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High School Grade  Project 6 weeks

From Black Resistance to Action: Build for Change

CLynch29 Sarah Field
CLynch29, Sarah Field
Updated
11.10.a
11.10.a.5
11.10.b
F.9-12.7
11.10.a.6
+ 11 more
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The Challenge

When you organize across New York City neighborhoods, differences in trust, communication, access, risk, and decision-making can weaken coordination and strain relationships under pressure, as BYP100’s current challenge illustrates. These barriers can exclude participants, disrupt momentum, and limit a movement’s ability to turn collective action into lasting change.

Challenge Question

How can we create a practical tool that helps organizers draw on Black resistance traditions to navigate challenges in organizing today?

Standards

  • [New York] 11.10.a - After World War II, long-term demands for equality by African Americans led to the civil rights movement. The efforts of individuals, groups, and institutions helped to redefine African American civil rights, though numerous issues remain unresolved.
  • [New York] 11.10.a.5 - Students will examine the role of groups such as the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), and Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) in the movement, their goals and strategies, and major contributions.
  • [New York] 11.10.b - Individuals, diverse groups, and organizations have sought to bring about change in American society through a variety of methods.
  • [New York] F.9-12.7 - Work to influence those in positions of power to strive for extensions of freedom, social justice, and human rights.
  • [New York] 11.10.a.6 - Students will examine the roles and impact of individuals such as Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., Stokely Carmichael, Fannie Lou Hamer, and Malcolm X on the movement and their perspectives on change.
  • [New York] F.9-12.3 - Explain differing philosophies of social and political participation and the role of the individual leading to group-driven philosophies.
  • [New York] 11.10.b.2 - Students will trace the following efforts in terms of issues/goals, key individuals and groups, and successes/limitations: (a) Modern women's movement (e.g., The Feminine Mystique [1963], National Organization for Women , Equal Pay Act and Title IX, Roe v. Wade (b) Native Americans (e.g., American Indian Movement, Russell Means, native identity, sovereignty, and land claims) (c) Brown Power (Chicano) movement (e.g., Cesar Chavez, United Farm Workers) (d) People with disabilities (e.g. Individuals with Disabilities Education Act [1975], Americans with Disabilities Act [1990] ) (e) Rights of the accused (e.g., Mapp v. Ohio [1961], Gideon v. Wainwright [1963], Miranda v. Arizona [1966]) (f) Immigration (e.g., Immigration Act of 1965, Immigration Act of 1986, continuing debates over immigration) (g) Gay Rights and the LGBT movement (e.g., Stonewall Inn riots [1969], efforts for equal legal rights) (h) Environment (e.g., Silent Spring [1962], Clean Air Act of 1970, Clean Water Act of 1972, Endangered Species Act of 1973, Environmental Protection Agency [1970], Reagan's policy) (h) Student rights (e.g., Engel v. Vitale [1962], Tinker v. Des Moines School District [1969], New Jersey v. TLO [1985])
  • [New York] 3C.5b - Work cooperatively with others to plan, implement, and evaluate a civic capstone project that addresses a social injustice identified in the local or global community.
  • [New York] 11.5.b.1 - Students will trace reform efforts by individuals and the consequences of those efforts, including: (a) Jane Addams and Hull House (b) Jacob Riis' How the Other Half Lives (c) New York Governor Theodore Roosevelt and the Tenement Reform Commission (d) Upton Sinclair's The Jungle and the Meat Inspection Act (e) Margaret Sanger and birth control (f) Ida Tarbell's The History of the Standard Oil Company (g) Ida Wells and her writings about lynching of African Americans (h) Booker T. Washington's contributions to education, including the creation of Tuskegee Institute (i) W. E. B. Du Bois and the founding of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), the publication of The Crisis, and the Silent Protest (1917)
  • [New York] 11.5.b - Rapid industrialization and urbanization created significant challenges and societal problems that were addressed by a variety of reform efforts.

Competencies

  • Reflective and Future Focused - Engages in self-reflection to identify strengths and areas for growth, sets meaningful goals, uses social awareness to maintain supportive relationships, and demonstrates responsible decision-making that prioritizes social, emotional, and mental well-being.
  • Academically Prepared - Demonstrates a strong foundation in the New York State learning standards and is equipped with the knowledge and skills necessary to achieve success in college, careers, civic engagement, service, and life.
  • Critical Thinker - Analyzes information thoughtfully, evaluates evidence critically, and identifies patterns and connections between different pieces of information (across multiple content areas) to address complex issues and navigate the world with insight.
  • Global Citizen - Acts responsibly and ethically within local, global, and digital communities, employing civic knowledge, skills, and mindsets to promote global sustainability and contribute positively to a culturally diverse, democratic society.
  • Creative Innovator - Utilizes imagination, curiosity, and flexible thinking to solve problems creatively, and develop new ideas and products, while adapting to evolving circumstances and challenges.
  • Effective Communicator - Articulates ideas clearly and confidently through speaking, writing, and the use of different types of media for various purposes, while engaging with diverse audiences and actively listening to different perspectives.

Learning Partners and Clients

Black Youth Project 100 (BYP100) will serve as the primary client, identifying a real challenge in sustaining coordinated youth organizing across New York City neighborhoods and providing feedback during prototype testing. Students will collaborate with BYP100 to research the need, develop a historically grounded field guide, and refine it for practical use. They will then present the prototype and handoff report to The People’s Forum’s Hidden Histories of Rebellion in the United States series for feedback on historical grounding, usefulness, and next steps.

Phase Overview

Phase Key Experiences
Discover
I can act as a community engagement specialist in a neighborhood-network simulation and BYP100 organizer briefing to identify root causes of challenges in sustaining trust, communication, safety, coordinated action, and momentum across New York City neighborhoods.
Examine
I can work as an archive researcher to evaluate primary and secondary sources about maroon communities, abolitionism, the Underground Railroad, self-emancipation, and Black political organizing. I can compare how the NAACP, SCLC, SNCC, Fannie Lou Hamer, Martin Luther King Jr., Stokely Carmichael, and Malcolm X organized networks, shared information, coordinated action, and managed risks. I can trace the goals, methods, effects, successes, and limitations of Black resistance and another twentieth-century reform movement. I can act as a curriculum designer to translate evidence-based historical principles into accurate case examples and planning prompts without treating past and present conditions as interchangeable.
Engineer
I can develop an accessible digital or print field guide for BYP100 and a public-facing prototype and brief handoff report for the Center for Urban Pedagogy and The People’s Forum, using historical cases, planning prompts, and reflection questions to support youth organizing across neighborhoods.
Do
I can facilitate a scenario-based planning session with BYP100 organizers, safeguard participants and sensitive information, collect data on the field guide’s usefulness, clarity, accessibility, historical accuracy, and ethical design, and use the findings to assess its effectiveness and recommend refinements.
Share
I can share the field guide, handoff recommendations, learning journey, and what I learned about my strengths and growth through an interactive session in The People’s Forum’s Hidden Histories of Rebellion series with BYP100 organizers, civic-design partners, peers, families, and community members.