Overview of Lesson:
Dr. Aja Denise Reynolds is a healer, activist, artist and educator. In the many roles she is positioned in, she is led by a Black feminist abolitionist spirit of care, collectivism and courage to confront systems of oppression. Currently, she is an Assistant Professor at Wayne State University. Aja’s research interests are inspired by her on-going relationships with Black girls to engage theories and practices in Black geography, education, youth development and social movements.
Author: Aja Denise Reynolds, PhD
Student Work
Lesson Plan
This lesson is to guide students in creating their own social justice lessons for their classroom while drawing on Detroit’s local Black history to show students the powerful history that is present in their community. Additionally, this lesson is to encourage them to engage archival resources and practices in their own classrooms as a way for students to learn to develop community archives to document histories, conceptualize counter- stories and concepts that are “missing” from mainstream archives. This is particularly important as urban renewal projects continue to erase the narratives of those who were here and then pushed out. Through this lesson, students will be able to map Rosa Parks social and political life as a light to other important people and institutions apart from Detroit’s rich Black history.
Library of Congress Resources:
- Church- https://www.loc.gov/resource/ppmsca.47410/
- BLVD https://www.loc.gov/item/2015649288/
- Belle Isle: https://www.loc.gov/item/2015647354/
- Beauty salon: https://www.loc.gov/item/2015647366/
Instruction for Task(s):
Instructions for Task(s): Students will be assigned to a group and each group must choose one of the photos as the starting point to mapping an aspect of Rosa Park’s life. Using the information available about the photo at the Library of Congress, they will then use the archives to find out more about the location, events and people in the program. After each group gathers this information, they will discuss with other groups to document how their findings are connected and then produce a digital map that marks them geographically, and provides additional links for information. Students can then use what they learn from this assignment to create their final social justice lesson assignment.
