Initial Contributors: Nontalie Morrow, Danielle Leek, Liza Blomquist

In the days and weeks following monumental displays of racism, violence, and oppression, such as those that took place in Charlottesville, Virginia on August 12^th, many are left uncertain of “where to go from here”. While there is not one right way to heal or move forward from these events, progress is more likely to occur if there are opportunities and resources available to those who are searching for growth. The following links may be valuable for higher education professionals looking for ways to address these issues in the classroom and on-campus.

RESOURCES FOR TEACHING, LEARNING, AND REFLECTION

Addressing Charlottesville on campus and in the classroom

• “Powerful Conversations on Race.” A monthly community discussion exploring themes in the book: Charleston Syllabus. From the Indiana Humanities and the Indianapolis Foundation.
• “The Charlottesville Syllabus.” UVA Graduate Coalition.
• Resources for Campus Dialogue – “Charlottesville August 2017.” Sustained Dialogue Institute.
• “Teachers Share Resources for Addressing Charlottesville Hate Rally in the Classroom.” Madeline Will. Education Week.
• “Resources for Educators to Use in the Wake of Charlottesville.” Anya Kamenetz. NPR. 
• “Pedagogies of Resistance Reading List.” City Lights Bookstore.
• US Holocaust Memorial Museum Education Resources. 
• “Educating for a Diverse Democracy.” Teaching Tolerance.

Tools to resist hate and contribute to a more just democracy

• “10 Ways to Fight Hate.” The Southern Poverty Law Center. Updated post-Charlottesville.
• “Gurdwara Security Toolkit.” The Sikh Coalition. Provides valuable information for any faith community seeking to minimize the risk of attack to their place of worship.

Consider a critical service-learning approach to community based classes this fall

Critical service learning is usually done in partnership between a college or university and the community in which they are located. Service learning tends to focus on the learning and development of the student while they offer temporary support for the surrounding community. However, critical service learning seeks to provide vital insight into the social issues in the community based on systemic inequities. This prompts students to spend substantial time reflecting on their own experiences as well as those of the organizations they are working with. This combination of critical thinking in the classroom accompanied with rich relationship building in the community fosters a deeper level of understanding because students and local organizations are able to work together to develop sustainable solutions with the goal of redistributing power and creating a more equitable community.

To learn more about critical service learning see:

Mitchell, T. D. (2008). Traditional vs. critical service-learning: Engaging the literature to differentiate two models. Michigan Journal of Community Service Learning, 14(2), 50.

Mitchell, T. D. (2007). Critical service-learning as social justice education: A case study of the citizen scholars program. Equity & Excellence in Education, 40(2), 101-112.