Lesson Plan: Imagining Radical Education and Social Justice in Our Communities

Lesson Plan 3

In Chapter 3, the author critiques education in a liberal, racially diverse community that focuses on kindness, diversity, and entrepreneurship. She also points to contradictions between stated commitments and the treatment of students and children. In this lesson students will be encouraged to imagine a more radical education. Some points to consider are a radically redesigned curriculum, changes to how educators interact with children, reorganizing the Board of Education, and necessary changes at the state and national level to support this kind of education. To prepare for this lesson, participants should read Chapter 3 and consider the history of freedom schools.

Discussion Prompts and Workshop Activities

- What are some examples of confrontational, non-violent action?

- Attend a school board meeting, community board, or other public meeting. What do you notice about how issues of social justice are discussed? Is racism discussed explicitly or at all? Are there disagreements over the methods the group should use to address injustices? How are these disagreements resolved? How is “process” or “procedure” invoked, when, and why?

- Read some of the proposed bans on critical race theory and other curriculum here. View the video from the #TruthbBeTold campaign from the African American Policy Forum. Who is funding this movement? What is the rationale for these bans? What kinds of courses and discussions are being censored? Why do you think these courses are viewed as a threat? What are some recommendations offered on these sites to confront both external and internal targeted attacks on faculty, students, or organization members who boldly address racism and injustice in their work?

- Consider your own education on the stories of Black, Indigenous, Latinx, Asian, and other racially marginalized people. What did your education focus on and what do you think it left out? Do you think you received a more liberal or radical education? For example, did your education on Indigenous people objectify them as relics of the past or focus on tales of happy Thanksgiving dinners? Or did your education provide you an understanding of the history and contemporary challenges faced by Indigenous people, their struggles, the American Indian Movement (AIM) or other movements and contributions around the world? Design a lesson plan on a topic that is being labeled “critical race theory” and banned. For example, what would a lesson plan or curriculum that centered Indigenous people look like? This could vary depending on the community for which you are developing this curriculum or lesson plan.