Teaching about Immigration and Organizing
Below are books and videos on immigration and organizing, links to fact sheets on student walk outs/protests, and links to pro-bono legal aid.
Immigration
The No Human Is Illegal Resource Guide: An Educator's Guide for Addressing Immigration in the ClassroomBy NYCORE
Helps educators to take on the important issues that teachers and students have been tackling in their activism INSIDE the classroom.
The Line Between Us: Teaching About the Border and Mexican Immigration
By Bill Bigelow
book 2006 160 pp
The Line Between Us explores the history of U.S-Mexican relations and the roots of Mexican immigration, all in the context of the global economy. The Line Between Us is a timely new book by Rethinking Schools, featuring interactive lessons on the history of the border, life on the border, and more. One of the best resources for providing students the background and "people's stories" regarding the current debates about immigration.
Uprooted: Refugees of the Global Economy. How does globalization disrupt poor societies and create economic refugees? video (Middle School-Adults) 2001 28 min.
Uprooted tells the stories of three immigrants to the United States from Bolivia, Haiti and the Philippines. Each story reveals the way in which global institutions like the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, as well as multinational corporations, erode people's capacity to survive in their home countries. A great film for explaining why immigrants come to the United States, and the role of the United States in creating the conditions which lead to that decision.
Viva La Causa: 500 Years of Chicano History
Video 1995 60min
Viva la Causa! 500 Years of Chicano History, a 2 part educational video in English, offers a compelling introduction to the history of Mexican Americans -- including the student walkouts during the 1960s.
Ultimate Field Guide to the U.S. Economy: A Compact and Irreverent Guide to Economic Life in America
By Nancy Folbre and CPE
book 2000 224 pp
Numbers, charts, stories and cartoons on all aspects of the U.S. economy, including a chapter on the Global Economy which features sections on unemployment in other countries, cross border-conglomerates, cheap labor and imports, and more! Each page can be read and discussed by students from grades 2-12.
Death on a Friendly Border
By Rachel Antell
Video 2000 26 min
The border that runs between Tijuana and San Diego is the most heavily militarized border between "friendly" countries anywhere in the world. Since 1994 when the U.S. instituted Operation Gatekeeper, an average of one person a day has died crossing into the U.S. The policy has been condemned by the UN Commissioner of Human Rights, Human Rights Watch and Amnesty Interantional. This poignant film puts a human face on a tragedy that occurs daily.
Caribbean Connections Series: Haiti, Jamaica, Overview of Regional History, Puerto Rico, Dominican Republic and Moving North
set of 6 books
Highly acclaimed collections of fiction, nonfiction, oral histories, interviews, poetry, drama and songs on culture, politics, and the immigrant experience. For high school and college social studies, English, and Spanish classes. Sold individually or by the set of six.
Si, Se Puede! Yes We Can!
By Diana Cohn, Illustrated by Francisco Delgado, with an essay by Luis J. Rodriguez
book 2002 31 pp Hardback all ages
Every night, Carlitos sleeps while his mother goes to work as a janitor in a skyscraper in downtown Los Angeles. When she comes home in the morning, she sends Carlitos off to school before she goes to bed herself. One night his mama explains that she is not making enough money to support him and his abuelita. She and the other janitors have decided to go on strike to demand better wages. Carlitos wants to help, but he doesn't know how until...
ORGANIZING
Building a Race and Immigration Dialogue in the Global Economy: A Popular Education Resource for Immigrant & Refugee Community OrganizersBy E. Cho, F. Arguelles, M. Louie and S. Khokha
book 2004 287 pp
BRIDGE is a popular education resource of exercises and tools with eight workshop modules that include activities, discussion questions, fact sheets. Topics include: The History of Immigration 101; Migration, Globalization, and Workers’ Rights; Introduction to Race, Migration, and Multiple Oppressions; Migrant Rights are Human Rights; LGBT Rights and Immigrant Rights; Immigrant Women’s Leadership; and Migration, Race and Demographic Change.
CoMotion Guide to Youth-led Social Change
By Leigh Dingerson and Sarah Hay
spiral bound 1998 250 pp
Introduces young people to tools, skills, and strategies to work for change in their communities. This hands-on training manual includes how-to information on conducting research, campaign planning, organizing meetings, coalition and community building, making and meeting a budget, working with the media, and evaluation. The manual is infused with stories of young people making a difference in their community.
Sabemos y Podemos: Learning Social Action
By Rachel Martin and Alejandra Domenzain
spiral bound 1999 222 pp
Sabemos y Podemos challenges teachers to teach evaluation, composition, judgment, and other higher order thinking skills while using topics that are as socially meaningful as they are personally motivating. Although billed as a guide for adult education, it would work for all students with mid to upper levels of ESL proficiency as well.
Putting the Movement Back into Civil Rights Teaching
Edited by Deborah Menkart, Alana D. Murray, Jenice L. View
Book 2004 576pp ISBN: 1878554-18-2
This book provides lessons and articles on how to go beyond a heroes approach to teaching about the Civil Rights Movement with lessons that help students learn about the roles they can play in fighting injustice today. Included are interactive, interdisciplinary lessons, readings, writings, photographs, graphics and interviews. Co-published by Teaching for Change and the Poverty & Race Research Action Council (PRRAC). Foreword by Congressman John Lewis. Putting the Movement Back into Civil Rights Teaching was awarded the 2004 Philip C. Chinn Multicultural Book Award by the National Association for Multicultural Education (NAME).
Asian Americans: The Movement and the Moment
Edited by Steve Louie and Glenn K. Omatsu
Book 2001 350pp
Documents the rich, little-known history of Asian American social activism during the years 1965-2001. This book examines the period not only through personal accounts and historical analysis, but through the visual record-utilizing historical pictorial materials developed at UCLA's Asian American Studies Center on Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Filipino, and Vietnamese Americans.
Know Your Rights! (English)
Know Your Rights! (Spanish)
Know Your Rights: Student Protests and Walkouts
Fact Sheet by the American Civil Liberties Union
The National Lawyers Guild and other local legal organizations have established this web site in order to assist students, teachers and parents who have been affected by the recent student walk-outs in Los Angeles and the surrounding area. The site (in both English and Spanish) includes a know your rights fact sheet, a help line, a place to tell your story.
LEGAL SERVICES
American Civil Liberties Union
Provides legal representation free of charge to individuals and organizations in civil rights and civil liberties cases.
American Bar Association
Directory of Pro-Bono Programs
MORE RESOURCES ON IMMIGRATION
The below resources are available at Busboys and Poets Books in Washington, DC (operated by Teaching for Change) or your local independent bookseller.
Middle and High School
Behind the Mountains by Edwidge Danticat
Crossing the Wire by Will Hobbs
Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz
Young Children
Friends from the Other Side/Amigos del Otro Lado by Gloria Anzaldua
A Gift from Papa Diego/ Un Regalo de Papá Diego by Benjamin Alire Saenz
The Power in Our Hands: A Curriculum on the History of Work and Workers in the United States