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Black People Around the World: Legal Rights and Protections

  • Mar 18
  • 6 min read

Updated: Mar 20

Grade Level: 9-12

Duration of Video 1: 4 minutes 11 seconds
Duration of Video 2A: 1 minute 31 seconds
Duration of Video 2B: 11minutes 48 seconds
Duration of Video 3: 9 minutes 57 seconds
Duration of Video 4: 3 minutes 33 seconds
Duration of Video 5: 2 minutes 19 seconds

Themes:

  • Promise of equality vs. lived experience 

  • Human dignity

  • Freedom as a practice

  • Nonviolent change and civic courage

  • Black people around the world

  • Civil Rights, US and World History, Black History





Group of smiling children gathered around volunteers taking a selfie during a community event in Lagos, Nigeria.

Photo by Lagos Food Bank Initiative on Pexels.


Description:

Students investigate how rights function in practice for Black communities across five different global regions. Using short videos, a verified resource sheet, and a consistent four-indicator framework, students collect evidence, learn about regional systems, and analyze graphs to identify patterns and differences. The lesson focuses on the difference between rights on paper and rights in daily life, emphasizing how law, enforcement, freedom of expression, and safety shape human dignity. The lesson concludes with an empowering writing activity designed to foster empathy, civic responsibility, and global citizenship.



Lesson Plan:


🎯 OBJECTIVES (SWBAT)

  • Explain the difference between rights “on paper” and rights “in practice”

  • Describe how law, enforcement, speech, and safety shape daily life

  • Use video evidence and reference materials to understand rights in five global regions

  • Interpret graphs showing differences in how rights function

  • Support conclusions with evidence from videos, resources, and visuals


🧰 MATERIALS:

📝 TEACHER NOTE


Preview videos before teaching. Use the full video or a focused clip that best supports evidence collection for the four human rights indicators. Some clips discuss racism, state violence, or exploitation. Consider content warnings and opt-out alternatives as needed. 


📋 LESSON FLOW

  1. Hook


    Teacher writes the following on the board:

    • “A country can say everyone is equal.”

    • “People can still be treated unequally every day.”


    Ask Students: Can both be true at the same time? Why or why not? Discuss.


    Teacher says: “Today we’ll watch short videos about five different regions of the world to explore how rights work in practice - particularly for Black communities. We’ll focus on whether rights on paper are truly accessible to everyone."


  2. Teach the Framework


    Hand Out:


    Teacher explains:

    “Before we watch any videos, we need to learn how we are going to think about rights. This worksheet shows the framework we will use for every region. We will use the same four indicators to help us compare fairly and you will use this sheet to take notes on each region.”


    Review with students the following on Student Worksheet 1: Black People Around the World: Legal Protections Evidence Tracker

    • 4 indicators (Law, Enforcement, Free Speech, Daily Safety and Dignity) to measure rights.

    • The tables on the worksheet will be taken notes on as they watch the films for each region.


  3. Whole Class: Watch the Videos to Collect Evidence


    REGION 1: Liberal Democracies (Canada, France, Germany, United Kingdom, United States) 


    Say: As you watch this video about Region One - Canada, France, Germany, United Kingdom, United States - take notes on the first table entitled “Region One” on your worksheet. 


    Play Video 1: Brown vs. Board of Education / A More or Less Perfect Union


    After the video, discuss students’ observations and ask:

    • Are there laws to protect human rights?

    • Do police protect the rights of Black people?

    • Are protests allowed?

    • Does the media report freely?

    • Do Black people feel safe in daily life?

    • Is change possible?


    REGION 2  Post-colonial democracies (Brazil, Colombia, Nigeria, South Africa)


    Say: Now I will show you two videos about Region 2 (Brazil, Colombia, Nigeria, South Africa). The first has stories about Nigeria. Please take notes on your sheet in the table that says “Region 2.”


    Play Video 2A: Nigeria's #EndSars protests: 'It's about justice for our loved ones' - BBC Africa


    Ask students about their observations and notes.


    Say: Now I will show you another video about Region 2 (Brazil, Colombia, Nigeria, South Africa). This has stories about Brazil. Please take notes on your sheet in the table that says “Region 2.”


    Play Video 2B: What it means to be Black in Brazil


    Ask students about their observations and notes. The class discusses similarities and differences between Nigeria and Brazil.


    REGION 3: Citizenship / hierarchy-based states (Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE)


    Say: Now I will show you a video about Region 3 - Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, UAE. Please take notes on your sheet in the table that says “Region 3.”


    Play Video 3: Kafala system in Lebanon: "Modern-day slavery"


    Ask students about their observations and notes. 


    REGION 4:  Authoritarian / semi-authoritarian states (Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Turkey)


    Say: Now I will show you a video about Region 4 - Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Turkey. Please take notes on your sheet in the table that says “Region 4.” 


    Play Video 4: Most Egyptians say no racial discrimination at all in their country despite evidence - BBC News


    Ask students about their observations and notes.


    REGION 5: Systemic marginalization (Libya, Mauritania, parts of Sudan, Yemen) 


    Say: Now I will show you a video about Region 5 - Libya, Mauritania, parts of Sudan, Yemen. Please take notes on your sheet in the table that says “Region 5.” 


    Play video 5: Libya: Migrants in Fear After a Violent Crackdown by Forces, WION News


    Ask students about their observations and notes.


  4. Seat Partner: Student Worksheet 2: Fact Page


    Hand out Student Worksheet 2: Fact Page (Printed for each student or digital copy)


    Say: “Now that we’ve collected evidence, please turn to your seat partner and read Student Worksheet 2: Fact Page to learn more about the five regions you took notes about. 


  5. Graphs


    Hand out Student Worksheet 3: Data and Graphs to the students. Ask them to describe the table that summarizes the indicator scores per region.


    Ask students to look at the graphs carefully.


    Ask the students: 

    • What do you notice?

    • In which regions do Black people have a worse quality of life?

    • In which regions is there a difference between ‘rights on paper’ and ‘rights in daily life’?

    • Which indicators do you think are the most important? Why?


  6. Empowerment/Exit Ticket


    Say: 

    It can feel very sad to see that there are so many Black communities around the world that have so few human rights. 


    Hand out Student Worksheet 4: Empowerment Activity


    Say:

    For your Exit Ticket, I’d like each of you to write a letter to the UN Special Rapporteur on Racism (contact below). 


    Go over the instructions on Student Worksheet 4: Empowerment Activity


  7. Summary of Lesson


    Say:


    Today, you learned:

    • About four main indicators we use to measure human rights in five global regions. 

    • The rights of Black people in five global regions.

    • The higher a country’s score on these indicators, the greater rights Black people and ALL people have.

    • Just having laws is not enough if they are not enforced and people are unprotected. 

    • You can speak out and make your voice heard to make the world a safer place for Black communities around the world - and for ALL human rights.


Note to the Teacher: 

This lesson was written in January 2026 and includes content related to current events. As events continue to evolve, please review and update videos, numerical data, and graphs as needed to ensure accuracy and relevance regarding the rights of Black people in different regions of the world.






© 2025-2026 

All materials on this website are available for educational use under Creative Commons License CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. Educators may download and share the content with attribution, for non-commercial use and instructional purposes, and without modification. Embedding any materials within any website-whether educational, institutional, public, or private-is prohibited without prior written consent of Balanced Learning Resources. Unauthorized embedding or redistribution may violate copyright and licensing terms.


©  2025-2026
All materials on this website are available for educational use under Creative Commons License CC BY-NC-ND 4.0. Educators may download and share the content with attribution, for non-commercial use and instructional purposes, and without modification. Embedding any materials within any website-whether educational, institutional, public, or private-is prohibited without prior written consent of Balanced Learning Resources. Unauthorized embedding or redistribution may violate copyright and licensing terms.

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