The lessons in this unit explore oral history narratives from the men, women, and children working in California’s fields who grow and harvest the food many Americans eat every day.
The lessons reflect an Ethnic Studies framework and invite teachers and students to form a nuanced, empathy-based understanding of the issues facing Puerto Ricans today, and the social, cultural, and historical forces that inform their experiences.
While confronting the impacts of immigration policies and harsh realities of the day-to-day experiences of youth refugees, these lessons also highlight the role of hope, community, and resilience. The lessons are culturally relevant for students who have experienced migration, as well as students encountering these issues for the first time.
These lessons use the powerful narratives from Six by Ten: Stories from Solitary to support teachers and students in forming a deeper understanding of solitary confinement, mass incarceration, and the criminal justice system.
Using the powerful oral histories, these multidisciplinary lessons invite students to grapple with such topics as colonialism, poverty, government corruption, and the 2010 earthquake.