Understanding Educational Inequities: A Call to Action

This unit was created by Ubuntu: Young Griots of the Crossroads as part of the 2023 cohort of The 1619 Project Education Network. It is designed for facilitation across approximately four weeks with daily 40-minute lessons.

Objectives:

Students will be able to...

• Conduct guided research to trace the historical origins of the African American educational experience in the United States.
• Understand the impact of Freedmen’s Schools, HBCUs, and the landmark Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education on the social, economic, and political advancement of African Americans.
• Make connections between the guiding principles of Bordentown Industrial School and Philip’s Academy Charter School of New Jersey. 
• Analyze the impact of the educational activism of Robert L. Carter in the city of East Orange, NJ and Vickie Donaldson in the city of Newark, NJ.
• Create a project based task focused on the historical inequities faced by people of color to determine the most effective way(s) to bring equity to urban education.
• Present their project based task focused on the historical inequities faced by people of color to determine the most effective way(s) to bring equity to urban education.

Essential Questions:

• What does educational freedom mean to you? What does it look like, sound like, feel like?  
• What do you know about the history of African Americans in the United States? 
• How did the expansion of slavery in the United States violate human rights and contradict American ideals of equity in education? 
• How did the establishment of Freedmen’s Schools, HBCUs, the Supreme Court landmark case - Brown v. Board of Education impact the social, economic, and political advancement of African Americans?
• In what ways did the establishment of Bordentown School and Philip’s Academy Charter School influence the educational opportunities afforded to African American students in New Jersey?
• What is the historical impact of the educational activism of Robert L. Carter and Vickie Donaldson?
• How can we use our knowledge of the historical inequities faced by people of color to determine the most effective way(s) to bring equity to urban education?

Unit Overview:

This unit represents this team of educators’ attempt to galvanize our youth to develop pride for their community by cultivating an appreciation for the origins and historical legacies of two New Jersey cities: East Orange and Newark. Students will learn about the unsung heroes and heroines who used activism to fight against injustice, discrimination, and, most centrally, educational inequity. The unit leverages The 1619 Project resources, such as articles, podcasts, and artwork, in order to allow scholars to critically analyze and draw connections between local, state, and national history.

A specific emphasis will be placed on the significance of educational equity and how, during the late 1800s and early 1900s, the city of East Orange unfortunately sanctioned the implementation of "Jim Crow" classes for what they dubbed "Negro" students. Additionally, our project includes the city of Newark, and specifically centers the Philip's Academy Charter School. As this innovative institution marks its 35th anniversary, scholars at Philip’s Academy will embark on capturing the oral history of alumni since the school’s inception in 1988. This unit supports our scholars in developing historical empathy, a passion for research, and an appreciation for community elders and community building.

Scope and Sequence:

Week 1: Building Background / A Rich History

• Enslavement of Africans in the Americas
• The 1619 Project and Born on the Water as new origin stories
• Exploring the history of education in the United States
• Understanding Jim Crow laws
• Recognizing the significance of HBCUs

Week 2: Local History and New Jersey History / Understanding Educational Inequities

• Exploring the roots of educational inequities in New Jersey
• The role of the Freedom Schools
• The educational activism and legacies of Robert L. Carter and Vickie Donaldson
• The Bordentown School and Phillips Academy
• Educational activism at Rutgers University

Week 3: Oral History and Research / A Call to Action

• Mendez v. Westminster and Brown v. Board of Education
• Using oral history to understand segregation
• How to conduct original research using primary and secondary sources

Weeks 4-5: Guided Project Creation

Performance Task:

After collaboratively engaging in research, oral history interviews, and data compilation, scholars will create a culminating project that answers the following essential questions:

• How can we use our knowledge of the historical inequities faced by people of color to determine the most effective way(s) to bring equity to urban education? 
• Which strategies are best for bringing about the revolutionary changes we wish to see in education?

Find a complete performance task description and rubric here:

• .pdf version
• .docx version

Performance Task: Imagine that you’ve been hired by Learning for Justice to facilitate a creative presentation at an education conference based on your historical knowledge of educational inequities. Learning for Justice, also known by the acronym LFJ, is an organization based in Alabama that “seeks to uphold the mission of the Southern Poverty Law Center: to be a catalyst for racial justice in the South and beyond, working in partnership with communities to dismantle white supremacy, strengthen intersectional movements and advance the human rights of all people.” This unique opportunity will allow you to facilitate your creative presentation in front of an audience of educational professionals, including but not limited to: administrators, Learning for Justice staff, educators, parents, and educational policymakers. 

You are required to submit your presentation as a 3-5 minute video recording that answers the two essential questions above. Your presentation must include one or more of the catalysts for educational equity studied in this unit: Robert L. Carter, Vickie Donaldson, a Bordentown School alumnus, or Sylvia Mendez. You will also include evidence from at least two primary sources in your presentation. The presentation format will be based on one of the options listed below: 

• Podcast (Technology)
• Mini-Documentary (Technology)
• Investigative Journalism Report (Technology)
• Musical (Instrumental)
• Spoken Word/ Poetry - (Vocal)
• Interior Monologue Portraying One of the Catalysts for Educational Equity (Robert L. Carter, Vickie Donaldson, a Bordentown School alumnus, or Sylvia Mendez) - (Drama)
• Dance Activism (Dance)
• Visual Artivism - Animation, Portrait, Painting or Graphic Design (Visual Arts)

Complete lesson series for teachers, including pacing, texts and multimedia resources, worksheets, and supplemental slide presentations. Download below, and scroll down to review key resources included in the unit plan.

Unit Resources

New Jersey Student Learning Reading Standards:

• RH.6-8.1. Cite specific textual evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources. 
• RH.6-8.2. Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary of the source distinct from prior knowledge or opinions.

New Jersey Student Learning Writing Standards:

• NJSLSA.W7. Conduct short as well as more sustained research projects, utilizing an inquiry-based research process, based on focused questions, demonstrating understanding of the subject under investigation. 
• NJSLSA.W8. Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, assess the credibility and accuracy of each source, and integrate the information while avoiding plagiarism.
• NJSLSA.W9. Draw evidence from literary or informational texts to support analysis, reflection, and research.

New Jersey Student Learning Social Studies Standards:

• 6.1.8.CivicsHR.3.c: Construct an argument to explain how the expansion of slavery violated human rights and contradicted American ideals.
• 6.1.5.CivicsHR.2: Research and cite evidence for how the actions of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and other historical civil rights leaders served as catalysts for social change, inspired social activism in subsequent generations. 
• 6.1.12.CivicsDP.13.a: Analyze the effectiveness of national legislation, policies, and Supreme Court decisions in promoting civil liberties and equal opportunities (i.e., the Civil Rights Act, the Voting Rights Act, the Equal Rights Amendment, Title VII, Title IX, Affirmative Action, Brown v. Board of Education, and Roe v. Wade). 
• 6.1.12.HistoryCC.13.c: Determine the impetus for the Civil Rights Movement and generate an evidence-based argument that evaluates the federal actions taken to ensure civil rights for African Americans.

New Jersey Student Learning Listening & Speaking Standards:

• NJSLSA.SL1. Prepare for and participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations with diverse partners, building on others’ ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.
• NJSLSA.SL2. Integrate and evaluate information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally. 
• NJSLSA.SL3. Evaluate a speaker’s point of view, reasoning, and use of evidence and rhetoric.

Learning for Justice Social Justice Standards:

• ID.9-12.1 I have a positive view of myself, including an awareness of and comfort with my membership in multiple groups in society. 
• ID.9-12.3 I know that all my group identities and the intersection of those identities create unique aspects of who I am and that this is true for other people too
• DI.9-12.8 I respectfully express curiosity about the history and lived experiences of others and exchange ideas and beliefs in an open-minded way.

Summative Assessment:

After collaboratively engaging in research, oral history interviews, and data compilation, scholars who participated in this unit created a culminating project. The projects take different visual and audio presentation forms, but all answer the following essential questions:

• How can we use our knowledge of the historical inequities faced by people of color to determine the most effective way(s) to bring equity to urban education?
• Which strategies are best for bringing about the revolutionary changes we wish to see in education?

Explore Students' Podcast Projects:

Explore Students' Visual Art Projects: