"Liberation, Activism, and the Power of the Media"
This is a past workshop and is not open for registration.
Free Workshop for K-12 Educators - A free copy of Children's Book, Hector, will be sent to the first 20 teachers to register!
"Liberation, Activism, and the Power of the Media"
This virtual workshop for educators will explore the themes of liberation, activism, and the power of the media globally to make connections with current anti-racist struggles such as the Black Lives Matter movement. Experts from the Area Studies Centers at the University of Kansas will discuss instances where iconic photographs and memoirs document how people around the world continue to valiantly struggle against oppression. Breakout sessions will provide time to explore rich and meaningful curriculum around themes related to liberation and activism such as youth protests, police/state brutality, and responsible journalism. Participants will be introduced to engaging books and photographs that can help students to learn more about the world and consider their place in it as a force for change.
This one-day event is designed as a professional development workshop where K-12 educators can earn 6 Professional Development points through an examination of South Africa, Guatemala, China, and Lithuania. It will feature a special guest presentation from the children’s author and illustrator Adrienne Wright who will examine the inspiring story of student protests that occurred across South Africa in 1976. Wright’s book, Hector: A Boy, a Protest, and the Photograph that Changed Apartheid, is based on the story of Hector Pieterson and recounts the heartbreaking events that woke up the world to the brutal apartheid system in South Africa. The first 20 teachers to register for the workshop will receive a free copy of this 2019 book, which was a 2020 Children’s Africana Book Award (CABA) winner.
More about this powerful book that gives voice to an ordinary boy in South Africa:
On June 16, 1976, Hector Pieterson lost his life after getting caught up in what was supposed to be a peaceful protest. Black South African students were marching against a new law requiring that they be taught half of their subjects in Afrikaans, the language of the white government. The story’s events unfold from the perspectives of Hector, his sister Antoinette, and the photographer Sam Nzima who captured their photo in the chaos. This book serves as a pertinent tool for adults discussing global history and race relations with children. Its graphic novel style and mixed media art portray the vibrancy and grit of Hector’s daily life and untimely death.
Registration for this workshop has closed
This workshop is funded through the Department of Education’s Title VI grant funds that support four National Resource Centers at KU for Africa, Russia and Eastern Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, and East Asia. Please direct any questions to Charlotte Kukundakwe, Outreach & Communications Coordinator of the Kansas African Studies Center, at ckukundakwe@ku.edu.