Students Define Economic Justice

 

DCAESJ working group member and Prince George's County Public Schools high school teacher Amber Bennett Foote shared the lesson her students are engaged in for Black Lives Matter at School Week of Action.

My classes this year focus on the Black Lives Matter at School principle of being "unapologetically Black" and particularly the idea of loving and desiring freedom and justice for ourselves. 

Students were surprised to learn about Dr. Martin Luther King’s commitment to economic justice. Going beyond “I have a dream,” I introduced his work on the Poor People’s Campaign and with the Sanitation Workers’ Strike in Memphis, Tennessee. 

Students saw "Resurrection City" as a bold demonstration to push congress to prioritize eliminating poverty. We compared Dr. King's speech to the Second Bill of Rights or the Economic Bill of Rights as proposed by Franklin Delano Roosevelt. 

We closed out this unit by having the students facilitate a Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) styled seminar. Borrowing from SNCCs determination to have a voice, we decided that every student has the attention of the circle for one minute and if they choose not to speak, we will all observe 30 seconds of silence AND encouragement for the "voice we hope to emerge." 

I asked two questions of the students after my presentation: 

1) What is economic injustice to you?

  • Some responses:

    • Spending more than you make on basic human rights and needs.

    • Not being able to afford a house, three meals a day, and other basic human necessities with one full-time job.

    • Having to live next to a polluted river because you are not being paid enough to live elsewhere.

2) In a humanitarian world with economic justice for all . . . ( something you would experience, witness or observe)

  • Some responses:

    • Everyone is able to live a good life no matter who their parents are, no matter what job they have, and no matter what they look like.

    • People would be able to know their family instead of working all the time. 

Bennett Foote was a presenter at the 2024 DC Area Black Lives Matter at School Curriculum Fair. 

 
Black Lives Matter at School, Teaching StoriesMykella PalmerSY23, MD, Unapologetically Black