Race and Racism
Lesson Plan: Watts Uprising and the Militarization of Policing
Students will learn how racial discontent in the 1960s led to the creation of the nationโs first SWAT team, how the War on Drugs of the 1980s caused SWAT teams to be repurposed for drug raids, and how, in recent years, the SWAT approach to policing has fueled a nationwide trend: the militarization of local police departments.
Lesson Plan: The War on Drugs and the New Face of Heroin
Students will learn the origin and racial context of Americaโs multi-decade war on drugs, and the impact the changing demographics of heroin users have had on the debate and public policy.
Lesson Plan: George C. Wallace and the Politics of Segregation
Students will learn how Alabama Gov. George Wallaceโs evolving positions on race reveal both the intensity of the white backlash to desegregation during the 60s and the growing political power of the black community during the 70s and early 80s.
