Lesson Overview
Featured Article: “How a National Movement Toppled Hundreds of Confederate Symbols” by Audra D. S. Burch
George Floyd was murdered almost two years ago, and since then at least 230 Confederate symbols have been removed, relocated or renamed, as part of the larger examination of systemic racism that has unfolded throughout America.
In this lesson, you will learn about the movement to dismantle symbols of the Confederacy since George Floyd’s death. Then, you will think about a person in your community who should be honored with a monument, mural or another symbol.
Warm-Up
Spend a few minutes looking closely at the image below from the featured article, and answer these questions borrowed from our “What’s Going On in This Picture?” activity:
When you are finished looking closely, respond to these additional questions: What is your reaction to this image? How do you feel looking at it?
Questions for Writing and Discussion
Read the article, and then answer the following questions:
1. The author writes: “Nearly 157 years after the last battle of the Civil War was waged, the United States is re-evaluating how — or even if — the Confederacy should be memorialized. Every symbol erected and every symbol dismantled speaks to the political calculations and struggle between enshrining heritage and enduring hate.” What is she saying? See if you can rewrite those two sentences in your own words.
2. What background does the author provide to help readers understand why so many Confederate memorials have been removed since 2015, and especially since May 2020?
3. What is one thing you learned about the national distribution of Confederate monuments in the United States? What is your reaction to that information?
4. Are there any Confederate monuments in your region? Have you encountered them anywhere else? How do you feel seeing Confederate monuments?
5. What is your reaction to local governments and schools renaming or removing Confederate imagery, names and memorials? What is your reaction to protesters and activists defacing or removing statues? Do you support the movement to remove, relocate and rename monuments and other symbols of the Confederacy? Why or why not?
Going Further
Part I. Reflect.
What is your reaction to the article? What do you think should happen next in cities that have removed Confederate monuments? Should something else replace them? If so, what — and why?
What about cities that don’t have a direct historical connection to the Confederacy? Should they also re-evaluate and think critically about the people they memorialize? Why or why not?
Part II. Conduct a community memorial audit.
As a class, come up with a plan to identify, map and label the people who are honored or remembered in your community.
First, come up with an area you want to audit: Will it be a few blocks in your city? Your entire small town? Try to identify a place where there are monuments or statues.
Second, decide what exactly you want to keep track of. Statues and monuments can be the easiest to find — and perhaps the most visible. But you can also look for the names of public buildings, streets and bridges. And you can look for stained glass and murals.
Third, decide how you want to keep track of what you find. An easy way to collaborate as a class and share your results with others is to create a shared list in Google Maps and drop and label pins for each memorial you identify. You can also use a physical map or just create an annotated list.
Fourth, analyze your findings. What do you notice about the people who have been honored publicly in your community? Do the results raise any questions for you?
Part III. Design a memorial.
Brainstorm: Create a list of people who were, or are, important to your community who have not received the recognition you think they deserve. If you noticed during Part II that certain groups of people — such as women, people with disabilities, people of color or gender-nonconforming people — were missing from community memorials, you might focus your brainstorm on those groups. If names of important present-day and historical people don’t immediately come to mind, you might have to do some research.
Research: After you’ve created your list, choose one person to feature in a monument, mural or another type of memorial. Spend some time researching this person and choose three facts or characteristics that you would like to highlight literally or symbolically.
Design: What medium can you use to best honor this person? The article discusses statues, stained-glass windows and flags, but you could also create a mural, collage or plaque. You can draw your design by hand or with a computer, or describe the design by writing an artist’s statement. Be specific about the choices you’re making, explain the symbolism you have included and illustrate to others why this person is important.
Gallery Walk: If you wrote an artist’s statement, you can share it in the comments section of this lesson so students around the world can learn about the person you are honoring. If you illustrated your memorial, you can walk around your classroom’s gallery to see your peers’ work.
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