The Crown Act: The Cost of Ethnic Hair
On January 1, 2020, California became the first state to pass an anti-discrimination hair law for schools and the workplace. The Crown Act (Create a Respectful and Open Workplace for Natural Hair). Kumasi Aaron, and Jobina Fortson, African American news anchors from San Francisco KGO ABC7, shared their own stories about having to straighten their […]
A Civil Action: Not A Typical Hollywood Film
A Civil Action is based on a true story and bestselling book. John Travolta stars in the 1998 film playing attorney Jan Schlichtman. Although the film is about the environmental poisoning of a small town’s water supply, the film is considered by many in the legal profession to be a realistic look at the economics […]
Lois Beardslee: Why a Children’s Game Led a Veteran Teacher to Leave the Profession
H_NGM_N: What one says, or doesn’t say, to white educators is an informative and unforgettable essay by award-winning, author, illustrator, and veteran teacher Lois Beardslee. Beardslee describes her experience as a Native American teacher while navigating a profession that discriminated against her, sometimes with violence. And she provides insights into the pitfalls of teaching as […]
PBS: Two African American High-School Students Talk About Race
Two Students’ Brief But Spectacular Takes on Race and Being Underestimated PBS News Hour, PBS.org, January 28, 2021. Video, 3:48 min. Filmed shortly before the pandemic with two high-school students in Georgia, Audrey McNeal, and Shaylon Walker, now in their first year of college. The pair recount troubling and traumatic experiences. From stereotyping to a […]
Benjamin Kagan: Covid Vaccine Inspired A Teen To Volunteer His Skills
14-year old Benjamin Kagan’s know-how is underscored in the news report link below. It gives an inside glimpse of his skillset beyond computers. While other articles feature teens who help seniors track down vaccine appointments with their computers, such as Vaccine Hunters, Kagan offers more. Database creation is not a skill many people can do […]
Racial Discrimination and Occupations in 1865
Did You Know? In South Carolina, a law prohibited the formerly enslaved from holding any occupation other than farmer or servant unless they paid an annual tax of $10 to $100.* This law hit free blacks already living in Charleston and former slave artisans especially hard. Before 1800, free African American men could work in […]
The Monopoly Board Game: A Symbol of Racial Inequality
“The Prices on Your Monopoly Board Hold a Dark Secret. The property values of the popular game reflect a legacy of racism and inequality.” — Mary Pilon, author of The Monopolists. The version of Monopoly produced by Parker Brothers for the masses starting in the mid-1930s was an illustrated board game of discrimination. Ironically, Lizzie […]
Middle School Students and Racial Profiling in the Marketplace
What Would Your Students Do? Discussion On a field trip in St. Louis, Missouri, a multicultural group of middle school students and their teacher stopped at a well-known sandwich shop. Before entering the shop, the teacher handed bags of chips and beverages to the group. Then they all joined to buy sandwiches. But shortly after, […]
Q & A: Smith College and Race Issue
Q. If there was no evidence of bias in the Smith case concerning the student profiled while eating lunch, why won’t the incident fade away? A. The news story exposes major race and class issues at the elite institution and the simmering resentments between professors, workers, staff, wealthy students, and students thought to be “out […]
Suzie Brown: How A Heart Transplant Doctor Uses Music For Work Life Balance
Not since a contestant on Wheel of Fortune introduced himself as an RN and a pig farmer, have I heard of a more memorable way to combine innate abilities than that of the Tennessee cardiologist, Dr. Suzie Brown. Check out the 3-minute video on “CBS News This Morning” A More Perfect Union series. “There are […]