Books, films, posters, and websites.
Select from the resource types on the right. You can narrow your search by selecting a reading level.
Resources can also be selected by theme or time period.
Little Brother
Book – Fiction. By Cory Doctorow. 2008. 384 pages.
A contemporary novel for teenagers that explores Homeland Security and freedom of speech in the post-9/11 United States.
E.Y. “Yip” Harburg: Brother Can You Spare a Dime
Film clip. E.Y. “Yip” Harburg’s “Brother Can You Spare a Dime” (1932) is performed by Allison Moorer. From Voices of a People’s History of the United States.
The Black History of the White House
Book – Non-fiction. By Clarence Lusane. 2010. 544 pages.
The untold story of African Americans in the White House from the 18th century to the present, including the presidents who held people in bondage.
GLSEN – Gay, Lesbian and Straight Eduction Network
Website. Provides news on LGBT issues for teachers and students, as well as K-12 lesson plans, curricular tools and teacher training programs.
Rethinking Mathematics: Teaching Social Justice by the Numbers
Teaching Guide. Edited by Eric Gutstein and Bob Peterson. 2005. 180 pages.
Lessons and articles on social justice math education for elementary and secondary school classrooms.
500 Years of Chicana Women’s History
Book – Non-fiction. By Elizabeth Martinez. 2007. 320 pages, 899 illustrations.
Stories and photos of Chicana/Mexican-American women in politics, labor, art, health, and more.
Civil Rights Movements, Immigration, Latino, Women's History
Colonialism in the Americas: A Critical Look
Book – Non-fiction. By Susan Gage. 1991. 51 pages.
Graphic/comic book tackles history of colonialism in the Americas.
Granito de Arena/Grain of Sand
DVD. Produced by Jill Freidberg. Corrugated Films. 2005.
Documentary about teachers, parents, and students fighting to defend Mexico’s public education system from the impacts of economic globalization
Adicto a la Guerra: Por que el E.E.U.U. no Puede Librarse del Militarismo
Book – Non-fiction. By Joel Andreas. 2005. 80 pages.
Spanish-language edition of the expose on militarism in graphic novel format. Accessible for high school and above.
Imperialism, US Foreign Policy, Wars & Related Anti-War Movements
On Coal River
Film and Teaching Guide. Directed by Francine Cavanaugh and Adams Wood. 2010. 81 minutes.
This documentary follows four individuals and their struggle to stop the damage caused by Massey Energy to the health of the people and to the environment.
Democracy & Citizenship, Economics, Environment & Food, Social Class
The Expansion of Empire
Teaching Activity PDF. By Gayle Olson-Raymer. 15 pages.
Questions and teaching ideas for Chapter 12 of Voices of a People’s History of the United States on internal dissent over American expansionist policies.
Imperialism, US Foreign Policy, Wars & Related Anti-War Movements
Murals: Walls That Sing
Book – Non-fiction. By George Ancona. 2003. 48 pages.
Beautiful photo-essay of murals from all over the United States, primarily in Latino communities.
I’ve Got the Light of Freedom: The Organizing Tradition and the Mississippi Freedom Struggle
Book – Non-fiction. By Charles M. Payne. 1995. 506 pages.
The people’s history of the Civil Rights Movement in Mississippi.
African American, Civil Rights Movements, Democracy & Citizenship, Organizing
Harvest of Empire: A History of Latinos in America
Book – Non-fiction. By Juan Gonzalez. 2011. 416 pages.
An updated and thorough account of the role the United States in the mass migration of Latinos to the U.S.
Immigration, Latino, Laws & Citizen Rights, World History/Global Studies
SNCC: The New Abolitionists
Book – Non-fiction. By Howard Zinn. 2002. 286 pages.
A detailed history of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee.
10 Quick Ways to Analyze Children’s Books for Ableism
Article. By Chloë Myers and Hank Bersani Jr. Rethinking Schools, Volume 23 – Issue 2, Winter 2008/09.
A guide for analyzing children’s books for prejudice by able-bodied and able-minded people toward people with disabilities
Teaching with Voices of a People’s History of the United States
Book – Teaching Guide. By Gayle Olson-Raymer. 2011. 304 pages. Second edition.
Suggested questions and teaching ideas for each chapter of Voices of a People’s History.
Labor Heritage Foundation
Website.
Strengthens the labor movement through the use of music and arts.
¡Aumento Ya!/A Raise Now!
Film. Tom Chamberlin/PCUN. 1996. 50 minutes.
The dramatic story of the 1995 organizing campaign by an Oregon Latino farmworkers’ union, Pineros y Campesinos Unidos del Noroeste (PCUN), to win higher wages for Latino immigrant workers harvesting strawberries.
List of Resources
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- Books: Fiction
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- Films
- Picture Books
- Posters
- Profiles
- Songs and Poems
- Spanish/Bilingual
- Teaching Activity PDFs
- Teaching Guides
- Websites
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Zinn Education Project
Wednesday, February 22nd at 14:16 Orisanmi Burton, librarian at DCPS McKinley Technology High School, wrote about a Black History Month event at his school that went beyond the traditional narrative: “On Feb. 2 we hosted a panel discussion on youth incarceration and Michelle Alexander's book, The New Jim Crow. Panelists included staff attorney for the DC Public Defender Service Alec Karakatsanis and Andy Cevasco from the Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth. Over 40 students participated in an engaging discussion around mass incarceration, sentencing disparities, youth transfer laws, and strategies for moving forward.” What is your school doing for Black History Month?
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness
zinnedproject.org
Book – Non-Fiction. By Michelle Alexander. 2010. 290 pages. A critical analysis of the role the justice system plays in the oppression of African Americans in the United States.
Zinn Education Project
Wednesday, February 22nd at 10:05 Zinn Education Project friends in the D.C. area -- please get your tickets today for a very special event on March 12 called What Kids Aren't Learning: History Under Attack and Why It Matters with noted speakers and hosts: Khalil Muhammad, Jeff Biggers, Enid Lee, Bernard Demczuk, and Renee Poussaint.
What Kids Aren't Learning: History Under Attack and Why It Matters | Teaching For Change
teachingforchange.org
With the recent ban on teaching ethnic studies in Tucson, Arizona, the work of Teaching for Change is more vital than ever. Students and teachers around the country, not just in Arizona, are being denied classes that teach the honest, complex, and diverse narrative that is U.S. history. With history...
Zinn Education Project
Wednesday, February 22nd at 7:20 On this day in 1943, Sophie Scholl, Hans Scholl, and Christoph Probst were executed for their role in the White Rose, a group that urged students to rise up and overthrow the Nazi government. "We will not be silent. We are your bad conscience. The White Rose will not leave you in peace!" -- quote from the 4th leaflet.
History in Pictures - February
On Feb. 22, 1943, Sophie Scholl, Hans Scholl, and Christoph Probst were executed for their role in urging students to rise up and overthrow the Nazi government. They were members of a group called the White Rose, who organized nonviolent resistance to Hitler, and were arrested for printing and distributing anti-Nazi flyers.
Photo: Hans Scholl (left), Sophie Scholl (center), and Christoph Probst (right), leaders of the White Rose resistance organization. Munich, Germany, 1942 (From the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, George J. Wittenstein.
See trailer for film about the life of Sophie Scholl: http://zeitgeistfilms.com/displaytrailer.php?directoryname=sophiescholl&size=high&extension=mov
Leaflets from the White Rose: http://unitarian-stcatharines.org/pdf-files/whiterose.pdf
History in Pictures features just a few of the many stories that are often left out of the textbooks. The sources for these stories include: This Week in History from Peace Buttons (http://www.peacebuttons.info/E-News/thisweek.htm), Planning to Change the World: A Social Justice Plan Book for Teachers (http://www.justiceplanbook.com/), This Day in Civil Rights History (http://zinnedproject.org/posts/13684), History.com (http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history), 50 American Revolutions You Are Not Supposed to Know (http://zinnedproject.org/posts/11632), A People's History of the United States (http://zinnedproject.org/posts/67), Black Facts Online (http://www.blackfacts.com), Today in Labor History (http://www.unionist.com/big-labor/today-in-labor-history), Primary Source (http://resources.primarysource.org/content.php?pid=184419&sid=1549829), and many more.
