Teaching Hard History

In 2015, Coach Steve Bandura loaded the Anderson Monarchs, a little league baseball team from Philadelphia, onto a 1947 Flxible Clipper Bus for a barnstorming tour back in time. Bandura and the players recount lessons learned while visiting historic civil rights sites, meeting veteran activists and playing baseball along the way. And historian Derrick E. White, co-host of The Black Athlete podcast, explores the intersection of sports and civil rights history. Listen to our latest Spotify playlist for even more Movement Music inspired by this episode! For good advice on teaching about barrier breakers like Jackie Robinson, read "More Than a Name: Teaching Historic Firsts". See pictures of the Anderson Monarchs Civil Rights Barnstorming Tour from the team's website. And see great footage from the road in this video about the tour. After you listen to The Black Athlete podcast, check out Derrick White's book about the history of Black College Football: Blood, Sweat, and Tears. See Mo'ne Davis on the cover of Sports Illustrated in this article about the underdogs from Philadelphia who took the Little League World Series by storm. Be sure to visit the enhanced episode transcript for additional classroom resources for teaching about sports and the civil rights movement. And Educators! Get a professional development certificate for listening to this episode—issued by Learning for Justice. Listen to the episode for the special code word. Then visit learningforjustice/podcastPD.

The civil rights movement offers critical context for understanding the systemic police violence, voter suppression efforts, 'law and order' rhetoric and criminalization of activism we see today. It also helps us understand the strategies activists use to fight these injustices. Historians Shannon King and Nishani Frazier explain how they use 21st-century Black activism to teach the movement's history—and how they use the movement to help students better understand the contemporary Black freedom struggle. Listen to our latest Spotify playlist for even more Movement Music inspired by this episode. "You do know that when Dr. King was alive we had the Watts riots…" – Watch the exchange we discuss between Don Lemon and Rev. Jesse Jackson during the 2014 Ferguson uprising. Are you qualified to vote? – This is an amazing collection of Jim Crow era state voter applications and literacy tests from before the Voting Rights Act. "Voter suppression then and now" – This lesson plan offers students historical context and an examination of the issue today. "Teaching About Mass Incarceration: From Conversation to Civic Action" – A teacher shares ideas from her own classroom. Visit the enhanced episode transcript for even more resources about using current events to teach about the civil rights movement. And Educators! Get a professional development certificate for listening to this episode—issued by Learning for Justice. Listen for the special code word, then visit learningforjustice.org/podcastpd.

The history of the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense can help us understand the transition from civil rights to Black Power, as well as contemporary issues like mass incarceration. From the Ten-Point Platform to survival programs, historian Robyn C. Spencer outlines key aspects of the party's revolutionary ideology, grassroots activism and community service. And historian Jakobi Williams joins to share valuable classroom insights. Want more Movement Music? Our latest Spotify playlist has even more songs inspired by this episode. Check out this great Resource Guide (pdf) – "Teaching The History of the Black Panther Party: 5 Essential FAQ's" – from The Intersectional Black Panther Party History Project. And your students can find rich archival materials about the Black Panthers online. This collection of Black Panther newspapers from 1968-1973 offers amazing articles and images from the moment of the movement. Or they can view these FBI investigative files on the Black Panther Party to see how the FBI's Charlotte Field Office tracked the BPP's activities, income, and expenses from 1969 to 1976. Visit the enhanced episode transcript for even more classroom resources about teaching the Black Panther Party and the transition from Civil Rights to Black Power. And Educators! Get a professional development certificate for listening to this episode—issued by Learning for Justice. Listen for the special code word, then visit learningforjustice.org/podcastpd.

Historian Clarence Lang joins us for a conversation about Malcolm X. We discuss his commitment to Black pride and self-determination and his rejection of the white gaze and the myth of American exceptionalism. Learn how teaching about the life and works of Malcolm X can illuminate the universe of possibilities of the civil rights movement—and the diversity of ideology, strategy and political thought within the Black freedom struggle. Our latest Spotify playlist has even more Movement Music inspired by this episode. Tyree Boyd-Pates posted some great photos of Malcolm Little in this Twitter thread. In the news, the Washington Post published a recently discovered letter attesting to FBI involvement in the assassination of Malcolm X. And here's a quick guide to teaching the Autobiography of Malcolm X from Penguin Random House. And visit the enhanced episode transcript for additional classroom resources about Malcolm X. Educators! Get a professional development certificate for listening to this episode—issued by Learning for Justice. Listen for the special code word, then visit learningforjustice.org/podcastpd.

In this episode, we talk with movement veteran Courtland Cox about lessons from the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and his own development as a young organizer of the Emmett Till generation. We join Karlyn Forner and John B. Gartrell to tour the resources available through SNCC Digital Gateway. And we hear from student organizer Kaia Woodford about the lessons from the Civil Rights and Black Power Movements that inform her activism today. Our latest Spotify playlist has even more Movement Music inspired by this episode. New For Educators: Get a professional development certificate for listening to this episode—issued by Learning for Justice. Listen for the special code word, then visit learningforjustice.org/podcastpd. And visit the enhanced episode transcript for additional classroom resources about Community Organizing, Youth Leadership and the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee.

Oral histories, historic sites, archives and museums expand students' understanding of the past. They fill in gaps in our textbooks—complementing what's included and capturing what's not. This episode highlights online oral history collections including the Civil Rights History Project. It offers recommendations for students conducting their own oral histories. And it explores resources from the National Civil Rights Museum at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. Our latest Spotify playlist has even more Movement Music inspired by this episode. **New For Educators** Get a professional development certificate for listening to this episode—issued by Learning for Justice. Listen for the special code word, then visit learningforjustice.org/podcastpd. And visit the enhanced episode transcript for additional classroom resources about using primary sources to teach the Black freedom struggle.

Teaching civil rights history to young learners creates both opportunities and challenges. The 1964 Mississippi Freedom Summer Project and the subsequent Freedom Schools offer important lessons for helping elementary students to understand the civil rights movement. In this episode, we explore community-based strategies and activities for bringing the black freedom struggle into your classroom. Our latest Spotify playlist has even more Movement Music inspired by this episode. And visit the enhanced episode transcript for additional classroom resources about Freedom Summer, Freedom Schools and teaching the civil rights movement to K-5 students. **New For Educators** Get a professional development certificate for listening to this episode—issued by Teaching Tolerance. Listen for the special code word, then visit learningforjustice.org/podcastpd.

From the hard work of organizing to the reality of everyday life under Jim Crow, films and literature can bring historical context to life for students. In this episode, we recommend several "must use" films, books, poems and plays for teaching the civil rights movement. We also discuss strategies for incorporating these works across the curricula and for turning even problematic texts into grist for meaningful critical discussions. Our latest Spotify playlist has even more Movement Music inspired by this episode. And visit the enhanced episode transcript for additional classroom resources about Civil Rights Literature and Films. **New For Educators** Get a professional development certificate for listening to this episode—issued by Teaching Tolerance. Listen for the special code word, then visit learningforjustice.org/podcastpd.

Everyone thinks they know the story, but the real history of Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott is even better. This episode details the events that set the stage for Ms. Parks' civil disobedience. You'll meet the leaders and organizations who transformed a moment of activism into a 13-month campaign. And you'll learn about the community that held fast in the face of legal and political attacks, economic coercion, intimidation and violence. Language Advisory: This episode contains historical reenactments of interviews and courtroom testimony which contain some profanity and racial slurs. Be sure to check out the enhanced full transcript of this episode for resources to help you teach the full story of the Montgomery Bus. Boycott. For more movement music inspired by this episode, check out the new Spotify playlist. And educators! Get a professional development certificate for listening to this episode—issued by Learning for Justice. Listen for the special code word, then visit learningforjustice.org/podcastpd.

To fully understand the United States today, we have to comprehend the central role that slavery played in our nation's past. That legacy is also the foundation for understanding the civil rights movement and its place within the history of the Black freedom struggle. This episode is a special look back at our first season. It explores and expands on the 10 key concepts that ground Teaching Tolerance's K-12 frameworks for teaching the hard history of American slavery. Educators! Get a professional development certificate for listening to this episode—issued by Learning for Justice. Listen for the special code word, then visit learningforjustice.org/podcastpd. And for even more resources, check out the enhanced full transcript of this episode on our website.