(Crossposted from Teaching for Change. For the full article, go here)
In July 2017, fifteen middle and high school English and social studies teachers from across the state of Mississippi participated in a teaching institute at Tougaloo College (in the historic Woodworth Chapel) on the Black Freedom Struggle in Mississippi. Not only did teachers learn hidden history and interactive teaching strategies, they also built relationships among themselves to sustain and inform their teaching about the true history of the Civil Rights Movement.
Modeled on the philosophy of the Mississippi Freedom Schools, the curriculum throughout the week was participatory with a focus on examining history with a connection to issues of race and equity in society today … The teachers viewed and discussed key films (and film clips), introduced by SNCC veteran and filmmaker Judy Richardson. These included Eyes on the Prize, Freedom Song, Come Hell or High Water: The Battle for Turkey Creek, Dirt and Deeds in Mississippi, and The Black Press: Soldiers Without Swords.
