Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/515703
work so that they don't feed into them or internalize them — or act out the stereotypes that society has assigned to them. Little things like this can put a dent into the school- to-prison pipeline." Artwork expresses feelings Rodriguez is the adviser for the Social Justice Club, whose students created a mural stat- ing "Black and Brown Lives Matter." It was displayed prominently. Some staff members objected because they thought it should state "All Lives Matter." Eventually it was moved to the Social Justice Room. Gabriel Marin, a Social Justice Club mem- ber, says the mural was never meant to be controversial. "In my view, it is about the love of every single race, culture and people. It's about people's right to be treated fairly. It means a lot to me." Rodriguez describes it as an "affirmation of youth in our commu- nity" and thinks it is important to address institutional inequities in society, not brush them aside. "When students put effort into art like this, we need to recognize their lives do matter," he says. A "Black Lives Matter" mural created by the students of Alex- andra Campbell Jones also generated discussion at Washington Elementary School in Richmond. The third-graders had many questions after the Ferguson verdict. Many had seen protests on the news. "We discussed vocabulary such as verdict, unjust, trial and jury," says Campbell Jones, United Teachers of Richmond. "We discussed the legal system in our country and how some trials are done by a jury of peers and some ver- dicts are decided without a trial." Students described conversations with family members and peers about Ferguson, then created posters where each letter rep- resented a conversation on the topic. "It was challenging because some students never watch the news and others have seen Selma and watched the protests," she relates. "After, we continued our study of Dr. Martin Luther King and dis- cussions of segregation in the context of the Negro Leagues. I have 15 boys this year who all experienced the World Series and were shocked to discover that baseball used to be segregated. It is important to meet students where they are and find a way to connect with their life experiences to help them understand the world around them." inking for themselves Students at Woodland Hills Academy had lots of ques- tions for Scotty Stewart during Our Global World, a class on current events. Why were police acquitted of beating Rodney King when it was videotaped? Why weren't the laws changed after the Los Angeles riots? Why was Michael Brown shot if he was unarmed? How were lawyers for the police able to create "reasonable doubt" during a grand jury hearing? "These are great questions," says Stewart, United Teachers Los Angeles. "You would be great on a jury, P H O T O G R A P H Y B Y S C O T T B U S C H M A N "Part of having these conversations [about race] is to help them realize they have choices," says Cat Burton-Tillson. Jessica Lopez, Destiny Clark and Maritza Zeledon listen to Scotty Stewart. Best practices Learning 44 www.cta.org