Students can learn about local struggles for justice through primary sources. This toolkit will help you collaborate with staff at a local library or archive to locate primary sources that teach your students about their community’s history.
Katy Swalwell, PhD, is an assistant professor at George Mason University in Fairfax, VA. Her research interests focus on social justice pedagogy in communities of privilege, the teaching of controversial issues in elementary social studies curricula, and the politics of teaching. She is also the author of the upcoming book, Educating Activist Allies: Social Justice Pedagogy with the Suburban and Urban Elite (Routledge, 2013).
When we encourage our students to consider how power and privilege affect them, we must also anticipate that they’re going to want to do something about injustices they see.