Original recorded on June 3, 2020
This the first episode of Distant Poets Society without any connection to Distance Learning and it definitely won't be the last. Mr. Smith, Mrs. Rodriguez, and Ms. Ramirez are joined by Warren student, Munji Nfor to talk about how we can make connections to the current events surrounding the death of George Floyd and the demonstrations that followed. We use literature, history, and our own personal experiences to try to make sense of the three very complicated topics: systemic racism, white privilege, and demonstrations both peaceful and violent.
Reflection Questions - Questions to explore these complicated topics. Written by Ngozi Musa (BA in sociology at Harvard) and Sophia Magnolia Hunt (sociology PhD student at Stanford).
What makes you feel safe? Do you think others feel similarly?
What does activism mean?
What types of protesting do you find effective? Which do you find unacceptable?
Is it ok to break unjust laws? What makes laws just or unjust? Below is the list of content that was recommended throughout the podcast (novels, TV shows, movies, etc.) Be aware that some of these may contain adult themes.
Never Have I Ever (Netflix)
The Wire (HBO) Watchman (HBO)
Black Panther (Disney+)
Dear White People (Netflix)
Atlanta (Hulu)
Awkward Black Girl (Youtube)
A Different World (Amazon Prime)
Insecure (HBO) 13th (Netflix)
When They See Us (Netflix)
Amistad (Hulu)
A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines
Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack by Peggy McIntosh
The Autobiography of Malcolm X
Drinking Coffee Elsewhere and Other Stories by ZZ Packer
Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
The Star-Spangled Banner by Francis Scott Key (entire poem)
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison (also Beloved and A Mercy)
Born a Crime by Trevor Noah
Kindred by Octavia Butler
An Unkindness of Ghosts by Rivers Solomon
Nelson Mandela by Kadir Nelson
The Lions of Little Rock by Kristin Levine
The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora by Pablo Cartaya
The Revolution of Evelyn Serrano by Sonia Manzano
Go Tell It on the Mountain by James Baldwin
1984 by George Orwell