Racism…and the People who Fought it!

I began the next class by asking students (who are of various cultural backgrounds) what they think of when they hear the word “racism.” Wow!

We then learned about Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. I showed students another PowerPoint and we discussed these two incredibly influential people. We talked about their lives and the roles they played in the fight for equality. I showed students the cartoon below and we briefly talked about its meaning as well.

I then taught my students about allusion (a reference made, usually to a historical event or person, that does not need explaining because the writer assumes that the audience will recognize and understand its meaning). With that lesson came U2’s “Pride“-an incredible song written about Gandhi, MLK, Jr. and Jesus.  Students enjoyed the song and the scavenger hunt that followed in which we searched for examples of allusion in the song. It was at that time that we recognized the allusion to Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech when the lyrics mention April 4 (the day of MLK’s assassination) and “free at last”.

For homework that night, students were asked to write an acrostic poem, or a couplet, about racism though they did not have to use that word. The poems I received back were quite telling and clearly expressed the students’ feelings about the issue.