Stories of Teaching in the Deep South

This unit was created by the Stories of Teaching in the Deep South team made of educators Jim Garrett and Montu Miller as part of the 2023 cohort of The 1619 Project Education Network. It is designed for facilitation across one month.

Objectives

Participants will…

1. Build Community/Capacity for addressing the legacy of enslavement in social studies teaching. 
2. Generate and share knowledge strategies for teaching about the legacy of enslavement in social studies and civics courses.
3. Create and share reflections on the guiding questions for the project, including plans for integrating their key takeaways from the program into their teaching.

Unit Overview

Stories of Teaching in the Deep South draws inspiration from both the content and form of The 1619 Project by gathering social studies educators for a series of convenings focused on  asking and answering the following question:

What are the challenges and opportunities in teaching about and within the legacy of enslavement in the U.S. as part of history/civics teaching in the Deep South? 

Participants ultimately apply their reflections and learning from the convenings to producing/creating a narrative about their experience, assessment, descriptions of, and commitments to teaching in relationship to ongoing racialized social and political life in the community schools where they work. This can be through essay, narrative, photo essay, poetry, or any other modality used in the 1619 Project Materials. The prompt for the final reflection is, “Describe your experience of teaching about the legacy of enslavement, your assessment of the challenges/opportunities for teaching about the legacy of enslavement, and your commitments  to teaching about the legacy of enslavement in relationship to ongoing racialized social and political life in your community school.”

When we read and experience the texts, photographs, and multimedia objects of The 1619 Project, we are reminded of the power of learning and education. In those materials, the framing of the history of the U.S. is shifted to center the realities of enslavement and its consequences. We see the power in narrative and sharing stories of place, family, connection, history, hope, and action.  Connecting the power of learning through storytelling to the work of legendary educators and organizers like Ella Baker, Septima Clark, Charlie Cobb, Myles Horton, and others, we ground our project in the knowledge that gathering people who are navigating common challenges to clarify and address those challenges is a foundational aspect of furthering racial justice. 

Pedagogical Vision:

Our organizing principles for pedagogy are drawn from our understanding that those who are closest to social and political problems are most often those who have the most powerful insights for developing solutions. This makes the pedagogical task less about the provision of knowledge to people who supposedly lack it, and more about the invitation to narrate and document what is already known in collective, shared spaces.  

Our pedagogy begins with the invitation we make for teachers to gather. Social Studies teachers are invited to sessions we call “Uncommon Conversations.” These gatherings occur outside of school hours, not on school or university grounds, and we describe them as an unofficial, informal, organizing space for uncommon conversations about teaching social studies in Georgia. The goals for these gatherings are for educators to:

• Meet and make community outside of the school,
• Share and make meaning of our experience as social studies educators,
• Focus on relationships and community building, 
• Analyze resources from The 1619 Project and other texts related to the lasting legacy of enslavement in the U.S.
• Build bridges between people, classrooms, buildings, and districts, so that we can
• Use bridges to produce creative responses to our current social and political contexts.
• Decide on actions we will take in our own spaces and be accountable for those decisions.

The planning and facilitation for each session follows the following structure: 

1. Building Common Knowledge

Before each session, participants will engage with a focus text related to the guiding questions for the group.  The initial focus text will be “The Idea of America” by Nikole Hannah-Jones, which was published as part of The 1619 Project from The New York Times. Focus texts for subsequent sessions will be decided by participants and will relate to the guiding questions and goals for the group. At least four texts will be selected from The 1619 Project. Other potential texts could include documents like “Notes on Teaching in Mississippi”, a document distributed to folks coming south to teach in the Freedom Schools in the summer of 1964. 

2. Building Bridges

During each session, after some socializing, we organize the group in a circle and encourage each attendee to share a few words about feelings that arose during the reading of the focus text for the week.  

Then, we will ask participants to share one feeling word that describes their experiences listening to their colleagues’ responses. These words will be discussed in order to explore the full texture of the variety of ways that teachers made connections to the focus texts.  Facilitators will keep the conversation shaped toward the issues of racialized life in the Deep South and its connection to the project of education by engaging some or all of the following questions  

1. How does our upbringing (our families, our hometowns, our education) shape the way we experience the realities and impacts of race in our lives and in our work as teachers? 
2. What are the ways that we navigate the “politics” of our work in Title 1 schools? Politics includes the broader discussions that influence our work and also the district and building-level contexts that influence our work with students? 
3. What does engaging with The 1619 Project, in discussion with other teachers, mean for us as we continue our work? 

Potential Structure for the discussion:

1. After the list of words is produced, we ask a participant to nominate one of those words to talk about (it cannot be their own word). It can be a word that they recognize feeling, but it could also be one that stands as a distinctly different experience and could be used to wonder. The person nominating the word is invited to talk about what interests them about that word in relation to the text and/or their experiences.
2. We then ask others to share what comes to mind as they think about the nominated word. We ask them to consider the word in relation to their own thoughts, the text, and what others have said about it. Sometimes this can go on for some time (10 or 15 minutes on one word is not uncommon). Sometimes it only lasts for a minute or two. 
3. Finally, we ask the person who shared that word originally to share about 1)what they thought originally when producing that word and 2) what they’ve heard others share about it. 
4. Then, by asking for another word, we begin this process over again.  

3. Using Bridges

To close each session, we will ask the following final prompt: In light of what you’ve heard, and in terms of your thinking and feeling about our session, what will you do next? 

Here, the important part is for participating teachers to say “out loud” their intentions for their work so that they can identify points of connection and/or divergence and also (crucially) provide accountability between group members. Subsequent meetings will begin by sharing what people have done since our prior meeting.  

We will record these intentions and log them into a google doc to introduce at the beginning of each session. 

Performance Task:

Each participant will be expected to produce a narrative of their experience, assessment, descriptions of, and commitments to teaching in relation to ongoing racialized social and political life in the community schools where they work. This can be through essay, narrative, photo essay, poetry, or any other modality used in The 1619 Project Materials. Each participant will identify an object from The 1619 Project that provided a model/inspiration for their own story.  

The primary prompt for the final reflection will be the following: 

Describe your experience of teaching about the legacy of enslavement, your assessment of the challenges/opportunities for teaching about the legacy of enslavement, and your commitments  to teaching about the legacy of enslavement in relationship to ongoing racialized social and political life in your community school.

The following questions (or related questions that arise) could also be used to frame this task: 

1. Where have you seen or experienced the influence of race on life in the Deep South?

2. Where have you seen or experienced the influence of race on education in the Deep South?

3. What resources and best practices can educators utilize to engage students from all backgrounds, especially backgrounds that have been historically marginalized from history texts, in their teaching?

4. What challenges do educators face in teaching history and civics content/skills that elevate historically marginalized stories, and how can educators navigate those challenges?

5. What do educators need, and how can this community support each other and our community of educators?

Assessment/Evaluation:

The project leads will assess the teachers’ Stories of Teaching in the Deep South projects through a collaborative qualitative research project in which we explore the texture and dimension of the above practices. We will explore the affordance and constraints of the methods above and will disseminate the findings in peer-reviewed research journals.

Three-four workshop plans implemented over four weeks that include pacing, texts, facilitation materials, and multimedia resources. Download below, or scroll down to review key resources included in the unit plan.

Project Resources

The following examples reflect engagement by seven educators from Athens, Georgia in this project in spring 2024.

1. As part of the first gathering, facilitators invite participants to share why they agreed to join the six-week discussion series. Responses from participants in this project in spring 2024 from Athens, GA reflected the following themes: 

• Interest in the 1619 Project itself and wanting to know more about it
• Interest in continuing conversations with teachers who are like-minded about the need to confront the history of racialized violence in the U.S.
• A trust in the process - that prior relationships with facilitators Montu and/or Jim motivated attendance.  “When I get invited, I try to show up.”

2. As part of the first and second workshops, educators engaged with texts from The 1619 Project and related the texts to their own experiences of teaching about the history and legacy of slavery as educators in the Deep South.

After reading “The Idea of America” by Nikole Hannah-Jones, educators from Athens, GA who engaged with this unit engaged in a discussion that surfaced the following: 

• A focus on teachers’ upbringing, including the racial politics participants experienced and what was learned in both formal and informal spaces about race and racism.
• A focus on “real history” that Hannah-Jones includes in her essay.

3. For their second workshop, educators were invited to select any resource from The 1619 Project to explore and relate to their own experiences as educators.  When this project was shared with educators in Athens, GA in spring 2024, the texts selected by participating educators were the essay, “Music” by Wesley Morris, the literary timeline, Episode 1 of the podcast from The 1619 Project, episode 1 from The 1619 Project docuseries produced by Hulu, and the essay “Traffic” by Kevin Kruse.

4. After this workshop, educators began preparing a narrative that applied their own experiences and their learning throughout the unit to exploring the following prompt:

Describe your experience of teaching about the legacy of enslavement, your assessment of the challenges/opportunities for teaching about the legacy of enslavement, and your commitments  to teaching about the legacy of enslavement in relationship to ongoing racialized social and political life in your community school.

The following are excerpts from the reflections shared by the seven educators from Athens, GA who participated in this project in spring 2024. Here are notes taken by the facilitators, and then shared with participants, as the projects were being developed:

Chris B., educator from Athens, GA

“I truly began to learn about the world around me only after I started teaching…I strive to be someone who empowers my students to ask questions, be critical, and not to just accept what they hear as the truth.  I also have to make sure I am doing the proper work to ensure that I am not unintentionally spreading a false narrative due to my own ignorance.  To be a good teacher is to be a fervent learner first.”

“It’s not anti-American to be critical of your country’s past, but rather, inherently American to call out truth wherever it is present. “

Riley H, a first-year teacher was who also born and raised in Athens, GA

“Growing up in Athens and attending University of Georgia (UGA) led me to believe that most of the students at UGA did not understand the racial injustices in Athens. Oftentimes, I find it hard to find people who see Athens the way that I do, but through this group and discussing The 1619 Project, I have realized that I am not alone.”

“Despite being one of the most criticized pieces of curriculum, The 1619 Project is one of the most accurate, and necessary projects in the United States right now.”

“As an early career teacher, I am trying my best to incorporate The 1619 Project into my content and curriculum…Through this group, I have gotten more ideas and tangible suggestions for what I can do in my room.”

“It is crucial that as educators we continue doing what this coalition of educators in Athens are doing: Talking, learning, listening. Bitter silence is what is upholding white supremacy and motivating the attack on critical race theory and The 1619 Project. Without educators, specifically white educators, being willing to challenge the norm of institutional racism, we will continue to stay in this vicious and racist society that targets people of color. “

Montu Miller, educator in Athens, GA and co-facilitator for this project in spring 2024

“Teaching in the South feels like coming full circle, a homecoming that carries a profound sense of purpose and responsibility.”

“By presenting an honest narrative of our past, we equip students with the critical thinking skills to navigate the complexities of the world today. They take pride in who they are and where they come from, looking at their experiences as assets instead of liabilities.”

“The 1619 Project has enriched my teaching practice, deepening my understanding of our nation's history and its enduring legacies…I have personally engaged with resources like the podcast episode "The Economy That Slavery Built," which broadened my comprehension of our economic system's origins in exploitation and violence. I plan to use that episode to deepen my learners understanding and connection to slavery.”

“Collaboration with fellow educators who work in the same district has been significant in my professional growth, providing invaluable insights, sharing knowledge and resources, and reinforcing our shared commitment to creating an inclusive and equitable education system. Through regular meetings with a collective of middle and high school social studies teachers, we engage in honest discussions about the daily obstacles we encounter...Together, these diverse perspectives enrich our collective understanding of the historical legacies and ongoing challenges within our education system, inspiring us to continue our work toward fostering empathy, critical thinking, and social justice in our classrooms and communities."

“Through continued collaboration, engagement with resources like The 1619 Project, and a steadfast commitment to confronting uncomfortable truths, I am confident that we can help guide the future where the whole story is told. “

Beth Mendenhall, educator in a high school receiving Title 1 funding in Athens, GA who participated in this series in spring 2024

“When white teachers are too nice to feel comfortable talking honestly about racism, our students suffer. We can’t afford to continue to gloss over the oppression of Black people that is embedded in the history of our nation. We must honestly acknowledge the truths in the 1619 Project and educate ourselves to counter the white-washed history we were taught. Not only should we teach the 1619 Project, we should also ask our students why it has so many white people upset to the point of legislating against it.”

Lora Smothers, a 1619 Project Education Network alumnus and the founder and director of the Joy Village School in Athens, a K-8 school focused on the joy and thriving of Black youth.

Smothers shared her reflection as part of a video testimonial describing her experience working in alternative education settings and founding a school in Athens, GA. She also described reading the easy by Trymaine Lee in The 1619 Project with her students and how the essay supported conversations about economic equality and potential for more equitable financial and educational systems

"I feel like I’ve been in this 15-year pursuit of creating spaces of ownership. While I think that owning land is powerful and important and can give a different kind of agency to Black folks, to Black students, I have seen these little moments that have been transformative.” 

"It’s been really powerful to be a part of this group that Jim has convened to swap stories of our resistance teaching in the Deep South. It has been really healing. It’s been really inspiring in lots of ways. 

“My thing is, if we can figure it out in Athens, we can figure it out anywhere because in so many other cities in the south, it’s the exact same variables.”

Sean Simpson, educator from Athens, GA who participated in this project in spring 2024

"This generation of students is more engaged in the news than ever before due to technology. They hunger to know more when something related to social issues pops off in the news and look to me for accurate answers. So I purposefully design lessons to help them understand how the legacies of slavery, segregation, and racism continue to shape society today. To do so correctly, I constantly do research to provide accurate information to them. I've used 1619 Project articles at times and have developed a lot of inquiry based lessons centered on primary sources, reputable historical accounts, and diverse perspectives to present a well-rounded understanding of social studies topics."

“Another big part of my community are like-minded educators, such as my 1619 Project cohort. They have challenged me in so many ways. They have helped me reflect on my own personal biases and experiences. My crew encourages constant self-reflection regarding their own biases and assumptions. They have encouraged me to be open to learning from other educators and students and have made me more willing to reconsider perspectives that challenge my own understanding of history. On top of making me a better educator, they have made me a much better human being.

I know that if anything goes down because of the divisive concepts legislation, my community of students and fellow educators will go to bat for me.

They give me courage.

And for them, I am going to continue to be bold.”