Students will launch the inquiry by examining excerpts from Letter from Birmingham Jail, mental health disparity data, and current headlines to surface initial claims about how injustice affects psychological well-being. They will practice evidence-based discussion, evaluate persuasive impact and credibility, and leave the phase with a first-position response and a weekly exit ticket that connects MLK’s ideas to a contemporary example.

Students will closely read key sections of *Letter from Birmingham Jail*, test competing interpretations about how injustice affects psychological well-being, and draft a one-page position statement grounded in at least two MLK-based claims and initial textual evidence they will later verify, challenge, and refine with mental health research.

Students will investigate literary, research, and current-event sources to test their developing position, sort evidence into support and challenge categories, evaluate credibility, and build an evidence chart that prepares them to write a stronger argument with counterargument and rebuttal.

Students will strengthen an evidence-based argument by refining warrants, integrating quotations and data with polished citations, testing their claims against counterarguments, revising through peer critique, and defending a multimedia case study in a live Q&A before capturing how their thinking became more precise.

Students will present their final evidence-based argument essay highlights and multimedia case study to an authentic audience at Justice in Focus Night, then document how feedback and reflection show growth in their understanding of how systemic racism affects psychological well-being.