Dr. Yohuru R. Williams, an expert on the civil rights and Black power movements and an education activist, opened the day with examples of how racism was intertwined with topics like property ownership, democracy and the prevention of violence in America. Dr. Williams is the founding director of the Racial Justice Initiative at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul, Minn.
Teachers asked Bertram about the reporting process, from how they decided to cover the cities depicted in the film to how they were able to get an intimate, behind-the-scenes look at people being evicted in real time.
Retro Report’s Director of Education, David Olson, shared “Whites-Only Suburbs: How the New Deal Shut Out Black Homebuyers.” That short documentary video illustrates the lasting effects of race-based federal lending rules from New Deal programs in the 1930s that locked Black families out of many suburban neighborhoods.
Annie Evans, the Director of Education and Outreach for New American History at the University of Richmond, spoke about online and interactive tools for teachers, and suggested Bunk History, a curated aggregation of online resources; and American Panorama, a digital atlas of U.S. History.
The New York City Department of Education Social Studies team shared materials available for educators on the NYCDOE website, including the “Civics for All” comics.
In an affinity mapping activity, educators brainstormed ways to incorporate the resources into their own curriculum, and took away classroom-ready materials and Continuing Teacher and Leader Education credit.
CAROLINE WATKINS is the Audience Engagement Manager at Retro Report.
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