HOTA Final!

For those who want to get a head start for the final, here are the three prompts you should be prepared to answer:

1. Evaluate the contribution of either Dr Martin Luther King or Malcolm X to the Civil Rights Movement. Refer to specific events.
2. Was the US government supportive of the Civil Rights Movement? Refer to specific events.
3. Evaluate the success of the Civil Rights movement in creating civil and social equality among American citizens?

 Also, be prepared to analyze several Cold War related primary documents.

Friday May 27th

Today we continued our study of the Civil Rights Movement, focusing specifically on the role of the FBI and COINTELPRO. Today we attempted to answer the following question: How did the FBI carry out its war against Black freedom groups?

After examining several FBI documents, wrote group paragraphs to share our answers, and then re-wrote a passage from a U.S. history textbook. Students were shocked to find that there is no mention of FBI involvement at the height of the Civil Rights Movement.

We then pivoted to the more contemporary struggle for social equity, examining statistics from Michelle Alexander's The New Jim Crow.

Reminder: Be sure to submit all missing or outstanding work! I am available 1st, 2nd, and 5th periods to assist!

Wednesday May 25th

End of the year is fast approaching! Be sure to complete all outstanding assignments. Flex period will be available for you this Thursday AND Friday. I hope y'all take advantage of the additional opportunity!

Today we reviewed expectations for the HOTA history journals due Thursday, June 1st.

Then we finished our Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X dialogues before wrapping up class reviewing The Black Panther Party and the FBI's surveillance of Civil Rights groups under the COINTELPRO program.

Be sure to finish your Civil Rights Movement Maps, due this Friday May 27th.

 

Thursday May 19th

Highlander Folk School, New Market, Tennessee

 Today we completed the SNCC Convention simulation. Our task was to decide upon the next action we should take to advance the struggle for civil rights. The convention featured:

• SNCC advocates for nonviolent civil disobedience
• SNCC advocates for voter registration
• Representatives from the Congress of Racial Equity
• Representatives from the Kennedy Administration
• Civil Rights Veterans such as Ella Baker and Bob Moses

After drafting proposals, students circulated around the room in an effort to build alliances and consensus. Though it was difficult, students ultimately arrived at a sound strategy that closely mirrored what was actually decided upon in August 1961 at the Highlander Folk School. 

Civil rights leaders and organizer meeting and discussing at Highlander Folk School.

 

Tuesday May 17th

We are quickly approaching the end of the year! Friendly reminder to work on all and any outstanding assignments. As always, feel free to visit with me during flex, or after school to review your grade or work.

Today we spent time your work sample grades from the Cold War essays, then quickly jumped back into our study of the Civil Rights Movement. After spending some time learning about the 1956 Southern Manifesto on Integration and the 1961 Freedom Rides, we watched clips from Eyes on the Prize. 

We then begun our Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee Convention, reviewing roles and completing internal monologues ahead of our convention on Thursday.

Friday May 13th

Yikes! Friday the 13th. Luckily, all was well in HOTA today.

First we spent time reviewing Jim Crow by analyzing Langston Hughes. "Beaumont to Detriot: 1943."

Students then worked individually to summarize the major events of the Civil Rights Movement between 1942-1960.

We finished class with another clip from Eyes on the Prize and exploring the role of nonviolent civil disobedience during the student sit-ins of the 1960s.

 

Wednesday May 11th

Sorry for the late post! 

Today we took a deeper look into life for African-Americans living under Jim Crow. Specifically, we:

• Examined the difference between de jure and de facto Jim Crow racial segregation,
• Reflected on life in Jim Crow by writing short stories,
• Analyzed how the death of Emmett Till revealed how the very violence of Jim Crow sparked Southern and Northern resistance.

We also watched clips from the fantastic PBS series, Eyes on the Prize (available in class and at the library).

Who Am I? Introduction to the Civil Rights Movement

Today we continued to discuss how individual identities shape the way we understand history. We read through a chapter in Beverly Daniel Tatum's work, "Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria," and responded to some quotes from the text.

We then introduced the Civil Rights Movement by dramatizing "separate but equal" learning conditions with a Civil Rights Pre-Test. Much of our introduction centered on the following guiding question of the unit, "What is freedom?"

We watched and discussed this clip from Selma and analyzed "what is freedom" from the perspective of Oprah Winfrey's character. 

 

Civil Rights!

We've now begun our last unit of the year, Civil Rights!

Today we started our study by beginning with the basics: Exploring our identities and the ways society values some identities over others. These conversations are always difficult and require tremendous energy; I appreciate everyone for giving their all in class today!

Our first activities are from Beverly Daniel Tatum's book, Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria? And Other Conversations About Race.