Plainest Demands Of Justice

“It is better to build strong children than to repair broken men.” – Frederick Douglass

Are you looking for a resource that helps you build strong children? Explore our Plainest Demands of Justice resource! It explores the effort to realize America’s Founding principles of liberty, equality, and justice through the lens of key periods in African-American history. For a BRI staff reflection on the resource, check out Mary Patterson's recent blog post. She shares what the resource means to her and what she hopes it means for educators and students across the country who start to explore it's deep themes.

The resource highlights current and former historical figures whose goal was a greater realization of the principles outlined in the Declaration of Independence. The lessons offered take students on a journey of creating a society founded on principles that began in the colonial era and continue today.

For easy access, we have created era specific playlists for each lesson: Lesson 1; Lesson 2; Lesson 3; Lesson 4; Lesson 5, Lesson 6.

YouTube Videos Spotlight

How did Black intellectuals like Ralph Ellison, Anna Julia Cooper, and Frederick Douglass contribute to understanding the African-American experience in America? How did they also advance the Founding ideals of equality, justice, and liberty during the struggle for civil rights?

In this special playlist, BRI’s Senior Teaching Fellow Tony Williams is joined by scholars like Lucas Morel, Robert J. Norrell, and Anika Prather to discuss how those intellectuals and others like Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois contributed to the cause for civil rights.

Ask Your Students To Think The Vote!

Our latest Think The Vote question looks at Florida and Texas, which passed laws that restrict social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter from removing content from their platform.

Opponents of the law sued, arguing the law violated the First Amendment rights of social media companies. The Supreme Court recently agreed to hear the case.

So should social media platforms have the power to remove content from their platforms? Students can share their thoughts on this Think The Vote question until Wednesday, Nov. 22.

Apply for the 2023-24 Student Fellowship Program!

There is still time to apply for the Bill of Rights Institute 2023-24 Student Fellowship program! This is open to students who are 15-18 years of age and are high school juniors or seniors (or equivalent). The Student Fellowship offers robust programming throughout the school year and includes meeting as a group twice a month, and it culminates with a trip to the Washington, D.C. area.

The 90-minute, twice-monthly group meetings include a short reading, discussion, and writing assignment on why civil society is important in America. Visit this page for more information and to sign up. Applications for the 2023-24 Student Fellowship program are due on Friday, Dec. 1.

Educator Spotlight

Meet Marla James!

While most 10-year-olds spend their free time playing video games or scrolling on their phones, Marla James laid the groundwork for her future career path.

“I set up a mock classroom in the basement of my parents’ home by the age of 10, and I played ‘teacher’ with old books my instructors were giving away at the end of the school year,” Marla said....Read More

BOE: Bottom of Email

Dear John

Happy Election Day! Across the nation today and this week, Americans will exercise an important civic duty. As an educator, we know you are working every day to prepare your students as they approach 18 to be ready to cast their votes.

That is why we have created our Think The Vote platform. It's goal is to connect students with resources to think critically about the issues going on around them. Participating in the bi-weekly debate will equip your students with skills and information to engage in healthy civil discourse with their fellow citizens.

Every other week, BRI poses a current events question and asks students to offer an informed "yes" or "no" answer. And, the best answer on each side of the debate wins a prize! Our latest question looks at Florida and Texas, which passed laws restricting social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter from removing content from their platform.

Get your student to join the discussion this week!

Warmly,

Laura Vlk
Director, Educator Engagement
Bill of Rights Institute

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