Kenya is home to the Dadaab Refugee Camp. It is the home for thousands of refugees that fled Somalia during the Civil War in 1991. The camp struggles with famine, drought and poverty. The graphic novel When Stars Are Scattered by Omar Mohammed and Victoria Jamieson, describes Omar Mohammed's experience in Dadaab. Omar spent fifteen years in this "open prison." This is a great novel to teach students appreciation for what they have and to never lose hope even in the darkest times.
Teaching the Holocaust can be a very difficult subject to discuss and teach in the classroom. I often share images of the concentration camps and use document based questions. Reading and analyzing the young adult novel Prisoner B-3087 by Alan Gratz also conveys the depth of horror. The book includes the starving ghettos, horrific concentration camps, gas chambers, brutal train rides, and unfathomable torture. This book is a great springboard to a discussion on morality and the dangers of following a ruthless dictator.
Zitkala-Sa was a Native American advocate, teacher, musician, and civil rights leader. She graduated from an Indian boarding school in 1895 where she was taught a new language, a new religion and given a new name. She was forbidden to speak her native language and stripped of her native heritage. She was “lost” between two worlds that did not accept her. After graduating, Zitkala wrote articles exposing the horrors of the Indian boarding schools and the complex culture that was forcibly erased by the United States government. At the pinnacle of her career she wrote a successful play called The Sun Dance. It was the first operetta written by a Native American. Lastly, she fought to raise awareness about many issues related to Native Americans. As a member of the National Council of American Indians she helped pass the Indian Citizenship Act in 1924. This historic journey is written and illustrated in Red Bird Sings: The Story of Zitkala-Sa by Gina Capaldi.
The struggle to have one’s voice heard is not new. America was founded upon the philosophy that a voice in government is a basic right. Historically, however, that right was denied for many groups of people. Over the years, marginalized people have fought to have their voices heard including suffragettes, labor leaders, and civil rights leaders. The world of education is no stranger to this struggle.
PROTEST FOR DIVERSITY
In 1968, an ethnically diverse group of students at the University of California at Berkeley known as the Third World Liberation Front protested for a more inclusive curriculum that reflected the diversity of the student population. Together they demonstrated for three months and captured the nation's attention when they successfully brought the Berkeley campus to a stunning halt. Police were called but were unsuccessful in stopping the strike. The school shutdown made national headlines and pushed the University of California to provide for a more expansive view of American history while developing a more diverse faculty.
In more recent years, many states have been pushed to create ethnic studies classes as graduation requirements in high school. In 2014, El Rancho Unified School District became the first school in California to adopt an ethnic studies class as a graduation requirement. Since this trailblazing high school adjusted their graduation requirements many high schools across the country have followed their lead.
CASE FOR DIVERSITY
The argument for a more diverse and culturally inclusive curriculum is built on the philosophy that knowledge is powerful. Students know their own culture, beliefs and values. What they often do not have is a full and accurate understanding of the cultures, history and experiences of groups other than their own. A diverse curriculum exposes children to values, achievements and struggles of people other than themselves, providing knowledge, and promoting tolerance and understanding.
STRATEGIES TO ADD DIVERSITY
Teaching unsung heroes is a great strategy to diversify and expand the standard narrative of American History in the classroom. When designing lessons, seek out new perspectives, specifically those of lesser known figures in history whose contributions were considered less important because of their race, nationality, ethnicity, religion, or gender. When teaching about World War I, consider the Choctaw Telephone Squad, a small group of Native Americans from Oklahoma who supported the Allied effort in Europe. These soldiers were the original code talkers who paved the way for the more well known Navajo Code Talkers. When teaching World War II, consider the Triple Nickles, African-American paratroopers who fought forest fires in the Pacific Northwest.
It is also important to integrate less well-known events into the curriculum. When I introduce the Delano Grape Strike, I include the formation of the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee (AWOC) by Manong farmworkers in 1960. Manongs were a lesser known group of Filipino farmworkers who triggered the historic Delano Grape Strike. This event expands the narrative of labor history in the United States as well as that of Cesar Chavez and the United Farm Workers. When studying the Mississippi Black Codes and segregation, I plan to include the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921, an often overlooked event that expands the narrative of the racial divide during the post-Reconstruction era. By adding lesser known people and events we further increase students' depth of knowledge and undoubtedly foster more social and emotional connections.
Another way to diversify the curriculum is to integrate literature written by, and from the point of view of marginalized people. Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes is especially effective because it allows students to connect the murder of Emmett Till to current events. They Called Us Enemy tells the story of George Takei's childhood in an internment camp and gives the reader a firsthand view of the Japanese-American experience of World War II. Code Talker by Joseph Bruchac illustrates the importance of Native American Code talkers while highlighting how they were disregarded by society. Books such as these reveal facts and emotions that are not always developed in everyday lessons, fostering an understanding of the experiences of others and their importance in American history.
CONCLUSION
By the time students arrive in the classroom they have all developed some idea of how society works from the confines of their own homes. This knowledge needs to be integrated with the experiences and perspectives of different people. Classrooms should be the place where we develop connections and understandings, and examine who we really are as a country. Exposure to a diverse curriculum helps to achieve this goal.
The United States government has a long history of treating Native Americans with disrespect. While it is always important to highlight these actions, it is also important to include Native Americans in different historical contexts. While the World War II Navajo Code Talkers are often discussed in the classroom, the World War I contributions of the Choctaw Nation are often overlooked.
Joseph Oklahombi was a member of the Choctaw Nation and a Oklahoma native. He walked twenty two miles to enlist in the Army during World War I. Oklahombi was a pioneer Code Talker who traveled with the 141st, 142nd, and 143rd Infantry regiments on the Meuse Argonne campaign to prevent further German aggression. He was one of the many Native Americans who used their unique native language to protect important military communications in France. After being separated from a regiment Oklahombi and twenty three other Choctaw strayed into a large German regiment. They ran over two hundred meters and took control of a German machine gun post. He turned the captured machine gun against the German enemies and held out for four days without food or water. His actions led to the capture of one hundred and seventy one prisoners.
Unsung Heroes: Segregated Military Units
Saturday, May 22nd, 2021
1 P.M. Virtual
CNN recently published an article on Eroseana “Rose” Robinson. Her story is rarely discussed in classrooms and has been overlooked for years. She was a great athlete and a track and field star. In 1958, Robinson was invited to compete against the Soviet Union, when the Cold War was in full swing. She didn’t want her athletic skills to represent the government that supported segregation and the war against Communism. As a result, she declined the offer. A half a year later she was brought up on tax evasion charges. Rather than paying the $380 fine and leaving prison, she decided to stay in jail and begin a hunger strike. When newspapers began reporting on her hunger strike she was immediately released. Long before Colin Kaepernick there was Rose Robinson. She never returned to sports following the hunger strike in jail from which she never fully recovered.
