Learning is a curious thing. As we age, we know we have absorbed a fair amount of knowledge, yet we continue to be amazed by how much there still is to learn. Take for example my surprise when seeing the “Confronting History to Heal a Nation” segment on the CBS Sunday Morning show. There on my porch-that-feels-like-a-treehouse, I learned something I never knew before. I was told about a man named Bryan Stevenson and the work he is doing to heal the hurt of a country that repeatedly takes one step forward and then three steps back. While watching the 7-minute story, I made the connection between slavery and segregation, lynching and the legal system, and so much more. Convinced there was more to understand, I traveled to Montgomery to see, feel, and be in the spaces that explain the legacy of racial injustice in the Black community. Eloquent in its composition and strong in stature–the museum is built in a city that once held one of the busiest slave trades in the country. And, just down the street, is the National Memorial for Peace and Justice, an affecting testimonial to the way we treated and killed our brethren. 

Once home, I read then watched Just Mercy, and saw the documentary, True Justice: Bryan Stevenson’s Fight for Equality. True Justice is the film that our new course, 5233: The Legacy of Racial Injustice, is based on. In this brave, honest course experience, teachers will go on an eye-opening exploration of resources that support teaching hard history. As Stevenson explains, in order to heal from the pain of our past, we must first tell the truth–so we can move forward as a nation that knows, and therefore will not repeat, its mistakes. Educators who seek to learn and teach about racial injustice in the Black community will find that the truth, does indeed, set us free.

Featured Course

The Legacy of Racial Injustice

Course 5233 | 3-Credits | Gr. PK-12+