On August 24, 2010, there was an event at Busboys and Poets in Washington, DC, to pay tribute to Howard Zinn (1922-2010) on the anniversary of his birth. The events were co-hosted by Busboys and Poets, Teaching for Change, and the Zinn Education Project. Poets Dwayne Lawson Brown, Tierra Rich, and Jonathan Tucker read original pieces about …
Teaching Guide on Ellsberg, the Vietnam War and Whistleblowing
The Zinn Education Project (coordinated by Teaching for Change and Rethinking Schools) just released a free 94-page teaching guide for the film The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers. The teaching guide provides eight lessons on the Vietnam War, Daniel Ellsberg, whistleblowing, the Pentagon Papers and more for U.S. history, government, and language …
Alicia Horton – Thank You for 13 Years of Leadership
Alicia Horton served on the Teaching for Change Board of Directors for 13 years, almost 10 of those as the Board Chair. Having recently taken on the vital but all-consuming role as Executive Director of Thrive DC, she made the difficult decision to leave the Board but remains an avid supporter. Alicia wrote: “My time …
Edwidge Danticat Fills the House
Award-winning Haitian-American author Edwidge Danticat offered a reading and discussion based on her new book, Create Dangerously: The Immigrant Artist at Work at Busboys and Poets on October 20, 2010. More than 130 people were in attendance and many more who could not get in waited to get a book signed at the end of …
Firsthand View of School Reform Debate in D.C.
As a national organization based in D.C., Teaching for Change has a firsthand view of school reform in DCPS and the accompanying debates around education reform. Many in the media have portrayed the results of the recent mayoral election as a reflection of the tone but not the substance of the reform. From editorials in …
Child of the Civil Rights Movement author Paula Young Shelton in McComb, Miss.
Paula Young Shelton, author of Child of the Civil Rights Movement (Random House, 2009), was the special guest of the McComb School District on Friday, September 24, 2010. Ms. Shelton offered a literacy workshop to early childhood teachers, read to elementary and high school students and was the featured speaker at a Community Literacy Campaign …
Mendez v. Westminster: A California School Desegregation Case
On August 18, 2010, author Philippa Strum gave a talk about her book, Mendez v. Westminster: School Desegregation and Mexican-American Rights, at Busboys and Poets. The event was sponsored by the Teaching for Change Bookstore, Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF), The National Council of La Raza, and the United States Studies Program …
James Loewen Sets the Record Straight on Civil War
On September 20, 2010, James Loewen, author of Lies My Teacher Told Me, spoke to a full house at Busboys and Poets about his new book The Confederate and Neo-Confederate Reader: “The Great Truth” About the “Lost Cause” (University Press of Mississippi, 2010). The event was coordinated by Teaching for Change Bookstore at Busboys and Poets. Co-edited …
Howard Zinn Birthday Celebration
On August 24, 2010, there was an event at Busboys and Poets in Washington, DC, to pay tribute to Howard Zinn (1922-2010) on the anniversary of his birth. The events were co-hosted by Busboys and Poets, Teaching for Change, and the Zinn Education Project. Poets Dwayne Lawson Brown, Tierra Rich, and Jonathan Tucker read original pieces about …
Child of the Civil Rights Movement
Paula Young Shelton, author of Child of the Civil Rights Movement, provided a dynamic reading of her book while projecting images of the gorgeous illustrations on the screen at Busboys and Poets on June 16, 2010. She interspersed the reading with suggestions about how to use the book to help children explore a variety of …
Teaching for Change Featured in Front Porch Journal
Front Porch interviewed four booksellers, including Teaching for Change’s Publications Director Don Allen, “to examine the many forces that shape literature, and to highlight the perceptive and passionate people to whom we owe the books on our shelves.” Excerpt: Front Porch: How’s business? Don Allen: The bookstore is very popular. We receive great foot …