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For me, the challenge with teaching multiculturalism to college-aged students is that many are not willing to make the connection that gaining an understanding of different cultures means acknowledging and exploring difficult histories. It's easy to say we are comfortable with the expression of culture from a pop culture or media standpoint, but we are often lacking in our knowledge of the story behind the heroes and icons we tend to celebrate or emulate. I'll give you two examples. To more deeply understand and appreciate the cast of the Jersey Shore and the tight-knit connection between them is to also appreciate that Italian- Americans share a particularly strong bond that happened as a result of immigration and discrimination in the early 20th century. To more deeply understand and appreciate the marriage of Cardi B and Offset as part of hip-hop, street, and trap culture is also to appreciate the history of Afro-Cuban and Puerto Rican music as it developed over generations of colonization and survivance. Beats and music are key to the storytelling culture of African Americans and Islanders.

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It is my opinion that lessons about national history of this sort are important for students to hear. When students learn about impactful events and can connect it back to their own current experiences, I believe that they become more invested in what happens with their education because it is no longer about their individual education. Instead, education becomes a group endeavor where the goal is to help everyone have equality in opportunities, resources, and access to knowledge. When you can get people to understand the importance of compassion and working together, we realize the true power of advocating for others and standing up for what is right. It is very hard to change the world on your own. However, when you have friends, family, and supporters by your side, real change is possible. I do not think that parents would disagree with this notion, however there is a caveat. The caveat is that I think this type of education needs to be done responsibly so that it does not foster resentment and mistrust of the system. Instead, I think the emphasis needs to be on what can be done and is currently taking place to remedy and fix the issues of the past. When the emphasis sways towards this end of the spectrum, I think students will be more inspired to make change rather than live in victimhood full of anger and disdain.

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I think being aware of adapting outdated terminology and information in curriculum is extremely important for Multicultural education.

I recently began teaching my students about the American West through our ELA curriculum, and the books my students are exploring refer to Native Americans as "American Indians" or "Plains Indians", which we know is incorrect. It was addressed by the school district after the curriculum was already being taught, but I already took it upon myself to make sure I updated the term when reading the books to my students. I also educated myself, in front of my students, to not only show them that it's important to always stay educated, but to know why exactly they were ever referred to as Indians in the first place. I was taught in school that the terms were interchangeable, that Christopher Columbus was great, and the pilgrims and Native Americans all sat together and shared a feast at the first Thanksgiving.

Now, hopefully most adults recognize this as a fallacy, that the textbooks we got our information from were written by white historians and were whitewashed to make it seem like America was taken over with peace and harmony instead of villainizing Europeans. I personally never really learned the truth about American history until I began to ask questions in college or read about it on my own. There is so much history that has been purposely rewritten to paint a narrative that makes white people out to be heroes and victims, when largely that is not the case. I have actively chosen to not sugarcoat the truth, and for this current topic, to teach my students the truth about Native American history. I think teaching students (developmentally appropriate) reality is essential to helping cultivate a generation of more culturally aware and compassionate leaders for the future.

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In my opinion this was a well prepared and executed lesson plan on the Japanese Latin Americans of WWII. I am ashamed to admit that I was not aware of this part of history. I have studied WWII and read the graphic novel, "They Called Us Enemy" by George Takei.

Developmentally this lesson is appropriate for secondary education because of its depth of knowledge. It could even be appropriate for upper elementary school if done correctly.

What I found outstanding about this lesson plan was the engagement. Right from the start when the teacher organized a gallery walk through black and white photos of internment camps, the students became interested. It then lead into President Roosevelt's Executive Order and the detainment of Japanese Americans. So this is where the inquiry began. The students began asking questions. Where were the Japanese Latin Americans? They had evidence showing them as part of Internment. The students were making connections to the story. The teacher then laid out a role play/reader's theater where individual students and groups of students played different parts of this history. They all wanted to be heard and had their own stake in the results. This lesson plan transcends time and place. This very concept, in ways, could be seen in America today.

I think the majority of parents would support the teaching of this topic. Although in today's political climate it's hard to say. You may have parents question the validity because of being unaware of its history. And that could be quite challenging. It could depend largely on the state you live in and who is making the decisions on what is being taught. Another challenge is the sensitive subject. It could bring strong feelings/emotions out in the students. As a teacher, you want to prepare yourself for all possibilities.