Any Study of the American Fabric is incomplete without the detailed study of the history and current issues surrounding our collective relationship to the notion of “race.” Although in 1998 the scientific community declared the idea of separate races to be scientifically unfounded, no one can argue that our past and perhaps current practices continue to show a good deal of importance to this aspect of our culture. In this unit, students examine the past, and the resent of this issue, and connect it also to current trends and issues.
The following resources are meant to help students and parents gain more information about the different topics connected to our study of this issue:
PBS Africans in America Homepage
Library of Congress: The African-American Odyssey
ACLU Racial Profiling Homepage
Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas — A Set of Historical Perspectives on the LR9
“50 Years After Brown v. Board of Education”: NPR Audio Archive, March 8, 2004
“History of U.S. Marriage: Miscegenation Laws”: NPR Audio Arachive, March 16, 2004
Tolerance.org: Learn more about “hate”
Tolerance.org: interactive U.S. hate group map
Race, Crime and the American Media
Poverty and Racism in America: Manhattan College Article
Affirmative Action issues:
AAAA, AAD PRoject, in defense of AA, Pro/Con of AA, in opposition to AA
Hurricane Katrina’s Racial Divide Evidence
Commentary from a New Orleans Teacher on the Racial Divide issue that became evident during the Katrina Hurricane tragedy which partly destroyed the city in September of 2005
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4858808
Letters from every day Americans to President Eisenhower on the ruling of Brown vs. Board
This NPR report focuses on how the regular public felt about the Brown vs. Board decision. You can listen to many letters to the President and gain an idea of the feelings of the people at the time of the historic decision.
http://www.npr.org/features/feature.php?wfId=1899657
Segregation of schools in today’s America
This NPR report talks about the segregation of schools in California as an example of the issue of continued economic and racial segregation today.
http://www.npr.org/features/feature.php?wfId=1751945
Thurgood Marshall and “Brown vs. Board of Education”
In this report you can hear interviews of people talking about Mr. Thurgood Marshall the lawer that fought and won the B vs. B case that ended racial separation in public school. This theme is very important and relevant during our African American History and Civil Rights Unit.
http://www.npr.org/display_pages/features/feature_1535826.html
http://www.npr.org/news/specials/brown50/index.html
Bussing and it’s legacy
This NPR report centers on the issue of bussing and how it worked or failed to desegregate schools in America.
http://www.npr.org/rundowns/segment.php?wfId=1853532
An interview with the grandson of Malcolm X and links on Malcolm X himself
We study about Malcolm X in class and the information in this report is an interesting expansion of the study of this most influential Civil Rights Leader.
http://www.npr.org/features/feature.php?wfId=1685737
Race issues as a single white woman tries to adopt a baby of color in America
This is a personal story told by NPR about the adoption story and the economy aspect of adopting a baby of color in America (2005/May report)
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4645304
Hate Crimes on the increase in LA county, California
This May 2005 report from NPR focuses on the increase of hate crimes in southern California, and in a specific case brought up by a Mexican-American.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4653103