Reflecting on Eyes on the Prize readings (week of 3/6/09)

Eyes on the Prize New PA Call
My Pre-Call Notes

1) What seems familiar? What does it remind you of?
Text-to-Text/Text-to-Multimedia Connections
• White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack
• Without Sanctuary (book & exhibit)
• 4 Little Girls (film)
• The writings of Black authors, artists & writers who left America
• Miseducation of the Negro
• Various sociological studies of the “slave mentality”, the nature of master-slave relations, the rule of a few over many & their effects on contemporary race relations
• Willie Lynch Letter

Text-to-World Connections
• “Think globally, act locally”
• “Am I my brother’s keeper?”
• “Thou shalt not kill”
• UDHR – human rights vs. civil rights
• Police dept relations in the Black community
• 1960’s discriminatory practices leading into the present
• Black-Jewish relations in America
• How does racism affect the perpetrator?
o Uncle Tom’s Cabin
o Other Black history oriented readings

Text-to-Self Connections
• Murder of my cousin by B’ham police (1990’s)
• History of racial violence against family & neighbors in AL
• My own emotional reaction to my visit to 16th street Baptist Church
• My visit to UGRR sites in US & Canada, specifically my emotional reactions to standing on Detroit side & Windsor side


2) What was surprising?
• That the perspectives of White civil rights workers or leaders were included in the guide
• That Morgan would leave the South

3) What do I want to know more about?
• The families mentioned in both reading. What became of them & their communities?

4) How would I use these documents in a session?

Together, in a C.R. session: split group in half with each reading one, watch the Eyes clip and then coming back to discuss some essential questions (like the ones Jennifer posed). This could also be used with CILR unit.
What is the prize & who is it for?
How did segregation manifest itself in daily life?
How did segregation influence all Americans?

In a non-civil rights session: they could be used as split group reading related to various topics (like the ones listed below). They can be used with the Eyes sections – “Keys to the Kingdom” & “Back to the Movement”
Police-community relations
Race relations in America, in general
Black-Jewish relations
Responses to racism, violence & discrimination

Scope & Sequence connections
Indiv & society: How does your identity determine your active, proactive and/or inactive participation in society?

We & They: How does your membership or acceptance in a society affect your ability to exercise your civil and/or human rights in that society?

Historical case study: How do these fit in our larger understanding of the Civil Rights Movement? How has the CRM influenced other movements or groups in America, like the Black Arts Movement, Chicano movement, Black Power Movement, Feminist Movement?

Memory/legacy/justice: How does the legacy of violence & the CRM affect Birmingham today? How does the legacy of the CRM affect race relations? How can/do you connect to the CRM?

CTP: How do each of these men choose to participate? Are they upstanders, resisters, rescuers and/or all of the above? How would/could/do you respond to racism, violence and discrimination?