ACROSS GENERATIONS HOW TO USE A GUIDE TO TALKING ABOUT CIVIL AND HUMAN RIGHTS The Center for Civil and Human Rights was created with many audiences and age groups in mind. It takes an honest look at some events in our recent human history that future generations, including our children, can learn from. How? By teaching children to identify and prevent one group s attempts to violate another group s rights. Many school-aged children will be introduced to the topics presented inside The Center galleries by their classroom curriculum in late elementary school or middle school. However, all children know when something or someone is fair or not fair. This sense of justice puts young children in a great position for you to start introducing and reinforcing the concepts of empathy, tolerance, and responsibility. These ideas are central to later discussions about prejudice and discrimination. The activities featured, and the individuals celebrated, in Across Generations: A Guide to Talking About Civil and Human Rights emphasize the potential for anyone to be a hero and the power that people have when they work together for the common good. The themes of belonging, acknowledging and appreciating differences, and identifying injustices are appropriate for children of all ages. The discussion questions and reflection activity will also help you encourage learning from your own personal past. We hope you will take advantage of this Guide to help empower 1
the next generation with the knowledge that they, too, can make a difference. Encourage them to speak up when others cannot speak for themselves. Use your trip to The Center as a springboard for important conversations about respecting other people and expecting other people to respect them, too. We welcome you and yours to the Center for Civil and Human Rights. Inspiration lives here. IN THE ACROSS GENERATIONS GUIDE YOU WILL FIND Welcome!: A letter of introduction for kids Did You Know?: Civil Disobedience An introduction to the concept of civil disobedience along with brief biographies of Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, Jr. Key People and Events: Who is a Hero? Ten ordinary people featured in The Center who became heroes in extraordinary circumstances, ranging from a six-year-old girl and a math teacher to an author Discussion and Reflection Activity: What Would You Do? Three scenarios involving young people, included in The Center, that ask you to put yourself in the shoes of someone from a different time or place and encourage cross-generational discussions Crossword: The ABCs of Civil Rights A puzzle that identifies some of the acronyms for civil rights groups used frequently throughout The Center Word Search: Roles People Play in Human Rights A puzzle that introduces five ways people may help or hurt human rights 2
ANSWER KEYS Crossword: Down: 1. NAACP 2. WPC 3. SNCC; Across: 1. NCNW 2. MIA 3. SCLC 4. CORE Word Search: Over, Down Direction: BYSTANDER (11,4 S), ENABLER (7,4 SW), PERPETRATOR (1,12 E), UPSTANDER (1,1 SE), VICTIM (6,2 E) FOR YOUR INFORMATION: KEY VOCABULARY AND TERMS CIVIL RIGHTS: the right to full legal, economic, and social equality under the protection of a country s laws CONGRESS OF RACIAL EQUALITY (CORE): an important group in the American Civil Rights Movement that began in 1942; their work included integrating buses and helping African Americans register to vote in the South CRIMINAL: a person who breaks the law DEFEND: protect, keep safe DISCRIMINATION: denying people their civil rights or treating them unfairly based on the color of their skin or other traits such as religion, age, or gender DISOBEDIENCE: breaking laws or rules on purpose ENFORCED: making sure something happens 3
HUMAN RIGHTS: basic rights and abilities that every person has because they are human, including civil rights; a set of globally accepted standards that are the birthright of all people by virtue of their humanity and that do not change from country to country INDEPENDENCE: freedom from control by others MONTGOMERY IMPROVEMENT ASSOCIATION (MIA): an important group in the American Civil Rights Movement that was formed in 1955 and led by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to direct the boycott that ended segregated buses in Montgomery, AL NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF COLORED PEOPLE (NAACP): an important African American Civil Rights group that began in 1909 and helped lead the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s; their legal teams helped bring lawsuits that ended segregation; the term colored was once a name used to describe African American people NATIONAL COUNCIL OF NEGRO WOMEN (NCNW): a group that began in 1935 to improve life for African American women, their families, and their communities; during the American Civil Rights Movement, they helped organize the 1963 March on Washington under the leadership of Dorothy Height; the term negro was once a name used to describe African American people NONVIOLENCE: protesting by using peaceful ways such as boycotts, marches, and sit-ins PROTECTED: kept safe 4
PROTEST: oppose or disagree with something RACISM: treating people unfairly because of their race or the color of their skin; believing your own race or skin color is better than others SEGREGATION: separating or isolating a group of people; before the American Civil Rights Movement, white people in the South often used laws called Jim Crow laws to enforce segregation by race SOUTHERN CHRISTIAN LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE (SCLC): an important group in the American Civil Rights Movement, founded in 1957 and first led by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.; they became one of the leading civil rights groups using boycotts and other nonviolent forms of protest STUDENT NONVIOLENT COORDINATING COMMITTEE (SNCC): an important group in the American Civil Rights Movement first organized by college students; they led many boycotts, sit-ins, and voter registration drives VIOLENCE: rough or dangerous treatment WOMEN S POLITICAL COUNCIL (WPC): an important group in the American Civil Rights Movement that helped lead the bus boycott in Montgomery, AL, in 1955 after Rosa Parks was arrested 5
BOOK CLUB: RECOMMENDED READING The books in this Recommended Reading list are divided into three categories: Civil Rights, Human Rights, and Diversity, Empathy, and Peace. The content and reading levels are appropriate for children in pre-kindergarten through 3rd grade, or ages four through eight. All of the books are nonfiction or based on a true story, including biographies and autobiographies. Historical fiction is also an excellent way to introduce some of the more complex themes presented in the Center for Civil and Human Rights. Use this list as a starting place to introduce your young readers to the themes and events you encounter during your visit to The Center. Check your local library for these titles! CIVIL RIGHTS Bridges, Ruby. Ruby Bridges Goes to School: My True Story (Scholastic Reader, Level 2). Cartwheel Books, 2009 Brown, Monica. Side by Side/Lado a Lado: The Story of Dolores Huerta and Cesar Chavez/La Historia de Dolores Huerta y Cesar Chavez. Rayo, 2010 Coles, Robert. The Story of Ruby Bridges. Scholastic Paperbacks, 2010 Evans, Shane W. We March. Roaring Book Press, 2012 Haskins, Jim. Delivering Justice: W.W. Law and the Fight for Civil Rights. Candlewick, 2008 King, Jr., Martin Luther. I Have a Dream. Schwartz & Wade, 2012 Levy, Debbie. We Shall Overcome: The Story of a Song. Jump At The Sun, 2013 6
Lewis, J. Patrick. When Thunder Comes: Poems for Civil Rights Leaders. Chronicle Book, 2012 Pinkney, Andrea Davis. Martin & Mahalia: His Words, Her Song. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2013 Shelton, Paula Young. Child of the Civil Rights Movement. Junior Library Guild Selection, 2009 Rappaport, Doreen. Martin s Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Hyperion Book CH, 2007 Ringgold, Faith. If a Bus Could Talk: The Story of Rosa Parks. Reading Rainbow Book, 2003 HUMAN RIGHTS Amnesty International. We Are All Born Free: The Universal Declaration of Human Rights in Pictures. Frances Lincoln Children s Books, 2008 Castle, Caroline, adapter. For Every Child. Phyllis Fogelman Books, 2001 Do, Anh. Little Refugee. Allen & Unwin, 2011 Gandhi, Arun & Bethany Hegedus. Grandfather Gandhi. Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2014 Landowne, Youme. Mali Under the Night Sky: A Lao Story of Home. Cinco Puntos Press, 2010 Napoli, Donna Jo. Mama Miti: Wangari Maathai and the Trees of Kenya. Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books, 2010 7
Oelschlager, Vanita. I Came From the Water: One Haitian Boy s Incredible Tale of Survival. Vanita Books, 2012 Serres, Alain. I Have the Right to be a Child. Groundwood Books, 2012 Weiss, Ellen. Mother Teresa: A Life of Kindness. Bellwether Media, 2007 DIVERSITY, EMPATHY, & PEACE Gainer, Cindy. I m Like You, You re Like Me: A Book About Understanding and Appreciating Each Other. Free Spirit Publishing, 2013 Gilley, Jeremy. Peace One Day. Putnam Juvenile, 2005 Hines, Anna Grossnickle. Peaceful Pieces: Poems and Quilts About Peace. Henry Holt and Co., 2011 Hoberman, Mary Ann. My Song is Beautiful. Little, Brown Young Readers, 2009 Katz, Karen. Can You Say Peace? Henry Holt and Co., 2006 Kerley, Barbara. One World, One Day. National Geographic Children s Book, 2009 Kissinger, Katie. All the Colors We Are/Todos los colores de nuestra piel: The Story of How We Get Our Skin Color/La historia de por qué tenemos diferentes colores de piel. Redleaf Press, 2014 Rotner, Shelley & Sheila M. Kelly. Shades of People. Holiday House, 2010 Stella, Pilar. Seeking Serenity. Morgan James Publishing, 2008 8
2014 The Center for Civil and Human Rights All rights reserved. Except for educational fair use, no portion of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other without explicit prior permission. Multiple copies may only be made by or for the teacher for educational use. The Center: http://www.civilandhumanrights.org Content created by TurnKey Education, Inc., for The National Center of Civil and Human Rights, Inc. TurnKey Education, Inc.: www.turnkeyeducation.net 9