Humanity has always learned the deeper truths through stories. Our lives form narratives and changes in perspective bring growth. We tell stories that are true; too often our lived actions narrate hypocrisy. An example of this in the collective American narrative is the “Independence” story of 1776. We said “all men are created equal with certain inalienable rights” even as the interwoven slave narrative of 1619 remained a reality. The hypocrisy of enlightened ideals interwoven with the imperfect reality of people bought and sold as property created anxiety in the lives of our founding fathers, the trauma of the Civil War and the echoes of racism today.
With the power of narrative in mind; students were given the assignment of choosing a book on justice. Humanity has always told stories; learning how to interpret the varied stories we tell is a necessary skill for active citizenship. Our library at Mt. View has an extensive collection from which our teacher chose 90 books to bring into the classroom for students. They each got to choose a book from which to learn. Some students are still learning English, others have low confidence in their literary abilities but all are capable of learning. Students created slides of vocabulary and interpreted quotes with the vocabulary of Civil Rights and the 4 types of Justice in mind; distributive justice, procedural justice, retributive justice, and restorative justice. This 3rd quarter project is based upon the United Nations SDG 16 ; peace, justice and strong institutions. The ideals of strong institutions lead citizens in the right path of ensuring justice through educated actions in the community.
Education for all is the gateway to ensuring justice for all. Students watched a movie called The Story of Ernest Green and The Little Rock Nine. The little rock nine went to Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1957 and were the first nine students of color to attend. Ernest green was a senior who became the first black student to graduate from Central High School in 1958. Ernest Green and the little rock nine made an impact in our lives to this day, they created history. They went through hardships such as getting pushed around, beaten, called slurs, and many other things but every single one of them showed resilience and were able to overcome their obstacles through nonviolence. So much has changed compared to the past but with their movement, they were able to change how people act to this day. We share more equality and are able to speak our minds more freely, no matter our differences.
https://mtviewmirror.com/living-courageously-in-hope-the-story-of-ernest-green/
Why was the idea that all men are created equal not enough for integration from the beginning?
“Edward coles had a lot on his mind. In July 1814 he was private secretary to James Madison and spent his days managing the president’s business at a time of war. The United States had been fighting Britain and its Native American allies nearly three years.” This quote speaks about the conflict from the beginning and the need to control who had power.
5 FACTS from the book
- “Separate but equal” began with the Constitution because of slavery but it was not equal it was necessary.
- “All men are created equal” was an idea but not a reality.
- Abolition conventions met every year or so during the 1790s
- Degradation had quickly become a powerful argument against slavery.
- Nicholas Guyatt argues that, from the Revolution though the Civil War, most white liberals believed in the unity of all human beings
Vocabulary:
Describe the founding fathers in America: They were white man with education and property.
What happened to the native Americans? Bullets and diseases were exterminating the American Indians throughout a century and a half. They were removed to reservations and they were not given citizenship.
Who was violated by the injustice of slavery? African Americans
What was the American Revolution? The 1776 story speaks of freedom and independence from a monarchy that taxed without representation and abused the social contract.
Why did we have a Civil War? We said “all men are created equal” but we did not act that way with slavery. The economics of slavery caused the Civil War. Most white liberals believed in the unity of all human beings.
What is the philosophy of the founding fathers and how is it different from the reality? Their philosophy faltered when it came to the practical work of forming a color-blind society.
I am the American heartbreak–
The rock on which Freedom
Stumped its toe–
The great mistake
That Jamestown made
Long ago.
(p xvi) by Langston Hughes
poem “American Heartbreak: 1619”
How does the 1619 project seek to correct the American thinking error of minimizing ?
HOW is this project a form of RESTORATIVE JUSTICE?
Types of Justice:
DISTRIBUTIVE PROCEDURAL RETRIBUTIVE RESTORATIVE
Who gets what. Fair Process Fair Punishment Healing/ restoring trust
Economic Police/Courts Laws/ Courts Individuals
Property equality under the law/fair treatment Relationship
1619 was the first trade for slaves in Jamestown, Virginia.
This is when the institution of slavery first began when people thought it was okay to people and sell humans.
He was one of the leaders of Harlem Renaissance who wrote the poem ”American Heartbreak: 1619”
The power of self-determination attributed to the will; the quality of being independent of fate or necessity.
The quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness.
1619
The Institution of Slavery
Langston Hughes
Freedom
Integrity
Who was Ida B. Wells?
This book made me feel uncomfortable about the INJUSTICE in America against black people and women. Coming from Afghanistan, America represents a land of justice and opportunity for me.
Ida B.Wells had courage. I learned that she was an African American advocate for the civil right of voting. She worked to restore justice for women in America through the suffrage movement. -Madina
Vocabulary
- Voting
- Advocate/ Ida B. Wells
- Suffrage Movement
- Civil Right
- Restorative Justice
“The way to right wrongs is to turn the light of truth upon them.”
https://youtu.be/p5p7yjh_Z2s?si=ty8Vovt2hSBRwRuL
A memoir of the Civil Rights Movement from one of its youngest heroes
A Sibert Informational Book Medal Honor BookKirkus Best Books of 2015
Booklist Editors’ Choice 2015
BCCB Blue Ribbon 2015
As the youngest marcher in the 1965 voting rights march from Selma to Montgomery, Albama, Lynda Blackmon Lowery proved that young adults can be heroes. Jailed nine times before her fifteenth birthday, Lowery fought alongside Martin Luther King, Jr. for the rights of African-Americans. In this memoir, she shows today’s young readers what it means to fight nonviolently (even when the police are using violence, as in the Bloody Sunday protest) and how it felt to be part of changing American history. LINK
Her story about being a 16-year old and being falsely identified as a suicide bomber. The story. which sounds like a movie, is painfully real and terrifying. And it’s touching to hear it in her own words. – Nargis
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- Adama Bah grew up in New York city after her family immigrated from Guinea when she was two years old.
- then on March 24 2005 fbi agents arrested Adama and her father and Adama learned she was not an American
- They accused her of being associated with terrorists; she was falsely accused
HOW does an innocent girl get accused of terrorism in the United States?
The title of my book: RACIAL JUSTICE IN AMERICA. The question that my book answers: HOW CAN I BE AN ALLY?
The primary types of justice discussed in my book: RELATIONSHIP JUSTICE is RESTORATIVE JUSTICE.
DISTRIBUTIVE PROCEDURAL RETRIBUTIVE RESTORATIVE
Who gets what. Fair Process Fair Punishment Healing/ restoring trust
Economic Police/Courts Laws/ Courts Individuals
Property equality under the law/fair treatment Relationship
It is easier to understand what racial justice is if the words are explained separately. What is race? Usually, when people talk about race, they mean the color of your skin. What is justice? Justice means fairness and equal treatment.
This quote makes me think about: It is easy to say that justice is just a word that unites everyone since injustice is that everyone judges you because of your skin color.
It was 1963, and racial segregation kept Black people separated from white people both legally and socially.
Becoming anti-racist requires actively working against racism using words and actions.
How Can I Be An Ally? By Fatima D. El-Mekki and Kelisa Wing
QUOTE: “Diversity is what makes the world beautiful”
Well, since before everything was different, white people had more opportunities than black people and thanks to many who became an Ally for Justice like Martin Luther King, positive changes have come. Does more need to be done even today? Yes there will always be injustice and always a need for ALLIES of JUSTICE but our hope is “To form a more perfect union “ over time. – Brandy
Some vocabulary defined in this book includes:
Civil rights activist = an individual who works to restore justice by advocating for the rights of a particular group.
Ally= to be a friend, a companion, a spokesperson for a victim of injustice.
Segregation= separation of two different social groups in an unfair way.
Condemn= to dismiss through negative judgement.
Consistency= A form of equity, the opposite of hypocrisy, doing what you say you believe.
Anti-racist= one who actively works to stand up to the injustice of racism.
. Unconstitutional = violating the basic rights guaranteed to all under the law.
How does it make you feel? Confused to know we still treat people differently simply because of their skin color.
How does it relate to life today? A lot since skin color does not define you but not everyone understands that. Jim Crow laws are part of the history of racism but they should not be part of our experience in society today. Why is there inequality under the law? – Estefania
FACTS from the Book
That before the black men who were born in the United States denied them the most basic freedom that is democracy of voting.
His great- grandfather was beaten to death by the Ku Klux Klan for attempting to vote.
Hundreds of years later, America is still not an egalitarian democracy.
We must stop debating crime policy as though it were purely about crime.
Vocabulary from the Book
Jim Crow Laws: unfair laws
Incarceration: to put in prison
Color Blindness: no race
Procedural Justice: how the law is enforced
Egalitarian: equality under the law
The way we see the world and help to fuel a nationwide social movement.The New Jim Crow is such a book. Praised by Harvard Law professor Lani Guinier es “brave and bold’’, this book directly challenges the notion that the election of Barack Obama signals a new era
It made me feel very good because I learned a little about finance. This idea is important to me because my family is important and I want financial independence. My education creates possibilities; This book helped me a lot and I learned new things about how to save money. I am the breadwinner of my family, therefore I save more and spend less on things I don’t need. The book talks about various things, including how to buy a house, debt insurance, etc. It teaches you how to be a financial adult – Dayli
How can young women become more educated about personal finance ?
What does it mean to be a financial adult? p6-8
A Financial Adult Takes Small consistent steps that add up to big results
A financial adult understands what’s happening with their money
A financial adult feels confident in their decisions about planning for the future.
A financial adult understands the critical context of equity and personal finance recognizes that privilege can and should be used to help close racial and Gender wealth gaps or realizes that they may be starting at a disadvantage due to historic and systemic obstacles.
- All about income : A financial plan is a realistic and optimistic plan of your financial situation and goals for the next 12 months(and beyond).
- All about debt : Most Americans live in a consumer society of credit which creates lifelong debt
- Buying home : How do I know what I can afford?
- Your money goals: How will I grow my savings.
- Insurance :Health insurance Medical costs are one of biggest drivers of personal bankruptcy and home foreclosure. Everyone should be covered.
This book is about DISTRIBUTIVE JUSTICE because it is about economic justice
To millions of Americans, the trafficking of children for commercial sexual purposes only happens somewhere else – in Southeast Asia or Central America – not on Main Street USA. Yet, it is abundantly clear that today at least 100,000 children are being used as commodities for sale or trade in cities across the nation. These kids are 21st Century slaves. They cannot walk away.
The average age of entry into prostitution in America is 13 years old. Forced into a life they never chose, manipulated, abused and tortured at the hands of the pimps who control them, our country’s children are sold on the streets, on the internet and at truck stops across America every night. They aren’t bad kids who made bad choices. They are victims of child sex trafficking. They come from our neighborhoods, our schools, our churches, and sometimes our own homes. Author Linda Smith brings to life characters based on real stories and interviews with teen survivors. Meet Lacy and Star as they reveal the underbelly of our country s commercial sex trade. Get to know the men who sell them, and the ones who buy them. Let Renting Lacy draw you into the lives of these young girls as they struggle to survive each night, watching their childhood hopes and dreams slip away in the darkness. Let it compel you to action. LINK
https://mtviewmirror.com/living-courageously-in-hope-the-story-of-ernest-green/
The story of Ernest Green is very moving and speaks a lot about equality, racism and integration. Ernest is a very intelligent teenager and he studies in a school separate from whites. But Ernest wants to be integrated into Little Rock Central High School. However, 8 African Americans joined the school and were mentally trained for this. The pastor taught the 8 teenagers that you should not respond with violence, always head up. The day they tried to go to school, groups of soldiers were at the school so they would not enter. The governor did not want them to attend school. The president did justice because he put the 8 students in security, that’s how they were able to enter. He was too difficult for them but Ernest made it. On May 27, 1958 he became the first African American to graduate from Little Rock Central High School, after a school year of brutal daily harassment and violence. – Emely
Ernest Green’s movie is basically about racism, it’s about how white people did not want people of color or black people to be at Little Rock University, the governor of the state sent police to protect the university and would not let the students of color could enter, the students tried to enter but they were not allowed, they only received insults from all the white people, they did not give up and after several attempts they received the support of the president and managed to enter the university, but even though They were inside the university, they continued to despise them, there was too much racism within that university, even the teachers were very racist, but despite many difficulties, Ernest Green, despite being threatened, graduated from the university and was the first young man of color in graduating from that university, his grandfather was very proud of him. – Answar