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Movements


Honorable John Lewis (1940-2020): Civil Rights Leader, Great American
Grade 6-12: Students will learn about the life and legacy of the late U.S. Representative John Lewis, a major leader in the Civil Rights Movement. Through two short videos, discussion, and activities, students will explore leadership, nonviolence, and standing up for justice.


Ruby Bridges - Courage Shapes the World We Live In
Grade: 3-5. Students learn who Ruby Bridges was and why her actions mattered. Through a short video, guided discussion, and role-play, students examine how Ruby’s courage and kindness in the face of discrimination helped create change. Students also explore how telling trusted adults and making thoughtful, safe choices can help create more inclusive spaces for everyone.


Ruby Bridges - Making Spaces Welcoming and Kind
Grade: K-2. Students learn about Ruby Bridges, a young girl who helped change history during desegregation as the first African American student to attend an all-white school in her community. Ruby showed bravery and kindness when she faced unfair treatment at school.


The Soviet Refusenik Movement – Analysis of a Social Justice Movement
Grades 7-12. Students will explore the Soviet Jewry Freedom Movement through two powerful videos: U.S. Representative John Lewis Speaking for Soviet Jews (1987) and The Soviet Jewry Freedom Movement (Unpacked). By examining this historical social justice movement, students will gain insight into the broader themes of advocacy, solidarity, and global human rights. Using a set of 10 criteria, students will critically analyze the movement’s structure, impact, and legacy, applyin


Velvet Revolution (Czechoslovakia, 1989) - Analysis of a Social Justice Movement
Grades 9-12. Students apply 10 objective criteria to analyze a social justice movement that is widely noted for its non‑violent, dignity‑centered tactics: the Velvet Revolution in Czechoslovakia (Nov–Dec 1989). Using short videos and primary‑source snippets, learners test whether the movement’s goals, methods, and outcomes align with genuine social justice for all, or reveal red flags.


Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. & the March on Washington - Analysis of a Social Justice Movement
Grades 9-12. Students will examine the civil rights movement through two key films: Martin Luther King Jr.’s 1963 “I Have a Dream” speech and The March (1964), a restored documentary on the March on Washington. After viewing, students will use 10 criteria to evaluate whether the movement meets the standards of a true social justice movement.


Analysis of a Current Movement: Free Palestine Protests
Grades 9-12. This lesson invites students to evaluate the Free Palestine Movement’s protests through 10 Criteria to analyze a Social Justice Movement. Students will examine activist messaging that uses social justice language. By applying the 10 Criteria Framework, students will use these critical thinking tools to analyze this movement and other historical movements.


Social Justice or Control? Communism - When Justice Becomes Control
Grades 7-8. This lesson uses historical case studies of authoritarian regimes to help students tell the difference between authentic justice movements and propaganda movements that use justice-themed language to hide censorship, control, or oppression. Students will analyze how governments in Soviet Russia, Maoist China, and Communist Cuba used powerful ideas like “equality,” “liberation,” and “protection” — not to empower people — but to brainwash, punish dissent, and silenc


LGBTQIA+ and Women's Rights in the U.S. and EU
Grade level: 6-12. This lesson introduces students to how the United States and European Union have worked to protect and advance the rights of women and LGBTQIA+ individuals. Students will explore historical milestones, legal protections, and ongoing struggles for equality, while learning why these rights are fundamental to free and fair societies.


Hidden Letters - Language, Power, and the Voices of Chinese Women
Grades 10-12. Hidden Letters is a haunting and lyrical documentary that uncovers the secret language of Nüshu—a script invented and passed down in whispers among generations of Chinese women, who, confined by patriarchal norms and silenced by tradition, found solace in each other through the written word. In a world where women were forbidden to learn or express themselves freely, Nüshu became more than a language—it was a lifeline.


The Son of Hamas Exposes The Truth On Israel - Gaza: Mosab Hassan Yousef with Douglas Murray
Grades 9-12. This lesson focuses on the perspectives and experiences of Mosab Hassan Yousef, a former Hamas member who later became an informant for Israel. Students will learn about the complexities of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, particularly through Yousef's perspective. The lesson will also address common misconceptions and the political narrative of genocide, particularly the claims surrounding the Gaza conflict.


Asian American Activists in the Civil Rights Movement
Grades 7-12. The fight for justice has never been fought alone. Asian American activists worked alongside Black, Latinx, and Indigenous leaders to challenge oppression and demand equality. Their contributions remain inspiring and relevant today, offering powerful lessons on solidarity, resilience, and social change.


The Young Lords Grassroots Activism and Social Change - Fighting for Justice, Then and Now
Grades 6-12. The Young Lords Grassroots Activism and Social Change - Fighting for Justice, Then and Now


Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel & Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. – A Shared Struggle for Justice
Grades 6-8. Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. were united by a deep commitment to justice and human dignity. Heschel, a Jewish theologian and Holocaust survivor, believed that the fight for Black civil rights was a moral and spiritual imperative. He famously marched alongside Dr. King during the Selma to Montgomery march in 1965, later saying, “I felt my legs were praying.”
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