Welcome back to the blog!
Today’s post concerns our most recent project, which included a field study in Mississippi and Tennessee. This project was called “Past Forward,” its primary focus was the civil rights movement. Mississippi and Tennessee were the main battlefields of this movement, so it was only fitting that we explored those states as part of our trip. At first, when I heard about this trip, I wasn’t super pumped. But looking back, it was an amazing trip that truly left a mark on me as a learner and a member of society.
The main driving question behind this project was, “How can stories of social activism and change from the past inspire us to create a positive impact in our communities today?”
“These stories can inspire change by inspiring people today to make changes with the resources we have readily available. If activists in the past made change with nowhere near the resources we have today, then we can make change with the tools we have. These stories demonstrate that even the little steps to change can make a big difference.”
For our final product, a short explainer video, we were tasked with highlighting a person who created change during the civil rights movement. I chose to make a video about the queen of soul, Aretha Franklin. I knew a little bit about her, and I liked her music, so I decided to shed light on her story and influence.
Before this trip, we had to build a basic understanding of the civil rights movement. Mr. Hughes serenaded us with his lectures, and Ms. Willemse kept us busy with activities that made us think. We did a Socratic seminar to test our knowledge as a class, and it didn’t go all too well. We went on too many tangents, and the discussion lacked structure or flow. But we can write it off as an F.A.I.L.
Now, it was time to embark on our field study!
Above is a photo of our PLP 12 class at the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum in Jackson. This museum was informative and included almost 100% factual information about the civil rights movement. While we were there, we even heard from civil rights activists who lived through Jim Crow segregation in the South and chose to do something about it.
After visiting Mississippi, we visited Memphis and through Nashville, exploring many museums. These included the National Museum of African American Music and the Country Music Hall of Fame. My topic was Aretha Franklin, so learning about the influence of music in the fight for civil rights was irreplaceable. The purpose of field studies in PLP is to make connections and change perspectives, which is hard to do from home. I did both of those things on this trip. Besides being a school project, it was also a fun trip with many attractions. Some notable locations we visited were Graceland, the Grand Ole Opry, Dollywood, the Smoky Mountains, and many more.
The process of making my video was tedious. It took lots of revisions, effort, and time to make this video. Before we explored locations on site, we created storyboards that included a shotlist. Here’s my storyboard: Past Forward Storyboard Template 2.key
This storyboard helped me in making the final video.
We also made a challenge chart:
This chart helped us guide our thinking and organize our ideas effectively. It also gave our teachers a clear idea of where we were in building our product, and how we could revise and improve things.
The final component of our project was a roundtable discussion held in small groups, with our parents invited as the audience. Each group tackled a unique essential question, developing claims, offering supporting evidence, and posing thoughtful follow-up questions. Our group explored the question: What can we learn to increase personal awareness and perspective? — a topic that really resonated with me, especially given my interest in the power of self-education.
On the night of the roundtable, the parents were more like silent observers than a traditional audience. It didn’t feel like a presentation at all. It was more like they were watching from behind a one-way mirror as we engaged in honest, unscripted dialogue. I actually really liked that format.
Looking back, it went really well. Every group brought something meaningful to the table. There wasn’t much need for heavy preparation; we had already absorbed the material. It was just about finding the words to express it.
To wrap up, the answer to the driving question: How can stories of social activism and change from the past inspire us to create a positive impact in our communities today?
Social activists such as Martin Luther King Jr., Hezekiah Watkins, and Aretha Franklin used their platforms to inspire change. So what can we do? You don’t have to go to the degree of the activists I mentioned above, but you can educate yourself and others in your community. The smallest things can have the biggest impact. Thanks for reading!