Struggle classes are free, interactive, have ASL, & offer a PD certificate.
www.zinnedproject.org/news/traveli...

Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice Book — Non-fiction. By Phillip Hoose. 2010. 160 pages. The story of Claudette Colvin, a teenager who refused to give up her seat in the year leading up to the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

"Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice" by Phillip Hoose is based on extensive interviews with Claudette Colvin and others.

Ideal for middle school to #TeachOutsideTextbook about Colvin, impact of studying Black history, and the Montgomery Bus Boycott. ⬇️
www.zinnedproject.org/materials/cl...

Traveling Black: A Story of Race and Resistance Book — Non-fiction. By Mia Bay. 2021. 400 pages. From stagecoaches and trains to buses, cars, and planes, this book explores racial restrictions on transportation and resistance to the injustice.

Read "Traveling Black" by Mia Bay

From stagecoaches & trains to buses, cars, & planes, this book explores racial restrictions on transportation and examples of resistance (court cases, boycotts, & more) to injustice on almost every one of its 400 pages!
www.zinnedproject.org/materials/tr...

Walk! The Streetcar Boycotts Podcast Episode · Seizing Freedom · S2 E5 · 41m

Protests of injustice on public transport includes many streetcar boycotts.

Listen to episode of Seizing Freedom by @kidadaewilliams.com.

Exposes same language used by right today who defended segregated streetcars to "protect whites from 'discomfort'." ⬇️ podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/w...

Transportation Protests: 1841 to 1992 — Civil Rights Teaching Reading by Julian Hipkins III and David Busch The struggle for the desegregation of transportation has a long history in the United States. This timeline outlines some key individuals and organizatio...

Claudette Colvin & Rosa Parks joined a LONG line of people who challenged segregation and other abuse on public transportation throughout U.S. history.

See this list of dozens of stories from 1841 to 1992. ⬇️And there are MANY more. #TeachOutsideTextbook
www.civilrightsteaching.org/resource/tra...

Black and white headshot photo of Claudette Colvin as a teenager, wearing glasses

Black and white photo of Rosa Parks with glasses, head shot.

Rosa Parks invited Claudette Colvin to serve as NAACP Youth Council secretary.

Colvin bravely signed on as key plaintiff in "Browder v. Gayle."

Read "Pitting Rosa Parks against Claudette Colvin distorts history" by J. Theoharis & @sayburgin.bsky.social
➡️ www.bunkhistory.org/resources/pe...

Claudette Colvin’s case went to trial in May.

The judge strategically dropped two charges (for disturbing peace & breaking the segregation law), and found her guilty of assaulting officers.

Therefore, appealing her case could not directly challenge the segregation law. — Jeanne Theoharis

old photo of young man with glasses and white jacket, head and shoulders

At 15, Claudette Colvin had been politicized by false arrest & torture of her classmate, poet Jeremiah Reeves . . . she refused to move on bus.

"'We’d been studying Constitution [in school during #BHM] I knew I had rights.'” rosaparksbiography.org/bio/claudett... via @jeannetheoharis.bsky.social

March 2, 1955: Claudette Colvin Refuses to Give Up Her Bus Seat At age 15, Claudette Colvin refused to give up her bus seat to a white woman in Montgomery, Alabama.

#tdih 1955

"I could not move, because history had me glued to the seat . . . Sojourner Truth’s hands were pushing me down on one shoulder and Harriet Tubman’s hands were pushing me down on another, and I could not move. — Claudette Colvin, #TeachTruth ⬇️🧵
www.zinnedproject.org/news/tdih/cl...

"Each day...someone has to die so that President Nixon won't be, and these are his words, 'the first President to lose a war.'...How do you ask a man to be the last man to die for a mistake?"

— John Kerry before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, 1971

Picture of green feather with text around edge GREEN FEATHER MOVEMENT. More info: zinnedproject.org | union bug

In response to current attempts to ban books & people's history lessons, we offer Green Feather stickers to invite discussions about need to resist censorship in schools today.

Scroll to request & donation form on this page:
www.zinnedproject.org/news/tdih/gr...
#TeachTruth #TeachOutsideTextbook

More than McCarthyism: The Attack on Activism Students Don’t Learn About from Their Textbooks By Ursula Wolfe-Rocca In legislatures across the country, Republican lawmakers are introducing bills to curtail what educators — in public schools and universities — can say and teach about racism and...

Textbooks obscure long, continuous history of Red Scare & targeted attack on labor & Black freedom struggles. They reduce it to one unscrupulous demagogue, ignoring role of admin/media (sound familiar?) & the Hollywood 10.

Read by @ladyofsardines.bsky.social ⬇️
www.zinnedproject.org/if-we-knew-o...

The Long History of Conservative Indoctrination in Florida Schools The top educational priorities in the Sunshine State were apparently reading, writing, and anti-communism.

When teaching U.S. history, explore long history & true purpose of the Red Scare & resistance.

Read Professor Tera Hunter's article in @thenation.com on Florida HS course called “Americanism vs. Communism.” ⬇️

Were you required to take similar course? Let us know.
www.thenation.com/article/poli...

Bernard Bray, who later taught at Talladega College, said he was inspired to take action based on Baptist Fellowship youth group discussions of burning social issues; influence of hearing from seminarian who was jailed for refusal to participate in WWII; & the religious convictions of his parents.

Photo of man with white beard and green beret, red brick wall behind him. Wearing a green feather button.

In face of Red Scare today, we can learn from 5 brave IU students.

They dyed chicken feathers green (not easy) & spread them around IU campus to protest censorship and McCarthyism.

Movement spread nationally.

One of the 5, Bernard Bray, interviewed by ZEP ➡️: www.zinnedproject.org/materials/th...