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11th, 12th, High School Grades  Project 8 weeks

Roots to Routes: Black Resistance, Organizing, and Change

Sarah F
Updated
3C.5b
11.10.a
11.10.a.5
3C.5a
2D.5b
+ 11 more
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The Challenge

When you organize across NYC neighborhoods, you face barriers to trust and coordination, including differing local priorities, unequal resources, participant risks, and public backlash. These pressures can fragment youth-led Black liberation campaigns and other community movements, weaken sustained participation, and limit lasting change.

Challenge Question

How can we create a practical tool that helps organizers draw on Black resistance traditions to navigate challenges in organizing today?

Standards

  • [New York] 3C.5b - Work cooperatively with others to plan, implement, and evaluate a civic capstone project that addresses a social injustice identified in the local or global community.
  • [New York] 11.10.a - After World War II, long-term demands for equality by African Americans led to the civil rights movement. The efforts of individuals, groups, and institutions helped to redefine African American civil rights, though numerous issues remain unresolved.
  • [New York] 11.10.a.5 - Students will examine the role of groups such as the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), and Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) in the movement, their goals and strategies, and major contributions.
  • [New York] 3C.5a - Participate cooperatively with others to plan, implement, and evaluate civic capstone projects to meet identified school needs.
  • [New York] 2D.5b - Practice using negotiation skills to reach solutions that value identities, relationships, and promote social justice.
  • [New York] 2D.5a - Self-assess conflict-resolution skills and develop a plan to strengthen them.
  • [New York] 11.10.a.6 - Students will examine the roles and impact of individuals such as Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., Stokely Carmichael, Fannie Lou Hamer, and Malcolm X on the movement and their perspectives on change.
  • [New York] 2D.4a - Analyze how communication strategies help to navigate conflicts.
  • [New York] 3C.4b - Plan, implement, and evaluate their participation in service learning to build greater social justice within their local community.
  • [New York] 1C.5a - Identify personal and systemic resources to mitigate barriers to achieving goals, including those related to oppression, power, and privilege.

Competencies

  • Reflective and Future Focused - Engages in self-reflection to identify strengths and areas for growth, sets meaningful goals, uses social awareness to maintain supportive relationships, and demonstrates responsible decision-making that prioritizes social, emotional, and mental well-being.
  • Academically Prepared - Demonstrates a strong foundation in the New York State learning standards and is equipped with the knowledge and skills necessary to achieve success in college, careers, civic engagement, service, and life.
  • Global Citizen - Acts responsibly and ethically within local, global, and digital communities, employing civic knowledge, skills, and mindsets to promote global sustainability and contribute positively to a culturally diverse, democratic society.
  • Critical Thinker - Analyzes information thoughtfully, evaluates evidence critically, and identifies patterns and connections between different pieces of information (across multiple content areas) to address complex issues and navigate the world with insight.
  • Creative Innovator - Utilizes imagination, curiosity, and flexible thinking to solve problems creatively, and develop new ideas and products, while adapting to evolving circumstances and challenges.
  • Effective Communicator - Articulates ideas clearly and confidently through speaking, writing, and the use of different types of media for various purposes, while engaging with diverse audiences and actively listening to different perspectives.

Learning Partners and Clients

Black Youth Project 100 (BYP100) NYC will serve as the client, sharing needs and campaign examples related to youth organizers building trust, coordinating across neighborhoods, and responding to backlash. BYP100 organizers can review and test the strategy card deck for use in campaign planning and trainings; contact: byp100.org. The Malcolm X Grassroots Movement (MXGM) will serve as a practitioner partner, offering expertise in Black self-determination, organizing, and political education while reviewing the tool’s historical grounding and practical value; contact: freethelandmxgm.org.

Phase Overview

Phase Key Experiences
Discover
I can participate in a simulated BYP100 NYC campaign-planning scenario and question organizers to identify root causes of challenges involving trust, cross-neighborhood coordination, and backlash.
Examine
I can analyze primary and secondary sources to compare the goals, strategies, networks, risks, and outcomes of Black resistance traditions. I can evaluate how organizations such as the NAACP, SCLC, and SNCC and leaders including Fannie Lou Hamer, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King Jr., and Stokely Carmichael approached trust, coordination, conflict, and opposition. I can consult BYP100 NYC and MXGM organizers to distinguish transferable strategic patterns from lessons that do not fit current conditions.
Engineer
I can develop a historically grounded strategy card deck with scenario choices, planning prompts, and reflection questions that helps BYP100 NYC organizers make decisions about trust, cross-neighborhood coordination, and opposition.
Do
I can facilitate a campaign-planning simulation with BYP100 NYC, collect participant feedback and observation data, and evaluate how effectively the card deck supports clear, inclusive, and context-sensitive decisions.
Share
I can share the strategy card deck, defend its historical and civic reasoning through an interactive demonstration for BYP100 NYC, MXGM, families, and school community members, and reflect on my growth as a collaborator, communicator, and civic engagement strategist.