Zinn Education Project

Aug. 3, 1980: Reagan Gives "State's Rights" Speech at Neshoba County Fair Reagan appealed to the “George Wallace-inclined voters” and to white supremacy in his stump speech at the Neshoba County Fair, mere miles away from where three civil rights workers were murdered by th...

One year to the day earlier, Reagan signaled his dedication to white supremacy when he launched campaign with a speech lauding “states’ rights” outside Philadelphia, Miss. — the site of the murder of three young men working for voting rights in 1964.

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

Aug. 3, 1981: Air Traffic Controllers Strike The Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization (PATCO) declared a strike.

#tdih 1981, PATCO on strike. Pres. Reagan fired the 11,345 striking air traffic controllers who ignored order to return to work & banned them from federal service for life.

The DC area airport is named for him. Who is honored in history paves path to today. 🧵
www.zinnedproject.org/news/tdih/pa...

And Baldwin further elaborates this paradox that folks are not especially keen on having people like that (question askers) around and yet society depends on us for it's very survival. I assign this every semester (and he's one of my daughter's namesakes). If you haven't read this, do it today!

"The obligation of anyone who thinks of himself as responsible is to examine society and try to change it and to fight it — at no matter what risk. This is the only hope society has. This is the only way societies change."

Teaching America - BlackStar Teaching America explores the battle around the teaching of African American studies from inside the classroom, focusing on the transformative …

"Teaching America" -- excellent 21-min doc features brilliant interviews with Little Rock, Arkansas students who take AP African American studies & why they fight to protect the class. (Also Elizabeth Eckford, teachers, & families.)

Streams through 8/3 at Blackstar Filmfest. Get ticket to watch ⬇️

Aug. 2, 1924: James Baldwin Born James Baldwin was born in Harlem, New York.

"We are living through a very dangerous time. . . The paradox of education is precisely this — that as one begins to become conscious one begins to examine the society in which he is being educated." — James Baldwin (born #tdih 1924) "A Talk to Teachers" ⬇️
www.zinnedproject.org/news/tdih/ja...

Word of mouth. — Baton Rouge, Louisiana I am teaching social studies to fourth and fifth graders this year, and am looking for quality lessons related to our country’s Black history. — State College, Pennsylvania So that I can share resources with the graduate students I teach. Social studies teachers in particular are finding it more difficult to find free curriculum that presents an expanded picture of history rather than white-washed versions. — Nashville, Tennessee

I’ve known about ZEP for a while, but became really interested in it because of the deportation stories. — Butte, Montana We have copies of The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks and would like to access the teaching materials that accompany the book. — Detroit, Michigan I am a middle school teacher, and I have previously used ZEP. The interactive lesson plans are critical in best teaching practices. — Nevada City, California

Excellent materials. I have used them at a previous school. — Winder, Georgia I appreciate the authentic, meaningful learning that students experience with the Zinn Education Project. — Oakland, California I’m teaching a culturally relevant Mexican American literature class for 11th grade English and I’m searching for resources to help me fold this history into my class. — Tucson, Arizona

I am interested in your resource about putting Columbus on trial in the history classroom. — Brooklyn, New York Students of color, queer students, Indigenous students, and all students have a right to know U.S. history as it was. — Lenexa, Kansas I found out about ZEP on Instagram. I have seen so many great resources from this organization and I would love to explore more resources and incorporate them into my classroom. — Rochester, New York

#Fridayreport: This wk 106 teachers signed up at ZEP for people’s history lessons from Tucson, AZ; Oakland & Nevada City, CA; Winder, GA; Lenexa, KS; Baton Rouge, LA; Detroit, MI; Butte, MT; Rochester, NY; State College, PA; Nashville, TN; & more cities. Some reasons why or how they heard about us ⬇️

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...

Sarah Keys Evans is one of thousands of people who have taken a stand against segregated transit to afford freedom of movement to all.

See stories ⬇️ of key individuals & organizations from 1841 to 1992. #TeachOutsideTextbook

There are countless more.
www.civilrightsteaching.org/resource/tra...

Mighty Justice (Young Readers' Edition): The Untold Story of Civil Rights Trailblazer Dovey Johnson Roundtree Book — Non-fiction. By Katie McCabe and Jabari Asim. 2020. 208 pages. A young readers' adaptation of Mighty Justice: My Life in Civil Rights, the memoir of activist lawyer Dovey Johnson Roundtree.

We also recommend the young readers' book, "Mighty Justice: The Untold Story of Civil Rights Trailblazer Dovey Johnson Roundtree" by @jabariasim.bsky.social and Katie McCabe via @macmillanlib.bsky.social

Roundtree was Sarah Keys Evans' lawyer & a lifelong attorney & minister for justice. ⬇️

Monument with curved brick wall, painted pictures, and text engraved on a plaque. Trees and cloudy sky in the background.

Thankfully, this fall there will be a new book for young people by Keys Evans and Nathan, published by the NC Office of Archives and History.

In addition, thanks to advocacy of local Black educators & allies, there is now a monument (& a marker). Read via @time.com here: time.com/5871245/sara...

Take a Seat - Make a Stand: A Hero in the Family - Social Justice Books Reviewed by Matthew Smee Review Source: Teaching for Change Book Author: Take a Seat – Make a Stand: A Hero in the Family tells the story of Sarah Keys Evans, a key figure in the Civil Rights Movement...

We recommend the children's book "Take a Seat: Make a Stand: The Story of Sarah Key Evans."

Author Amy Nathan had to self-publish b/c publishers told her they already had books on Rosa Parks, or "Evans wasn’t famous so there would be no interest." ⬇️
socialjusticebooks.org/take-seat-ma...

Aug. 1, 1952: Sarah Keys Refuses to Give Up Her Seat on a Bus Sarah Keys refused to give up her seat on a state-to-state charter bus, prompting the landmark court case, Sarah Keys v. Carolina Coach Company.

#tdih 1952 22-yr-old WAC Sarah Louise Keys Evans from NC bravely refused to give up her seat for a white man on charter bus from NJ to NC.

She was arrested, filed suit (with lawyer Dovey J. Roundtree), & won in Keys v. Carolina Coach Co. #TeachTruth

Read ⬇️. 🧵
www.zinnedproject.org/news/tdih/sa...

How the Word Is Passed: Remembering Slavery and How It Shaped America Author and educator Clint Smith will discuss the new young readers edition of How the Word Is Passed: Remembering Slavery and How it Shaped America. This session is part of the Zinn Education Project’...

While the right bans lessons on slavery -- here is a new book to help young people learn MORE about history of slavery & how it is either lied about, hidden, or told honestly.

Join us to hear from author Clint Smith on Aug. 25.

Pre-order copies of the book.
www.zinnedproject.org/news/how-the...

Every time I do any kind of prison education program, I come out completely destroyed. I can’t get over that we live in a society that throws humans in cages for decades at a time.

July 31, 1763: Chief Pontiac Wins Battle of Bloody Run at Fort Detroit Fighting alongside Odawa Chief Pontiac, the unified Native warriors defeated 250 British soldiers during their siege at Fort Detroit during Pontiac’s War.

#tdih 1763 Native nations defeated British soldiers in siege at Ft. Detroit.

Pontiac’s Rebellion (1763-1766) included Ottawa, Ojibwas, Potawatomis, Huron, Miami, Weas, Kickapoo, Mascouten, Piankashaw, Delaware, Shawnee, Wyandot, Seneca, & Seneca-Cayuga. Read ⬇️
www.zinnedproject.org/news/tdih/ba...

Today, we’re introducing AlphaEarth Foundations, an artificial intelligence (AI) model that functions like a virtual satellite. It accurately and efficiently characterizes the planet’s entire terrestrial land and coastal waters by integrating huge amounts of Earth observation data into a unified digital representation, or "embedding," that computer systems can easily process. This allows the model to provide scientists with a more complete and consistent picture of our planet's evolution, helping them make more informed decisions on critical issues like food security, deforestation, urban expansion, and water resources.

Google released an AI model today that can help “make more informed decisions on critical issues like food security” while Google profits from the Gaza genocide/starvation. The cognitive dissonance is surreal.

Erasing the Black Freedom Struggle

“It’s time for a new Reconstruction story — a story that will help us better understand how we got here. A story where the central characters are the Black people who fought to liberate themselves. . . ” — @kidadaewilliams.com

⬇️ Teach Reconstruction Report
www.teachreconstructionreport.org

Massacres in the United States Here is a list of some of the countless massacres in the history of the United States.

1866 NOLA Massacre is one of countless in U.S. history to suppress voting rights, land own., economic adv., education, press freedom, religion, LGBTQ rights, &/or labor rights of African Americans, Latinos, Native Americans, Asian Americans, & immigrants.
www.zinnedproject.org/collection/m...

July 30, 1866: New Orleans Massacre The New Orleans Massacre occurred when white residents attacked Black marchers near the reconvened Louisiana Constitutional Convention.

#tdih 1866 Massacre of African Americans in New Orleans at an interracial voting rights convention.💔

Attacked by white mobs and police (that included ex-Confederates). No charges.

#TeachReconstruction and long history of voter suppression.

Read ⬇️🧵
www.zinnedproject.org/news/tdih/ju...

Been thinking about this for days. So many recent re-examinations of our history have been made possible through archives held in Black cultural institutions. Cuts aren't only about erasing the past but undermining the potential to grapple with who we are as a nation in the present and future

Democracy Now! A daily TV/radio news program, hosted by Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzalez, pioneering the largest community media collaboration in the U.S.

We follow @democracynow.org which is available on the radio, TV, as a podcast, and by the end of each day -- in transcripts. (And many of the segments are student-friendly and translated into Spanish.)
www.democracynow.org

Aug. 13, 1910: Ministers Appeal to President Taft After Slocum Massacre A group of more than 150 ministers from Washington, D.C. wrote to President William Taft about the Slocum Massacre.

“Unless something is done to make human life more valuable & law more universally respected, we feel that our beloved country is doomed to destruction at no distant date." -- 150 African American ministers to President Taft

AG response ➡️ "up to the states."
www.zinnedproject.org/news/tdih/mi...

July 29, 1910: Slocum Massacre in Texas Citizens in the small, predominately African American town of Slocum, Texas, were massacred.

#tdih 1910 White mobs massacred African Americans in Slocum, Texas, leading people to flee their land, homes, and businesses. 💔

One more time, economic advancement by African Americans destroyed and/or stolen.

#Terrorism #TeachTruth #Reparations 🧵
www.zinnedproject.org/news/tdih/sl...

Harvard Is Said to Be Open to Spending Up To $500 Million to Resolve Trump Dispute

"resolve dispute" is a bizarre way to describe extortion.

Original Sins: The (Mis)education of Black and Native Children and the Construction of American Racism Scholar Eve L. Ewing will discuss her book, Original Sins: The (Mis)Education of Black and Native Children and the Construction of American Racism, an examination of how the U.S. school system helps m...

Join us to hear Eve Ewing talk about "Original Sins" on Sept. 22. Free, interactive, ASL interpretation & PD certificates. RSVP ⬇️

As Edith Campbell says, Ewing "invites us into a conversation about the ways education has perpetuated inequity in this country."
www.zinnedproject.org/news/origina...

review: Original Sins While Ewing’s writing style is accessible and engaging, I found myself taking breaks to reflect on bits of information while simultaneously wanting to pass the book along so that I could talk with som...

". . . with the dismantling of the U.S. DoE, ['Original Sins' by @eveewing.bsky.social ] opens us to the possibility of building a better framework for teaching all of our children. This is a necessary book, . . . for those invested in literacy, to read" by @cottonquiltsedi.bsky.social in @slj.com ⬇️

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...

Calling Bonus Marchers "Red agitators" is part of long history of using Red Scare & McCarthyism to attack labor & racial justice organizing.

Already left out of textbooks, anti-history ed bills & EOs ban teaching outside textbook.

Read textbook critique by Wolfe-Rocca @ladyofsardines.bsky.social ⬇️

Black and white photo of men fighting with police, American flag is sideways, tent in background

Tents, a few cars, people walking. Sepia photo.

"Despite the fact that the Bonus Army was made up of 95 percent veterans, the entire group was labeled 'Red agitators' — tantamount to declaring open season on an oppressed group of U.S. citizens.

Right on cue, Hoover called out the troops." 💔#TeachOutsideTextbook #RedScare

Black and white photo of crowd (most are wearing hats) facing building with columns, carrying signs naming states.

"While they may have fought in Europe as a segregated army, the Bonus Army did not invite Jim Crow to this battle.

Arriving from all over the country, alone or with wives and children, both Black & white vets huddled together, in what they called ‘Hoovervilles.'" #TeachTruth #Encampments #Occupy

July 28, 1932: Bonus Army Attacked The U.S. government attacked an encampment of Black and white WWI veterans with tanks, bayonets, and tear gas.

#tdih 1932: U.S. gov't attacked WWI vets with tanks, bayonets, & tear gas, under leadership of textbook heroes MacArthur, Patton, & Eisenhower.

The WWI vets were in Bonus Army.

They had come to D.C. to demand promised wartime bonuses.

Videos + more ⬇️🧵
www.zinnedproject.org/news/tdih/bo...