Session 8: How Have Movements Acted for Change?  

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this session participants:

• will have explored the history of violence and non-violence in racial justice movements
• will have examined current movements, as well as the tactics and goals they have

Suggested Agenda

• :00 Collective Agreements Review, Grounding/Breathing Activity
• :05 Watch “How Can we Win?” Ask youth to jot down what phrases or concepts stand out for them. Do a “waterfall” in the chat box where youth all have to chat in a phrase or reaction at the same time
  Additional questions might include:
  • In civil unrest, how does KJ distinguish between protesting, rioting and looting?
  • Why does she say the system is rigged?
  • How do we repair the social contract she discusses? (include Trevor Noah clip)
    • Talk about the statement “They are lucky that what Black people are looking for is equality and not revenge”
      Include Statistics about police violence against BIPOC
• :40 Explore different ways in which you can “Act for Change”, create breakout rooms based on the following tactics. What tactics does this group use? Where are they limited?
  • Education
  • Art/Film
  • Divestment
  • Civil Disobedience
  • Occupation (Poor People’s Campaign, Occupy Wall Street)
  • Lobbying
  • Government

• 1:00 Final Showcase Work Groups
• 1:25     Integrative Closing: (PO3)
  • I liked
  • I wish
  • I wonder

Facilitator’s Section

Youth Advisory Notes

It is important to set up the Video clip with a trigger warning and a disclaimer (not agreeing with everything Kimberly Jones says, nor condoning violence, but what Kimberly Jones has to say is raw, clearly explained, and powerful). Video clip should only be shown to a relatively mature group of teens. Also, although this version is a “clean edit”, curse words do slip through.

Additional Resources

• Additional context for Kimberly Jones video, depending on prior knowledge base of the group
  • Tulsa, Oklahoma was at one point considered the Black Wall Street given the amount of economic development and wealth health by Black Americans. It was later destroyed by series of horrendous and racially driven attacks of home grown terrorism.
  • The Rosewood massacre was a racially motivated massacre of black people and destruction of a black town that took place during the first week of January 1923 in rural Levy County, Florida.
• Just in Time Equity Dialogue #6 Why do people riot to get their point across? Understanding Civil Unrest” by Dr Michelle Cox, University of Illinois Extension.
• “You Ask Me About Violence” by Angela Davis. California State Prison. 1972. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/S5vB3AjIk88 on May 18th 2021.