For many years scholars have recognized that late nineteenth-century Durham, North Carolina makes an ideal case study for examining emancipation, industrialization, immigration, and urbanization in the context of the New South. "With its tobacco factories, textile mills, black entrepreneurs, and new college," the historian Syd Nathans observes, "Durham was a hub of enterprise and hope." By the early twentieth century, Durham became renowned for its vibrant entrepreneurial spirit. Both W.E.B. Du Bois and Booker T. Washington wrote articles for the national press about their visits with members of Durham's African-American community. After his visit in 1910, Booker T. Washington dubbed Durham the "City of Negro Enterprises." The Digital Durham website offers students, teachers, and researchers a range of primary sources with which they can investigate the economic, social, cultural, and political history of a post-bellum southern community. Letters from mothers to daughters, parents to children, and husbands and wives give insight into the domestic lives of some of Durham's elite citizens. Entries from Atlas Rigsbee's general store ledger together with data from the 1880 census provide a view into the social experience of those Durham citizens who have not left written documents. Taken together the new materials on Digital Durham touch on over 600 topics including African American business enterprise, the emergence of textiles, tobacco production and marketing, child labor, prohibition, evangelical revivalism, nineteenth-century medical practices, women's experience of childbirth, and public and private education. The holdings of the website provide access to a wide range of manuscript and printed materials from the 1870s through the 1920s. The site also features a new collection of maps that depict Durham from the late 1860s to the present day. Digital Durham offers its users a selection of manuscript letters taken from the Southgate-Jones family papers and James Southgate papers, accounts from Atlas M. Rigsbee's general store ledger, photographs, ephemera, census data, printed works as well as a rich collection of maps. The site also includes audio postcards created by Duke students in an undergraduate research seminar on the history of Durham and the New South. Additionally, the site includes resources for K-12 educators--a reference section with glossary of terms used in the 1880 census and lesson plans that tie to the North Carolina Standard Course of Study.

In collaboration with two multi-ethnic Filipino families and the Smithsonian Institute Asian Pacific American Center (APAC), resource creators have developed zines that present a personal history of how these families lived in Washington State through oral histories, family trees, interviews, family photographs, and a celebrated family recipe. The zines begin a conversation of how these families' histories connect with larger conversations of identity and belonging — a groundbreaking K-12 curriculum resource on Filipino American history.

Through a study of Langston Hughes' poetry, students connect his writing to his place in history.

What is needed to end mass incarceration and permanently eliminate racial caste in the United States? Legal and policy solutions alone are not enough to dismantle racial caste because the methods of racial control within this system are “legal” and rarely appear as outwardly discriminatory. A social movement that confronts the role of race and cultivates an ethic of care must form or else a new racial caste system will emerge in the future.

Diversity and Multiculturalism

Short Description:
In this course in addition to culture, we will learn about norms, values, systems of beliefs, social interaction, verbal and non-verbal communication, race and ethnicity, sex, sexual orientation and gender, technology and culture, cultural universalism and relativism and how these affect our shared or distinct day to day cultural practices and social interaction in our various communities. Students will share their day-to-day social interactions, travels, and cross - cultural experiences in and around New York City.

Long Description:
The fundamental knowledge of understanding culture and teaching from diverse backgrounds. Examination of the nature and function of culture, development of individual and group cultural identity, definitions and implications of diversity, and the influences of culture on learning, development, and pedagogy. This course has a required field experience component – an ethnographic survey of diverse cultures and groups in New York City.

At the end of this course, students will work on an assignment on eliminating biases, prejudice, racism, discrimination on gender, sexual, cultural, religious, disabilities, and aging. They will provide recommendations, suggestions and solutions on how to promote diversity, inclusion, equity, cross-cultural understanding and include anti – racist activities in schools and in our communities. The assignment will be based on student experiences or observations as a minority or majority living in the US. In addition, students will provide critical thinking analysis on case study scenarios on issues in cultural diversity and multi -culturalism as they relate to the individual and society.

This course has been designated as an OER / COIL / ZTC . The instructor will provide the learning materials and will collaborate with a faculty at the Institute for Cultural Studies at the Obafemi Awolowo University [OAU], Nigeria in providing additional learning resources on “living in complex societies”. A list of recommended texts have been provided for students wishing to obtain them for their personal libraries and research.

Please see the Note/Disclaimer page for book content info.

Word Count: 140711

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How do you ensure students get the most out of black history and Black History Month? Here are some suggestions.

Short Description:
Today, First Nations peoples living in Yukon, Canada are reviving and practicing their cultural traditions in exciting ways. At the same time, there has been an influx of newcomers to the territory who want to learn more about Yukon's Indigenous peoples and their cultures. With hundreds of references for those wanting to delve deeper into particular topics, ECHO is a handbook that provides the most current research pertaining to Yukon First Nations peoples. Topics include archaeology, ethnology, and lifeways, relationships with newcomers (in the past and currently), the arts, and modern-day land claims. The volume also includes interviews with research collaborators who discuss the importance of community-based research. Castillo, Schreyer, and Southwick's solidly researched handbook serves as an important tool, both for teachers and students, seeking accurate information pertaining to the Indigenous cultures of Yukon.

Long Description:
Recently, Yukon, Canada has experienced huge growth in First Nations cultural revival as well as an influx of newcomers brought on by the growth of the education, industrial and tourism sectors, who are also interested in learning about Yukon First Nations peoples and their cultures. The need for academic teaching materials that can educate adult learners about Indigenous peoples of the Yukon has resulted in the publication of this handbook. ECHO is meant as a teaching tool that provides the most current research pertaining to Yukon First Nations peoples on topics such as archaeology, ethnology and traditional lifeways, and relationships with newcomers (in the past and currently), as well as the arts. With a focus on topics that are relevant to students learning about Yukon Indigenous peoples history and culture, such as collaborative research with anthropologists, the history of the Yukon, and, most importantly, an overview of the modern-day land claims movement. Although generalized material on Yukon First Nations is provided within other publications, these are primarily out-of-date and out-of-print books. Castillo, Schreyer, and Southwick’s solidly researched ECHO: Ethnographic, Cultural, and Historical Overview of Yukon’s First Peoples will serve as an important tool, both for teachers and students, seeking accurate information pertaining to Indigenous cultures of the Yukon.

Word Count: 62227

ISBN: 978-1-988804-32-3

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Word Count: 99249

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Not everyone can be great, but greatness can come from anywhere.

It's a wonderful sentiment, but becoming less and less true. We know the rich get richer and poor poorer, or at least perceive it through media, as well as in a middle class with a lot of internet access but not a lot of direction upward. In this unit we will try and prove that greatness can still come from anywhere. Where does inequality come from? What should we focus on most in order to right the ship in our lifetimes, so that our children benefit? It is important for young people to understand income inequality as a discipline, as a subject to study, as important and relevant to and in their math and English and Social Studies classes. Citing work from prominent economists like Anthony Atkinson and Raj Chetty, this unit simultaneously provides a foundational study of income inequality while arguing for increased equality of outcome for American students through their college graduation.

El chupacabra is an urban legend sourced from Puerto Rico that has been rumored to roam the island since the 1970s. But upon further inspection of these legends, where does el chupacabra actually come from? When was he first conceived in the Puerto Rican cultural imaginary? This audio short examines the lore of el chupacabra and interprets its symbolism amidst a fraught historical narrative.

Written & edited by May Santiago
Audio recordings & sound design by May Santiago

Opening audio is “Goatsucker” by The Killers, courtesy of Gordy, The Victims Fanclub & Island Records.
Bomba audio in Loíza, Puerto Rico from April 27, 2021 courtesy of Taino Vision LLC.
Archival audio of Madelyne Tolentino’s interview with Carmen Jovet courtesy of Borinken TV.

In this history lesson, students learn about the ingenuity and entrepreneurial spirit of Elijah McCoy, a prolific inventor who held 57 patents, mostly on designs related to locomotives. Born in Canada and educated in Scotland, he spent most of his professional life in and around Detroit, Michigan, working in the railroad industry while also continuing to produce new inventions. The son of escaped slaves, McCoy overcame early discrimination to become an internationally respected authority in his field. By the time of his death, McCoy was widely celebrated by his contemporaries as a leader and model for Black America in the first generation after Emancipation. This lesson asks students to consider how McCoy’s life experiences led him create such important innovations and ask why his inventions were so highly valued by manufacturers and consumers. The Woodson Center's Black History and Excellence curriculum is based on the Woodson Principles and tells the stories of Black Americans whose tenacity and resilience enabled them to overcome adversity and make invaluable contributions to our country. It also teaches character and decision-making skills that equip students to take charge of their futures. These lessons in Black American excellence are free and publicly available for all.

This unit was developed for middle school students but may be adapted for elementary or high school students. The unit is focused on language arts, social emotional and behavioral standards. The activities and lessons included in this unit explore themes of identity. Using multicultural children’s literature, this unit will encourage participants to have honest and courageous conversations regarding race, culture, and socio economic identity. The activities in this unit have been created to boost a sense of belonging and acceptance by breaking down stereotypes in order to build a positive school community. The unit includes hands on activities and celebrates individual as well as group identities.

The time frame for this unit is nine weeks. Included in this unit are lesson plans and reading lists for teachers and students. Different hands-on activities are also recommended.

Word Count: 20993

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Environmental Design, House Music, and Queer Kinship defines environmental design then defines kinship as a familial relationship that is outside of the traditional family structure. Queer kinship is a practice and formation that is primarily a survival and care work framework. The short discusses the many Black LGBTQ owned bars and lounges that have been shuttered over the years and the implications of legislation on Black LGBTQ public culture.

The house music was a generous gift from DJ Boomer’s playlist, “Keep This Fire Burning.”

The course is structured in theme-based quarters; each quarter targets a mode of writing (argumentative, persuasive, analytical) paired with a thematic unit of study. No texts are mandated, but texts are suggested to align with each theme. Though teachers have the flexibility to teach texts that they believe will best engage and push their students to a deeper understanding of the targeted standards, I became more and more aware of a lack of depth to the curriculum’s nature writing unit.

The district-endorsed unit, titled “Self and Nature: Exploring Human Relationships with Nature” recommends texts that are familiar to many English teachers as the canon of American transcendentalism, the 19th-century literary and philosophical movement advocating for the unity of nature, the divine, and humanity. Some suggestions outside of that realm are recommended (Rachel Carson, Jack London, Jon Krakauer), but even these more modern suggestions do very little to tell a more accurate and complete story of human’s place in the environment.

Short Description:
A collection of essays originally published on Mujeres Talk and Latinx Talk that includes essential Latinx ideas, perspectives, and practices to promote environmental sustainability written by a variety of researchers, writers, and poets.

Long Description:
A collection of essays originally published on Mujeres Talk and Latinx Talk that includes essential Latinx ideas, perspectives, and practices to promote environmental sustainability written by a variety of researchers, writers, and poets.

Word Count: 14109

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This video offers a summary and analysis of the main themes in the Epic of Gilgamesh. The world’s first recorded epic poem, from Mesopotamia, explores important questions: can humans defy aging and conquer death?

A Shared Lexicon of Equity Terms, Research, Experiences, and Resources

Word Count: 46414

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My Implementation goals
Provide OER resources for course
Share OER resources for ethical activities, assessments, and outcome attainment
Empower students by implementing both universal design and culturally responsive methods, strategies, and resources to allow students to more fully engage in the topic of ethics in education and their own practice.

The following are the learning outcomes specific to this course:
Recognize, describe, and critique current ethical theories.
Recognize, describe, and apply current ethics practices and issues in education.
Evaluate ethical and professional issues relevant to the practitioner, scholar-practitioner, and scholar.

This outline serves as an Ethnic Studies Community Project assignment and could be implemented throughout the course. As this project will be carried out in the community, addressing a contemporary social problem within the discipline, it could be supplemented with the content of the course. Each section below takes about 1-2 weeks to complete. At the end of the semester, students should be able to present their group project describing their findings, conclusions, and experiences. This could also be used as a written assignment and/or presentation.