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Starr Carter is a sixteen year old girl grappling with the duality of her Blackness and the difficulties of existing between two worlds: Garden Heights, her poor, predominantly Black neighborhood, and Williamson prep, her rich, white private school.

After leaving a party with her childhood friend Khalil, the two are pulled over by a police officer. Moments later, Starr witnesses the fatal murder of her childhood best friend at the hands of the officer.

Khalil's murder makes national news; across the country, people are demanding justice for Khalil and the Black community. Starr is faced with a decision to make: should she come forward as the only witness of what happened that night, risking her security, or does she stay quiet, risking everything she stands for and everything she believes in?

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"Funny. Slave masters thought they were making a difference in Black people’s lives too. Saving them from their “wild African ways.” Same shit, different century. I wish people like them would stop thinking that people like me need saving."

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“I’ve seen it happen over and over again: a black person gets killed just for being black, and all hell breaks loose. I’ve tweeted RIP hashtags, reblogged pictures on Tumblr, and signed every petition out there. I always said that if I saw it happen to somebody, I would have the loudest voice, making sure the world knew what went down.

Now I am that person, and I’m too afraid to speak.”

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“That's the problem. We let people say stuff, and they say it so much that it becomes okay to them and normal for us. What's the point of having a voice if you're gonna be silent in those moments you shouldn't be?”

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After witnessing his brother Shawn being shot in the street, fifteen-year-old Will seeks revenge on his murderer. As he descends the elevator of his building, Will is met by unlikely visitors on each floor, each giving a new perspective on Shawn's death.

Told in free verse, Long Way Down depicts the struggles Black boys face growing up in America, subjected to gun violence, racism, and growing up too fast.

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“AND EVEN THOUGH

his face was wet with tears he wasn't supposed to cry when he was alive, I couldn't see him as anything less than my brother, my favorite, my only.”

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“I FELT LIKE CRYING

which felt like
another person
trapped behind my face

tiny fists punching
the backs of my eyes
feet kicking
my throat at the spot
where the swallow
starts.

Stay put, I whispered to him,
Stay strong, I whispered to me.

Because crying
is against

The Rules.”

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“People always love people more when they're dead.”

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Anti-racist education and social justice teaching are crucial to the development and success of students, especially those of marginalized identities. Black children in particular are subjected to extreme discrimination and prejudice inside and outside the classroom. Black children face higher discipline rates, disproportionate suspensions, and low representation in gifted programs.

Acknowledging systemic racism is not enough. Our students need and deserve more. It's crucial that we teach our students why these injustices have been able to continue throughout history and what systems perpetuate them. Many of our students have directly faced the impacts of systemic racism. They are also forced to endure the emotional labor of educating their peers about what they've faced and about the struggles of marginalized groups.

Students need both windows and mirrors in their education. It's crucial to teach our students about the privileges they may have based on their race and what impact that has on both themselves and others. Unpacking and unlearning the ideals students have is difficult work, especially as they're growing up and being influenced by their families, friends, and the media. Despite how difficult it is, it's imperative for the well-being and success of our students to know why the system is the way it is, where they fall in it, and what they can do to change it.

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0:20-2:20: Starr's father, Maverick, gives her and her brother, Seven, "the talk." Here, he instructs them on what to do when confronted by police. He also provides them with The Black Panther Bill of Rights, instructing his children to know their worth and to never forget that their Blackness is a sign of greatness.

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THE HATE U GIVE - First 10 Minutes From The Movie (2018)

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Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, go, go away
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, go, go away
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, go, go away
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah
Yeah, yeah, yeah, go, go away

We just wanna party
Party just for you
We just want the money
Money just for you
I know you wanna party (yeah)
Party just for free
Girl, you got me dancin' (girl, you got me dancin')
Dance and shake the frame
We just wanna party (yeah)
Party just for you (yeah)
We just want the money (yeah)
Money just for you (ooh)
I know you wanna party (yeah)
Party just for free (yeah)
Girl, you got me dancin' (girl, you got me dancin')
Dance and shake the frame (ooh)

This is America
Don't catch you slippin' now
Don't catch you slippin' now
Look what I'm whippin' now
This is America (woo)
Don't catch you slippin' now
Don't catch you slippin' now
Look what I'm whippin' now

This is America (skrrt, skrrt, woo)
Don't catch you slippin' now (ayy)
Look at how I'm livin' now
Police be trippin' now (woo)
Yeah, this is America (woo, ayy)
Guns in my area (word, my area)
I got the strap (ayy, ayy)
I gotta carry 'em

Yeah, yeah, I'ma go into this (ugh)
Yeah, yeah, this is guerilla, woo
Yeah, yeah, I'ma go get the bag
Yeah, yeah, or I'ma get the pad
Yeah, yeah, I'm so cold like yeah (yeah)
I'm so dope like yeah (woo)
We gon' blow like yeah (straight up, uh)

Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh, tell somebody
You go tell somebody
Grandma told me
Get your money, black man (get your money)
Get your money, black man (get your money)
Get your money, black man (get your, black man)
Get your money, black man (get your, black man)
Black man

This is America (woo, ayy)
Don't catch you slippin' now (woo, woo, don't catch you slippin', now)
Don't catch you slippin' now (ayy, woah)
Look what I'm whippin' now (Slime!)
This is America (yeah, yeah)
Don't catch you slippin' now (woah, ayy)
Don't catch you slippin' now (ayy, woo)

Look what I'm whippin' now (ayy)

Look how I'm geekin' out (hey)
I'm so fitted (I'm so fitted, woo)
I'm on Gucci (I'm on Gucci)
I'm so pretty (yeah, yeah)
I'm gon' get it (ayy, I'm gon' get it)
Watch me move (blaow)
This a celly (ha)
That's a tool (yeah)
On my Kodak (woo, Black)
Ooh, know that (yeah, know that, hold on)
Get it (get it, get it)
Ooh, work it (21)
Hunnid bands, hunnid bands, hunnid bands (hunnid bands)
Contraband, contraband, contraband (contraband)
I got the plug on Oaxaca (woah)
They gonna find you like blocka (blaow)

Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh, tell somebody
(America, I just checked my following list and)
You go tell somebody
(You mothafuckas owe me)
Grandma told me
Get your money, black man (black man)
Get your money, black man (black man)
Get your money, black man (black man)
Get your money, black man (black man)
Black man (one, two, three, get down)

Ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh, tell somebody
You go tell somebody
Grandma told me, "Get your money, " black man
Get your money, black man (black man)
Get your money, black man (black man)
Get your money, black man (black man)
Black man

You just a black man in this world
You just a barcode, ayy
You just a black man in this world
Drivin' expensive foreigns, ayy
You just a big dawg, yeah
I kenneled him in the backyard
No proper life to a dog
For a big dog

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Childish Gambino - This Is America (Official Video)

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In what ways do societal systems in place perpetuate false stereotypes and the oppression of Black people?

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Why is representation in literature, media, and art important?

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How can we uplift, amplify, and support Black voices and Black struggles when they have been systemically silenced throughout history? What is at risk if we do so?

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You may write me down in history
With your bitter, twisted lies,
You may trod me in the very dirt
But still, like dust, I’ll rise.

Does my sassiness upset you?
Why are you beset with gloom?
’Cause I walk like I’ve got oil wells
Pumping in my living room.
Just like moons and like suns,
With the certainty of tides,
Just like hopes springing high,
Still I’ll rise.

Did you want to see me broken?
Bowed head and lowered eyes?
Shoulders falling down like teardrops,
Weakened by my soulful cries?

Does my haughtiness offend you?
Don’t you take it awful hard
’Cause I laugh like I’ve got gold mines
Diggin’ in my own backyard.

You may shoot me with your words,
You may cut me with your eyes,
You may kill me with your hatefulness,
But still, like air, I’ll rise.

Does my sexiness upset you?
Does it come as a surprise
That I dance like I’ve got diamonds
At the meeting of my thighs?

Out of the huts of history’s shame
I rise
Up from a past that’s rooted in pain
I rise
I’m a black ocean, leaping and wide,
Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.

Leaving behind nights of terror and fear
I rise
Into a daybreak that’s wondrously clear
I rise
Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,
I am the dream and the hope of the slave.
I rise
I rise
I rise.

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This linked text set is centered around the novel The Hate U Give by Angela Thomas. The essential questions I chose center around the importance of social justice and anti-racist education, specifically through the use of representative literature. They also question the systems in place that uphold injustice and why that is the case.

I chose The Hate U Give as the focal text for several reasons. The first is the subject matter. The story is, unfortunately, a reality for many of our Black students and for the Black community as a whole. Black people have been subjected to police and gun violence for far too long and especially in recent years. Specifically, Black boys. The Hate U Give centers the story of a boy who is the victim of police brutality and walks us through what life and childhood are like for a Black person. It also does an excellent job of depicting the code switching and masking many Black people are forced to do in spaces where their Blackness is not honored and is instead weaponized. Additionally, the voice and point of view that the story is told in is extremely powerful. Starr is an excellent narrator and does a great job of explaining the story whilst upholding her identity as a teenager, making it relatable and easily understood for other teenage readers. The novel is also a catalyst for change. It's a great way to get the conversation about race started and provides many opportunities for diving further into areas of the topic. Students are able to engage thoughtfully with the text and put themselves in Starr's shoes to understand why she is fighting for what she is fighting for.

Long Way Down is beautifully and tragically written. As a novel in verse, it is quick to get through yet holds immense power. Accompanying The Hate U Give with Long Way Down provides a different perspective on a situation of gun violence against a Black boy. Having the perspective of Will allows for discussion about the expectations and ideals for Black boys and men, specifically surrounding their mental health and showing emotions. These implications are delved into from a cultural and American historical context through Will's internal battle, as well as is encounters with each visitor as he descends the elevator.

The accompanying texts I chose are great opportunities for students to learn background knowledge, gain new perspectives, and engage with the material in different ways.

The movie version of The Hate U Give is one of my favorite book to film adaptations. The screen version is just as powerful as the written one, making it worthwhile to integrate into the linked text set. I chose 'the talk' scene specifically because of the significance it has to the essential questions and the overall premise of the lesson. 'The talk' is something every Black child experiences but is not a universal experience for all children. This scene exemplifies the reality of existence as a Black person in America and draws attention to the privilege that comes with being white. White parents do not have to sit down with their nine year old children and instill in them the severity and importance of complying with the police.

Still I Rise is an incredible poem about Black womanhood and being a Black woman in America. Black women are amongst the most oppressed individuals and carry intense burdens and traumas that span across generations. Maya Angelou draws attention to the way that Black women are viewed, unpacking the way they are sexualized and fetishized yet punished for embracing it. She also unpacks the false stereotype of the angry, loud Black women and pushes back against it. This poem is important in unit that is extremely heavy and carries a great weight. Many stories that we read about Black people are stories of suffering and tragedy. Though this is part of their history, it is not its entirety. Black joy needs to be celebrated just as much, if not more. Still I Rise addresses the reality of being a Black woman yet depicts Angelou taking back her power and reclaiming her narrative.

The nonfiction text, Stamped, details the history of racism in the United States and how everything is interconnected. Though the subject matter is heavy, it is written in a way that makes the knowledge accessible for adolescent readers.

I chose 'This is America' by Childish Gambino for both its subliminal and apparent messages, as well as its appeal to students. The song itself is catchy and powerful, which would allow me to gain student interest and keep them engaged. The song and video depict the paradox of gun violence and race as means of entertainment and of tragedy. The video conveys the contradictions of American life and values and how Black Americans are seen in society.

The image I chose ties in the most current state of our country and what injustices are currently occurring. In using this image, I'm able to appeal to students because it is depicting something current and that they are currently living through (COVID and the BLM movement). It also puts into perspective what white people might view as oppressive versus what is actually oppressive and what kind of oppression and threats to their safety Black people have and continue to face.