Chapter 4

Resistance Stories

  • Historical and contemporary stories about challenges the racial status quo

  • About the people holding our country and institutions accountable for racial justice

  • Provide inspiration and ideas to work against racism

  • Teach an ongoing historical process of anti-racism that can be joined

 

Chapter 4: Overview

Main Objectives : 

  • Students learn and analyze how poetry and literature can be tools for resistance

  • Students discuss the importance of analyzing history and thinking critically about its role in shaping racial perceptions

  • They  learn how to critically analyze stories to unearth resistance stories

  • Students learn what it takes to be a good ally for racial justice

 

Guiding Questions:

  • What stories exist (historically or contemporary) that serve as examples of resistance?

  • What role does resistance play in challenging the stock stories about racism?

  • What can we learn about anti-racist action by looking at stories of resistance?

  • How can these stories provide concrete tools and inspire our activism today?

Chapter 4: Lesson 1

“Choi Jeong Min”

Learning Outcomes: 

  • Students analyze how poetry and literature can be tools for resistance

  • Students discuss the importance of analyzing history and thinking critically about its role in shaping racial perceptions

 

Lesson Outline: 

  • Students read poetry about resistance

  • Students analyze and discuss poetry from a critical literary perspective 

  • Discussion of personal experiences of rising in resistance

  • Students consider how they fit with the voices of the poets

Chapter 4: Lesson 2

Local Community Resisters

Learning Outcomes: 

  • Students learn about local and community-based anti-racist activism

  • Students look at how local and community-based anti-racist activism challenges stereotypical notions (representations) of apathy and non-involvement among adults and youth of color

 

Lesson Outline: 

  • Students share personal stories they know of people who fought for access or rights for their community 

  • In small groups, students develop an interview protocol for activists in their community and prepare to interview subjects

  • Discuss how resistance stories have impact

Chapter 4: Lesson 3

Anti Racist Coalition Building and the Role of Allies

Learning Outcomes: 

  • Students learn different roles that they can play in perpetuating or challenging injustice and apply their learning to their own past and future actions

  • Students discuss what goes into making a good ally for racial justice, including what that can look like, what issues might come up, and what are the potential success this could produce

 

Lesson Outline: 

  • Discuss sit-ins in historical movements

  • Define “ally”, “bystander”, “target”, and “perpetrator” 

  • Reading of story that has those roles

  • Discussion of how these roles have operated in their own lives and their own role in incidents of racial injustice

  • Share personal written stories about these incidents and act out select stories