civil rights poster assignment

Tiny Protest Posters

Leela Payne

Grade Level:

5th Grade (upper elementary)

Drawing, Mixed Media, Sculpture

Objective: People create art to respond to change or transform their world. We will be creating art to persuade/change a person’s opinion on an issue that is important to the artist.

Introduction: Show Students the painting below: America: Land of Shame By Chelsea Kirchoff. Lead a see, think, wonder discussion.

What do you see in the painting?

What do you think when you look at the painting?

What do you wonder about the painting?

The children g a ve a wide range of reasons that the symbol of america is ashamed and crying.

I show them where I found the photo. People protesting. I ask if they know what it means to protest and why people do it.

They usually have the 5th grade curriculum on civil rights to base information on and then I show them some photos from civil rights from then and identify some activist they may know.

Then show them photos of protests from current events. They share. I did not need to. Start with an open ended discussion- the teacher can step back and become a facilitator while letting students lead the conversation. It is important that we don’t muddle our own views and opinions.

Visual Literacy: How do we communicate with out words ? “A picture is worth a thousand words”. Like the first picture we looked at. We review space and lettering and then go into brainstorming what is important to them.

Let's brainstorm and then we can make some plans for what our poster will communicate.

Think! What is important to you (this can be local or global, think small or big)

How can you make a difference?

How can art communicate to others the change you want to make?

What is emphasis? What will be the emphasis in your poster? (what is most important?)

How will you communicate this visually?

Choice: Students can make protest e rs or posters.

“Took a risk with my fifth graders (who are wonderful) to have a courageous conversation about the issues in our world. Starting in our small community (classroom/school to global issues). They looked at this photo shown here. They talked about what it communicated to them. There was a wide range of answers. We talked about why people protest to make a change historically and now. They taught each other about issues and I didn’t need to say much other than give direction on visual literacy and emphasis. It was amazing. We used a previous process of making tinfoil people so that was easy. They had a blast and know that what they say is important and that they can make a difference.”

Learn more about this lesson here .

Artists & Inspiration

America: Land of Shame

By Chelsea Kirchoff

FaceBook Lesson Post: https://www.facebook.com/paintstudioscom/posts/796932557418999

Contact The Teacher

Art by Leela Payne: https://www.facebook.com/paintstudioscom/posts/796932557418999

Posters in Protest

Introduction

In 2019, Poster House opened its first show sourced entirely from the museum’s permanent collection.

This exhibition, 20/20 InSight: Poster from the 2017 Women’s March was a powerful look at the unique ways Americans protest, as told through the lens of posters collected from the 2017 Women’s March. The march emphasized that protesting is part of American culture and is an essential expression of our constitutional rights. The posters in the collection span the subjects of Women’s Rights, Climate Change, Immigration, LGBTQ+ Issues, and, of course, #BlackLivesMatter. The incorporated graphics and poster images have been carried through generations of marches, rallies, and grassroots action. Today’s demonstrators also display symbols from poster history, borrowing the power of past ideology while crafting new meanings.

Over the next few weeks, we will be highlighting five historic protests and some of their posters. These protests date back more than 100 years, their posters indicating that we are still demonstrating for the same struggles today.

Click here to view #PostersInProtest on Instagram.

July 28, 1917: The Negro Silent Protest Parade

The Negro Silent Parade, Fifth Avenue, New York City. Photo credit: Paul Thompson

NAACP Silent Protest Parade, flyer, July 1917

NAACP Silent Protest Parade, memo, July 1917; Part 1

NAACP Silent Protest Parade, memo, July 1917; Part 2

From late May to early July of 1917, there were brutal lynchings of African Americans by white mobs in Waco, Memphis, and East St. Louis , Illinois. In response to this violence, the NAACP organized a silent protest parade that led 10,000 African American women, children, and men to march down New York City’s 5th Avenue in support of equity. Paraders, including Black Boy Scouts, handed out leaflets explaining why they marched :

“We march because we want to make impossible a repetition of Waco, Memphis, and East St. Louis by arousing the conscience of the country, and to bring the murderers of our brothers, sisters, and innocent children to justice…We march because we want our children to live in a better land and enjoy fairer conditions than have fallen to our lot.”

The writing in the leaflet ends with the phrase “Pray for the Lady MacBeths of East St. Louis.” This was especially written and made into a placard to allude to the instance of white women in St. Louis pulling Black women onto the street, stripping them, and beating them with their shoes.

Ida B. Wells , acclaimed for her writing and investigation of lynchings, travelled to East St. Louis on July 4 to document the massacre of her people .

History has devastatingly repeated itself as we approach the 103rd anniversary of the Silent Protest Parade. In the aftermath of the murders of Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and George Floyd, we find ourselves in solidarity, yet again, fighting for equality.

Critique of the language used to describe Black women has allowed us to reconsider how we discuss strength and fear. When considering the work of Ida B. Wells, it is important to note that investigating lynchings and murders was dangerous and life-threatening, especially during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The word “fearless” suggests that the efforts of Black women defy natural human capabilities despite the adversity, trauma, and sadness that Ida B. Wells was subjected to while partaking in physical and emotional labor. Language around the labor of Black women, both historically and in the contemporary, should acknowledge realistic emotions that humanize their experiences.

The Silent Protest Parade (Bowery Boys)   39:49

This Week in Black History: The Silent Parade ( Kiss 104 FM)  1:09

Lecture on Urbanization and Migration ( Yale University) 42:59

Bloody Island: Race Riots of 1917 ( Thomas Gibson) 52:03

Remembering the NAACP Silent Protest Parade (Hyperallergic)

These African-American women helped in World War I (Share America)

Brief History of Black Women in the Military (The Women’s Memorial)

National Civil Rights Museum

The Ida B Wells Museum

Dec 1, 1955–Dec 20, 1956: Montgomery Bus Boycott

Rosa Louise McCauley Parks was a civil rights activist, best known for her work with the Montgomery Bus Boycott of 1955–1956.

A poster encouraging black residents of Montgomery to boycott the city's buses. Photo courtesy: Alabama Department of Archives and History

An estimated 12,000 protesters marched in Newark on May 30, 2020. Photo credit: Jeenah Moon/Reuters

The scene outside the Barclays Center when an MTA bus driver refused to drive arrested protesters on behalf of the NYPD. Photo credit: Jane Kuntzman

Collective action continues to define the civil rights movements of today.

The Montgomery Bus Boycott was a collective, coordinated act of protest against a corrupt system of segregation. Despite what the textbooks say, Rosa Parks —the face of the boycott—was not just a tired seamstress. She was a trained activist, and the Montgomery Bus Boycott was neither her first protest nor her last. Following her refusal to give up her seat and subsequent arrest and fine, the Black community rallied around her. 

Rosa Parks isn’t the only woman who played a crucial role in the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Jo Ann Robinson (head of The Women’s Political Council, a Black women’s organization focused on civil rights) bolstered the boycott by mobilizing the Council and others to distribute more than 50,000 flyers urging for Montgomery’s Black community to stop using city buses in protest of their racist practices. 

The result was a boycott in which all Black people were walking, carpooling, and using Black-owned transportation services instead of the bus system. Today, we continue to see transportation playing a vital role in protest. Bus drivers in New York City and Minneapolis have refused to transport arrested protestors, and civilians using social media to offer safe means of transportation to their comrades. 

It took 381 days for the Montgomery Bus Boycott to end. We stand in solidarity with those who are protesting—no matter how long it takes for change to come.

Montgomery Bus Boycott (PBS Project C) 34:57

Teaching About the Montgomery Bus Boycott (Zinn Ed Project) 15:00

Montgomery Bus Boycott (MLK Institute at Stanford University)

The Truth on Rosa Parks (SPL Center)

Transportation Protests: 1841 to 1992 (Civil Rights Teaching)

Women’s Political Council (WPC) of Montgomery ( MLK Institute at Stanford University)

M ontgomery Bus Boycott—Facts, Significance & Rosa Parks ( History Channel)

Jo A nn Robinson: A Heroine of the Montgomery Bus Boycott (NMAAHC)

Montgomery Bus Boycott and the Women Who Started It: The Memoir of Jo Ann Gibson Robinson (Book)

The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks by Jeanne Theoharis (Book)

Rosa Parks Museum

Aug 28, 1963: March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom

Civil Rights supporters at the March on Washington. Photo credit: Warren K. Leffler/Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.

In front of 170 W. 130th Street, March on Washington, l to r, Bayard Rustin, Deputy Director, and Cleveland Robinson, Chairman of Administrative Committee. Photo credit: O. Fernandez/World Telegram & Sun

Black Lives Matter protesters rally in front of a building with the words "Black Lives Matter" projected on it. Photo credit: Colin Lloyd/Pexels

Marches continue across the U.S. and internationally in support of Black Lives Matter. Photo credit: Davon Michel/Pexels

The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom took place on August 28, 1963, and is one of the largest Civil Rights rallies in American history, drawing a quarter of a million people to the nation’s capital. The purpose of the march was to draw attention to the political, legal, and social inequalities that African Americans still faced a century after emancipation. Pioneered by labor leader A. Phillip Randolph and Roy Wilkins of the NAACP, the march was the collaborative effort of many different civil rights groups, religious organizations, and labor rights unions. 

Today, we know that it was the unsung heroine, Anna Arnold Hedgeman , who was responsible for convincing Randolph and Martin Luther King Jr. to join forces — and for making sure that there was at least one woman, Daisy Bates, speaking that day. It was also at this march that Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his transformative “I Have a Dream” speech. Fifty-seven years later, we find ourselves still having to march against the discrimination and violence that Black people experience regularly in America. Will it be two centuries before our equity efforts make equality a reality?

The March on Washington At 50: The Inspiring Force of  ‘We Shall Overcome’ (NPR) 8:00

How the March on Washington Worked (Stuff You Should Know)  46:00

March on Washington History  ( produced by NMAAHC) 18:00

The March by James Blue via The Motion Picture Preservation Lab, 1964  ( US National Archives) 33:00  

King Leads the March on Washington ( History Channel) 3:00

An Oral History of The March on Washington (The Smithsonian)

Posters for Change: Tear, Paste, Protest  (Book)

Voices from the March on Washington by J. Patrick Lewis, George Lyon (Book)

National Museum of African American History and Culture

National Underground Railroad Freedom Center

Mar 7–Mar 25, 1965: Marches from Selma to Montgomery

“We march with Selma!” demonstrators march in Harlem, March 1965. Photo credit: Stanley Wolfson/WT&S/Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. (LC-USZ62-135695)

A photograph of Martin Luther King Jr. arm-in-arm with fellow Selma to Montgomery marchers. Photo credit: Spider Martin/Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture © 1965

Local police and state troopers walk towards the Selma marchers, including John Lewis, moments before the acts that led to the date being immortalized as "Bloody Sunday." Photo credit: Spider Martin/Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture © 1965

Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King walk with other demonstrators as the march finally enters Montgomery. Photo credit: Spider Martin/Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture © 1965

John Lewis—in his iconic coat—walks across the Edmund Pettus Bridge on the first attempted march to Montgomery, AL from Selma. Photo credit: Spider Martin/The Birmingham News

Original marchers from Bloody Sunday and the other marches to Montgomery honor the 50th anniversary of the protests with President Obama and his family. Photo credit: Lawrence Jackson/Official White House Photo

In March 1965, there were three marches along the 54-mile highway from Selma, Alabama to Montgomery, the state’s capital. These demonstrations were organized by the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), and Dallas County Voters League (LDC) to peacefully protest the repressive voting policies in the state that were disenfranchising African American citizens from voting in elections. 

After Emancipation, Southern governments put in place active measures to ensure segregation and minimization of the rights of Black citizens. In order to vote, residents had to pay a poll tax and pass a literacy test demonstrating comprehensive knowledge of the constitution. Enacted and enforced by local leaders, regulations like these ensured most Blacks would be kept out of politics and voting. By 1961, 57% of Dallas County was Black, with Selma acting as the “unofficial economic, political, and cultural capitol” of the western portion of Alabama’s Black Belt. Of the 15,000 Black individuals old enough to vote in that county, only 130 were registered. While there were more significant Back majorities in the counties surrounding Selma, there were also many counties where not even one Black citizen was registered.

Following Brown v. Board of Education and the Montgomery Bus Boycott, the NAACP was under attack and thereby forced to operate largely underground. This led to collective organizing by other African American activists and nonviolent organizations beginning with the Dallas County Voters League , soon joined by SNCC and the SCLC. In January 1965, Martin Luther King Jr. added his voice to the voting rights campaign that had begun in Selma. Within a month, young deacon and activist Jimmie Lee Jackson was shot following an evening march in Marion, where the local police and Alabama state troopers violently attempted to break up the otherwise peaceful demonstration. He would die eight days later. 

After Jackson’s death, activists came together to march from Selma to Montgomery. At the head of this march were SCLC leader Hosea Williams and SNCC leader John Lewis . As they crossed the Edward Pettus bridge, the protestors were met with a police blockade of state troopers and local law enforcement led by Sheriff Jim Clark and Major John Cloud. Marchers were asked to disperse, and, when they did not, the resulting documented violence was so outrageous that it would be forever known as Bloody Sunday . The horrific footage from this encounter was broadcast across the country, leading to national outrage. 

Dr. King—who had been in Atlanta at the time—reacted to these atrocities by calling on people from all over to join in a second attempt at the march from Selma. Despite President Lyndon Johnson asking King to call off the demonstration until a federal court order could be put in place to protect the marchers, King and 2,000 protestors met on the Pettus bridge that Tuesday and held a prayer before returning to Selma. This peaceful demonstration went off without incident.

Johnson spoke with Alabama’s Governor Wallace about the threats of violence against the protestors. At the same time, he also introduced legislation for voting rights that ensured universal suffrage. On March 21, the Selma demonstrators began their march with protection by state and federal law enforcement. Over the next few days, the original 300 protesters grew to over 25,000 people by the time they reached Montgomery. On that final day, Dr. King addressed the people in his now-iconic speech concluding the Selma to Montgomery marches . These efforts led to the August 6 signing of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 .

The story of Bloody Sunday and today’s pilgrimage to Selma (Voices of the Movement | Washington Post) 25:14 

Address at the Conclusion of the Selma to Montgomery March   (The Martin Luther King Jr. Research and Education Institute at Stanford University) 29:41

John Lewis: The Selma to Montgomery Marches (Time) 5:57

March from Selma to Montgomery (Biography) 4:11

Longer Watches

John Lewis: Good Trouble 1:37:09

Selma 2:08:00

Across That Bridge: A Vision for Change and the Future of America (Book)

Oral History of Charles Bonner and Bettie Mae Fikes during Selma (Civil Rights Movement Veterans)

Marching for Freedom: Walk Together, Children, and Don’t You Grow Weary (Book) 

Anniversary of the Voting Rights Act (Rep. John Lewis Press Release)

Voting Rights (Rep. John Lewis)

March (graphic series): 

Black Belt Museum

National Voting Rights Museum and Institute

Feb 12–Apr 16, 1968: Memphis Sanitation Strike

This poster by an unidentified designer became the symbol of the march.

The "I Am A Man" mural was designed by rap artist Marcellous Lovelace in a modern graffiti style and was installed by BLK75. It can be found on S Man St. in Memphis, TN, close to the National Civil Rights Museum. It shows the sanitation workers protest on March 28, 1968, an important event within the Civil Rights Movement, originally captured by photographer Richard L. Copley.

President Barack Obama speaks with surviving participants of the Memphis Sanitation Strike. Photo credit: Lawrence Jackson/Official White House Photo

The iconic "I Am A Man" poster continues to inspired, even in the contemporary art world. This series by Hank Willis Thomas connects "I Am A Man" to similar statements like "I Am Am I" and "I Am Many."

Protestors for the Black Lives Matter movement cross the Brooklyn Bridge holding a sign of Colin Kapernick asking, "Do You Understand Yet?"

Since the start of the nationwide shutdown in response to COVID-19, sanitation department strikes have been taking place across the country, from Alabama to Ohio, and most vocally in Louisiana. Sanitation workers, 28% of whom are People of Color , demand and deserve proper personal protective equipment like all other essential workers. Such strikes have historical precedent: just a few decades ago, the widely-known Memphis Sanitation Strike took place, and Black people marched to demand safer conditions for sanitation workers, whose basic human rights were being overlooked. This remains the case today.     

After two sanitation workers were crushed to death by a faulty garbage compactor, workers fed up with a lack of safety measures created a labor union to strike for improved working conditions and wage increases. Using non-violent civil disobedience, the protesters found themselves in an increasingly volatile atmosphere. The violence culminated with the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., who had been in support of the strike and present at many related gatherings.

The protest continued after his death and gained recognition of the sanitation union, wage increases, and improved conditions.

I Am A Man: Photographer Richard Copley Recalls His First Assignment, 50 Years After the 1968 Memphis Sanitation Workers’ Strike (Tales from the Reuther Library)  18:00

We Came Through (StoryCorps) 14:44

The Memphis Sanitation Workers Strike ( Stuff You Missed in History Class) 39:00

  AM I a Man? (Great Big Story) 6:05

1300 Men: The Memphis Strike ’68 (The Root) 6:30

The Brutal Life of a Sanitation Worker (New York Times) 

How Women Shaped the Sanitation Workers’ Strike in Memphis, Tennessee (Saving Places)

For Freedoms

Facing History

2013–Present Day: Black Lives Matter

#TheTakeBack; Bronx, NY, June 7, 2020.

Posters for the movements take on different shapes and forms—but the messages carry a similar tone.

The March for Stolen Lives and Looted Dreams; NYC, June 6, 2020

The phrase "I can't breathe" has carried throughout the movement from the murder of Eric Garner to most recently as George Floyd and Elijah McClain.

Black women started Black Lives Matter (the movement) and continue to fight for equity.

#BlackLivesMatter has continued to draw attention to the murders of Black men and women. Recently, the murders of Breonna Taylor—a 26 year old emergency room technician—Ahmaud Arbery—a 25 year old resident of Glynn County, Georgia—and George Floyd sparked nationwide protests calling for the arrest and sentencing of those who killed them.

As with many protests, the posters used in the rallies highlight words that are significant to the activism surrounding police brutality. Within the current protests, approaches to activism that involve dismantling State structures that contribute to violence include a movement to #defundthepolice. Additionally, attention is being called to media censorship, curfew resistance, and accountability of corporations that profit off of Black lives.

Another important aspect of the movement is placing intersectionality at the forefront and understanding the role of Black women , while acknowledging their leadership and voices in these discussions. In order to tackle structural violence, the movement for Black Lives has been one that explicitly recognizes the very foundation of white supremacy and the large role it plays in violence against Black and brown people.

What Matters (Black Lives Matter)

A Decade of Watching Black People Die (Code Switch)  22:37

Black Lives Matter: Five Years On (The Takeaway)  5:25

In completing Posters in Protest , a conversation emerged between two of Poster House’s educators around visual media being created for the Black Lives Matter movement. This video is a discussion between Maya Varadaraj and Es-pranza Humphrey as they explore shock value, social media, and “memefication” of the people memorialized in the movement.

An interview with the founders of Black Lives Matter | Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors, Opal Tometi (TED)  15:57

Eloquent Rage: A Black Feminist Discovers Her Superpower (Book)

We Want to Do More Than Survive: Abolitionist Teaching and the Pursuit of Educational Freedom (Book) 

• Support Black Owned Businesses
• Support Black Owned Restaurants: Eat Okra
• Support Black-run Food Blogs: SoulPhoodie
• Support Black Spaces: Ethel’s Club
• Support Black-run Museum Initiatives: Museum Hue
• Studio Museum in Harlem
• National Museum of African American History & Culture
• The American Jazz Museum
• The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute
• NW African American Museum  
• African American Museum in Philadelphia

We hope you’ve found this chapter of Posters in Protest informative and inspirational. Check back soon for more from this series in the future.

Documenting the American South

Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, Mary Ann Shadd, Rosa Parks, Jesse Owens, Robert Johnson, Louis Armstrong, Jackie Robinson, Sidney Poiter.

Black History & African American Athletes Posters & Art Prints

Baseball and more...

Kwanzaa Holiday Kwanzz is a cultural holiday observed from December 26 to January 1 every year. It was created by Dr. Maulana Karenga in 1966, based on several African harvest festivals.

The Underground Railroad Posters

As many as 100,000 “passengers” used the Underground Railroad “depots”, with the assistance of “conductors” and “station masters” between 1830 and 1861, to escape slavery.

History Through a Lens - Integration at Central High School (Little Rock, AR)

• 1997 - 40th Anniversary Desegregation Observances • more History Through a Lens poster series

Brown v Board of Education Topeka, Kansas 5-17-1954 - “Separate educational facilities are inherently unequal.”

What caused the case? In 1951, Karen Brown was denied admission to an all-white elementary school in Topeka, Kansas. Instead, she was told to attend an all-black school in another neighborhood. Her father sued the school district for not letting his daughter attend the school closest to her home. Together with similar cases from South Carolina, Virginia an Delaware, the case was appealed to the Supreme Court under the title, Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka . Thurgood Marshall, who later became the Supreme Court's first black Justice, argued fhat segregated schools violated the 14th Amendment's guarantee of equal protection to all citizens. What did the court do? - In an unanimous decision, the Supreme Court set aside its 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson ruling. That ruling had allowed “separate but equal” facilities for whites and blacks. Chief Justice Earl Warren wrote that racially separate public schools are always wrong – no matter how “equal” in quality. The Court further undermined the Plessy ruling by finding that such “separate but equal” facilities do encourage the idea that blacks are inferior to whites. What was the impact? Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka did not bring about the immediate integration of all public schools. But it did have far-reaching effects. School systems across the nation began to integrate blacks into what had been all-white schools. Many began busing programs in an effort to balance the mix of races. And to a very large degree, the decision helped encourage the growth of the historic civil rights movement of the 1950s and 1960s.

• background on Brown v Board of Education

Plessy v Ferguson 5-18-1896, affirmed a ‘separate but equal’ policy that allowed widespread segregation to thrive in the South. Pless v Ferguson upheld the “Jim Crow” laws that helped maintain segregation in the South.

What caused the case? The case of Plessy v. Ferguson arose when Homer Plessy, a black man, objected to a Louisiana state law requiring separate railroad cars for black and whites. Mr. Plessy was arrested when he refused a condutor's order to sit in the car for black passengers. In a trial, Mr. Plessy was found guilty of breaking the law. In response, he sued the judge in the case, a man named John Ferguson. His suit claimed that the Louisiana law went against the Constitution's 14th Amendment, which guarantees to all citizens the equal protection of the laws. What did the court do? - The Supreme Court reviewed Mr. Plessy's claim that the Louisiana law violated the 14th Amendment's equal protection guarantee. But the Court upheld the law. It agreed that the 14th Amendment did guarantee all citizens equal protection. However, it said that separate facilities did not take away this protection – as long as the facilities were truly equal. Moreover, it denied that such "separate but equal" facilities would necessarily make black feel inferior to whites. What was the impact? In Plessy v. Ferguson , the court said it would allow “separate but equal” public facilities for blacks and whites. And in the years that followed, many states did set up racially separate public facilities. But these facilities were seldom equal. In fact, accommodations for whites were almost always superior to those for blacks. In effect, the ruling made it easier for widespread segregation to exist throughout the South and elsewhere for more than 50 years.

• background on Plessy v Ferguson

America: A Nation of Immigrants - West Africa (slavery)

• Continent of Africa poster • more Nation of Immigrants posters • Africa & African Cultures poster

Ancient African Civilizations Poster Series-

Benin, Egypt, Ethopia, Ghana/Mali/Songhai, Zimbabwe

• more Africa posters • more masks posters

Man and Boy Reading Book About Africa

• reading posters

In 1787 William Wilberforce, an independent Member of Parliament, met with Thomas Clarkson and a group of anti-slave-trade activists that included Granville Sharp, Hannah More and Lord Middleton, who persuaded Wilberforce to take on the cause of abolition.

last updated 11/19/13

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Civil Rights Activities For Middle School: Art Projects, Video Lessons, And Discussions

March 29, 2024 //  by  Carly Gerson

The Civil Rights movement is one of the most important movements in American History. Conversations about racial equality can be had about momentous changemakers such as Martin Luther King Jr. and Jackie Robinson.

Read on to learn about 20 engaging activities for middle schoolers about Civil Rights!

1. Jackie Robinson Baseball Card

Celebrate Jackie Robinson’s legacy as the first African American player to join Major League Baseball by creating an honorary baseball card. Students can research Robinson and fill their cards with Civil Rights facts.

Learn More: Education

2. Competing Voices in the Civil Rights Movement

In this curated lesson plan, students compare the approaches of Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. Nonviolence and separatism were two ideas proposed by these Civil Rights pioneers. Students will examine the differences in approaches between these two leaders.

Learn More: EDSITEment

3. Using Primary Sources

In this activity, students use primary sources to identify values and issues occurring during the Civil Rights Movement. This activity asks students to take a deeper look at many major documents and landmark cases during the Civil Rights Movement. This is a great addition to a Middle School Civics course.

Learn More: Library of Congress

4. Civil Rights Puzzle

Students can interact with primary sources from the Civil Rights movement in this activity. Images such as the one of President Johnson are scrambled online and students solve to make one cohesive image in a jigsaw puzzle.

Learn More: Neo K12

5. Civil Rights Trivia

Students can learn about the historical time period by answering trivia questions! This activity would be best implemented at the end of the unit.  Students can express their understanding of key people of the time period.

Learn More: Fact Monster

6. We The People Netflix Series

Created in 2021, this Netflix series brings Civil Rights issues to life through song and animation. These videos encourage the participation of youth in government. Students can watch these videos and write about their key takeaways or even draw a piece of art to accompany the video that resonated most with them!

Learn More: Netflix

7. Story Mapping Activity

In this activity, students place different historical events related to the Civil Rights movement in order to create context around which events lead to which. Some events include Jim Crow laws and Rosa Parks’ momentous bus ride protest.

Learn More: Primary Sources

8. Civil Rights Act of 1964 Video

Students can learn about the monumental law that made changes in racial discrimination in the United States. This video is excellent for students of all ages and discusses many of the key concepts that influenced the creation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

Learn More: Kids Academy

9. Brown V. Board of Education Video

In this video, students learn about the events that lead up to the landmark Supreme Court Case, Brown V. Board of Education. Students can write a response following watching this video about their big takeaways and how this case changed the course of the Civil Rights Movement.

Learn More: State Bar of Georgia

10. Song and Civil Rights

Students will love learning about how music impacted the Civil Rights Movement and helped build morale and community. Many African Americans used music as a way to bring people together. Students can read this fascinating article and answer the quiz questions to follow.

Learn More: Newsela

11. Armstead Robinson Podcast

Armstead Robinson was a Civil Rights Activist and an important changemaker. Students can learn more about Robinson by listening to the podcast recorded in his honor following his death.

Learn More: Black Fire at UVA

12. Stokely Carmichael Video

Stokely Carmichael was a Civil Rights Pioneer and helped fight for Black Power. Students can watch this video of his biography and then have a whole class discussion about the changes Carmichael fought for.

Learn More: Akhase Organization

13. Heroes of the Civil Rights Movement

In this article, students can read about lesser-known Civil Rights activists such as Diane Nash, a female Voting Rights Activist. After reading this article, have students take the quiz and have a whole class discussion on these changemakers.

14. Brainpop Civil Rights Activities

In this series of activities, students can interact with content to better understand Civil Rights events. Students can watch a short video, complete a graphic organizer,  and play games to help them with Civil Rights vocabulary.

Learn More: Brain Pop

15. I Have A Dream Activity

Students can show their takeaways and appreciation for Martin Luther King Jr. ‘s “I Have A Dream” speech in this hands-on activity. This speech is one of the most important Civil Rights Events. This collage is a great way to celebrate Civil Rights History.

Learn More: Study All Knight

16. Loving VS Virginia

This chapter book encapsulates to young readers the struggle Black People faced when trying to marry White People.  This secondary source showcases the challenges Black Americans have faced throughout US History. This would make a great small group or book club read for middle schoolers.

Learn More: Commonsense Media

17. Civil Rights Poster

In this activity, students connect the Civil Rights Movement to issues that resonate with them and are still relevant in their own lives. This is a great way to teach students about Civil Rights leaders while encouraging them to stand up for what they believe in. At the end of the lesson, students can create posters to represent their causes.

Learn More: NGA

18. Jim Crow Laws Reading

This reading was designed for kids to help them understand the challenging laws that took place during Jim Crow. This article breaks down important primary documents so students can better understand the time period. Students can then take a quiz to show understanding.

Learn More: Ducksters

19. Mississippi Civil Rights Article

Students can read all about the key events in the Mississippi Civil Rights movement and how the participation of youth allowed for change.  Students can read this article and then have a whole class discussion on how students today can make a change!

Learn More: New Yorker

20. Letter to the President

In this activity, students watch a video about the 1965 Voting Rights Act and discuss different perspectives. Then, students become voting rights activists by writing letters to a future president about changes they would want to see. This is a great Middle School Civics Lesson.

Learn More: KQ ED

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History Resources

Civil rights posters, 1968

King was assassinated at Memphis’s Lorraine Motel the next night, just one day before a massive rally was planned. On April 8, four days after King’s assassination, his widow, Coretta Scott King, led some 20,000 marchers through the streets of Memphis, holding copies of another poster that read, "HONOR KING: END RACISM!" The strike ended on April 16, with the city agreeing to union recognition and raises.

Questions for Discussion

Read the document introduction, examine the images, and apply your knowledge of American history in order to answer these questions.

• Why do you think the word “ AM ” is underlined in the first poster?
• The sanitation workers’ strike lasted two months, meaning that the already impoverished workers didn’t get paid the entire time. What does that tell you about their feelings about their work conditions? What, if anything, would cause you to strike for that long?
• Do you agree with King’s assertion that the world was doomed “if something isn’t done, and done in a hurry, to bring the colored peoples of the world out of their long years of poverty”?

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civil rights movement collaborative poster

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