Teaching the “I Have a Dream Speech,” Rosa Parks refusal to give up her seat on the bus, and how George Washington Carver became “The Peanut Man” are common Black History Month lessons in American schools — if Black history is acknowledged or taught at all.
But this year, the opportunity to educate students about the achievements and struggles of Black Americans arrives at a moment when students are watching civil rights — their civil rights — being stripped away in real time.
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Which means this is precisely the moment teachers must teach the truth about Black history and ensure students understand why the African American experience is central to what is happening across the United States right now.
Doing so requires tools, not just good intentions. That’s where the Zinn Education Project, a nonprofit organization dedicated to social justice education, comes in. ZEP offers free resources to help educators make these connections — between past resistance and present-day protest. Their site features 445 free lessons on the African American experience — from Reconstruction to the civil rights movement and beyond. But ZEP offers more than curriculum: free books, virtual workshops, study groups, and a community of educators committed to teaching the truth.
Here are five ways to use their resources to teach Black history with nuance, honesty, and urgency.
1. Teach Why Black History Exists in the First Place
Harvard historian Jarvis Given’s new book, “I’ll Make Me a World: The 100-Year Journey of Black History Month,” tells the century-old story of Black History Month, tracing its beginnings in 1926 as “Negro History Week” to today. Given focuses on ordinary people who played key roles in making Black history visible, expanding our understanding of why this month matters and who made it possible.
He’ll discuss his book and other Black history resources during a free 75-minute online class on Feb. 2. The conversation will feature Cierra Kaler-Jones, executive director of Rethinking Schools, and Jesse Hagopian, editor of the Zinn Education Project.
Sign up for the Feb. 2 class here.
2. Teach Dr. King’s History Outside the South — and Get a Free Book
Most accounts of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s focus on his organizing work in the South. But King also confronted housing discrimination, police brutality, and economic inequality in northern cities such as Boston, Chicago, and New York City.
Historian Jeanne Theoharis documents this lesser-known history in “King of the North: Martin Luther King’s Freedom Struggle Outside of the South.” The Zinn Education Project is giving away free copies of the book to teachers who report stories about using their lessons on Dr. King and the civil rights movement in the North.
If educators would like to receive this book, they can fill out this form to report how they have used ZEP’s lessons.
3. Teach Students to Ask Hard Questions About the Constitution
In a time of journalist arrests, the detention of immigrants and U.S. citizens, and frequent attacks on educational institutions, students need to understand what the Constitution is and what rights it does — and does not — protect.
The Zinn Education Project encourages teachers to ask tough questions: Why doesn’t the Constitution protect the rights of Black, Brown, immigrant, poor, and queer communities? Why did it take a Civil War to abolish slavery? And why does the 13th Amendment still allow slavery as a punishment for a crime?
Every student should be able to answer questions such as these about the Constitution.
Download free teaching materials on the Constitution here.
4. Join a “Teaching for Black Lives” Study Group
This summer, the Zinn Education Project is offering a free virtual study group for pre-K through 12th grade teachers on “Teaching for Black Lives.” Participants will learn how to teach students about systemic racism and how to organize for justice — centering not only struggle but also resistance and joy.
Teachers who sign up for the study group must attend at least three of the four scheduled Zoom meetings, based on a collective reading of “Teaching for Black Lives,” a teaching guide, and a recent issue of Rethinking School magazine. The group will meet at 4 p.m. PT/7 pm ET on Tuesdays: June 23, July 14, and July 21. Participants will also needto complete an evaluation of their experience.
Teachers can sign up for the study group here.
5. Teach Students About the Fight for the Right to Learn
Black education was illegal for most of U.S. history. And throughout that history, there’s been a pattern: The U.S. government has punished Black folk who are seeking an education or others who are trying to educate Black folk.
A free, 40-page lesson by Jesse Hagopian on ZEP’s site teaches students about laws that restricted access to learning, helping them understand the historical context and motivations—and how the legacy of those laws shows up today.
“This lesson reveals a pattern: When Black people make significant educational gains — or score victories in their broader struggles for freedom — there is a corresponding white supremacist backlash that often includes legal restrictions and violence,” wrote Hagopian.
Download the lesson here.