The last of three commemorative mission bells in Santa Cruz was removed August 28, 2021 from where it has stood since 1906. This act of healing signals concerted efforts by the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band to remove these symbols celebrating the colonial past and the brutal missionization of California. The Critical Missions Project aims…Continue Reading Bell Removal Ceremony
Three weeks from an election that many argue will determine the future of our democracy, teachers are grappling with how to adequately guide their students through the constant stream of news about efforts to imperil voting for specific groups. From felons’ voting rights being restored and subsequently limited due to penalty fines, to the closing…Continue Reading The Struggle Over Suffrage—Then and Now
The Pledge of Allegiance is a staple of the American experience. Whether it be reciting it at the beginning of the school day or at a major league baseball game, our communities engage with it. But do your students know that the Pledge includes the word “indivisible” rather than “invisible?” And more importantly, have they…Continue Reading The Pledge of Allegiance