Teaching Central America at Kennesaw State University
Jonathan Peraza Campos was invited by Dr. Theresa Alviar-Martin to give a workshop for teachers participating in Kennesaw State University’s Education for Sustainability and Human Rights Fellowship in June of 2026. He shared about his developing work to design an approach for an “ethnic studies of the Global U.S. South” and the work of Teaching Central America to support educators with integrating Central America into their curriculum.
While the history of ethnic studies education is rooted in California’s movement histories, Peraza Campos explained that the U.S. South also has deep educational traditions from Indigenous and African American educators and communities that built the foundations of ethnic studies. People of the Global South who migrated to the U.S. South over centuries have integrated their heritage traditions in education and resistance struggles. In Peraza Campos’s ethnic studies of the Global U.S. South framework, centuries of transnational entanglements between the U.S. South and Global South have developed rich foundations for a globalized, transnational history of oppression and resistance in the region that must be part of ethnic studies education in the Southeastern United States
He later connected his ethnic studies framework with an “Introduction to Central American Studies” workshop where Peraza Campos focused on the history of Teaching for Change’s solidarity with Central Americans since the 1980s. Now, teachers of Central American students, including in Georgia, can continue the tradition of educational solidarity to raise awareness about the region and its peoples.
Peraza Campos engaged teachers in a “Knowledge Check” activity and the Geography Is History lesson to gauge how much Georgia teachers know about Central Americans. Peraza Campos reminds teachers that there should be no shame in a lack of awareness – if anything, omission and distortion of Central American history and their presence in the United States is by design. “What empire will tell on itself?” he asked.
The Central America: An Introductory Lesson helped teachers to learn about the people and events during the Cold War era that tied the United States and Central America together. Throughout the mixer, teachers gasped and groaned as they learned about the U.S.-funded dictators, such as General Efrain Rios Montt, and U.S. officials, such as President Ronald Reagan, that devastated the region. At the same time, teachers were introduced to revolutionary writers and freedom fighters that countered both homegrown fascism and U.S. imperialism. During the mixer activity, one teacher said, “I can definitely use this with my elementary schoolers,” with some changes.
In a post-workshops reflection, teachers shared:
Hearing Jonathan talk about Central America added another layer that I don’t think I had really connected before. I knew some of the history, but not in a way that tied directly to the people I see every day. It’s hard not to notice the contradiction — having influence in those countries and then acting like the people coming from them don’t belong here.
Many students navigate migration, cultural identity, and intergenerational trauma, so the discussions on ethnic studies and Central American histories directly reflect their lived realities. The idea that “the child who knows themselves knows where to go next” aligns with what many of my students need; curriculum that affirms who they are.
As an ESOL teacher, I can create opportunities for students to share their personal stories, traditions, and languages while learning from one another. I can also use texts and activities that reflect different cultural backgrounds and encourage discussions about identity, inclusion, and respect.
One of my biggest takeaways from today was the importance of coalition building and teaching histories alongside one another. The Teach Central America session helped me think about how educators can respond to the stories and needs of their students by making space for histories that are often left out.
The importance of writers and poets and how many in my history have been arrested for writing about social injustice. It is amazing to see how the issues of human rights mirror different societies in the world.
Teaching Central America aims to build the historical consciousness of teachers so that they can grow the consciousness of students in their classrooms. If teachers and students can recognize the patterns, people, and systems of power behind Central American migrations and oppression, then they can work together to extend the legacies of power-building and resistance.
Teaching Central America at Kennesaw State University
Jonathan Peraza Campos was invited by Dr. Theresa Alviar-Martin to give a workshop for teachers participating in Kennesaw State University’s Education for Sustainability and Human Rights Fellowship in June of 2026. He shared about his developing work to design an approach for an “ethnic studies of the Global U.S. South” and the work of Teaching Central America to support educators with integrating Central America into their curriculum.
While the history of ethnic studies education is rooted in California’s movement histories, Peraza Campos explained that the U.S. South also has deep educational traditions from Indigenous and African American educators and communities that built the foundations of ethnic studies. People of the Global South who migrated to the U.S. South over centuries have integrated their heritage traditions in education and resistance struggles. In Peraza Campos’s ethnic studies of the Global U.S. South framework, centuries of transnational entanglements between the U.S. South and Global South have developed rich foundations for a globalized, transnational history of oppression and resistance in the region that must be part of ethnic studies education in the Southeastern United States
He later connected his ethnic studies framework with an “Introduction to Central American Studies” workshop where Peraza Campos focused on the history of Teaching for Change’s solidarity with Central Americans since the 1980s. Now, teachers of Central American students, including in Georgia, can continue the tradition of educational solidarity to raise awareness about the region and its peoples.
Peraza Campos engaged teachers in a “Knowledge Check” activity and the Geography Is History lesson to gauge how much Georgia teachers know about Central Americans. Peraza Campos reminds teachers that there should be no shame in a lack of awareness – if anything, omission and distortion of Central American history and their presence in the United States is by design. “What empire will tell on itself?” he asked.
The Central America: An Introductory Lesson helped teachers to learn about the people and events during the Cold War era that tied the United States and Central America together. Throughout the mixer, teachers gasped and groaned as they learned about the U.S.-funded dictators, such as General Efrain Rios Montt, and U.S. officials, such as President Ronald Reagan, that devastated the region. At the same time, teachers were introduced to revolutionary writers and freedom fighters that countered both homegrown fascism and U.S. imperialism. During the mixer activity, one teacher said, “I can definitely use this with my elementary schoolers,” with some changes.
In a post-workshops reflection, teachers shared:
Hearing Jonathan talk about Central America added another layer that I don’t think I had really connected before. I knew some of the history, but not in a way that tied directly to the people I see every day. It’s hard not to notice the contradiction — having influence in those countries and then acting like the people coming from them don’t belong here.
Many students navigate migration, cultural identity, and intergenerational trauma, so the discussions on ethnic studies and Central American histories directly reflect their lived realities. The idea that “the child who knows themselves knows where to go next” aligns with what many of my students need; curriculum that affirms who they are.
As an ESOL teacher, I can create opportunities for students to share their personal stories, traditions, and languages while learning from one another. I can also use texts and activities that reflect different cultural backgrounds and encourage discussions about identity, inclusion, and respect.
One of my biggest takeaways from today was the importance of coalition building and teaching histories alongside one another. The Teach Central America session helped me think about how educators can respond to the stories and needs of their students by making space for histories that are often left out.
The importance of writers and poets and how many in my history have been arrested for writing about social injustice. It is amazing to see how the issues of human rights mirror different societies in the world.
Teaching Central America aims to build the historical consciousness of teachers so that they can grow the consciousness of students in their classrooms. If teachers and students can recognize the patterns, people, and systems of power behind Central American migrations and oppression, then they can work together to extend the legacies of power-building and resistance.
Posted: June 2, 2026