It’s been a little over a month since the U.S. presidential election. Republican Donald Trump’s surprise victory in the electoral college tally -- despite Democrat Hillary Clinton’s 2.7 million-popular-vote plurality -- is an outcome that continues to stir passions across the country.
Trump’s election-day win stunned his political opponents. Many worry that a Donald Trump presidency could pose new challenges to civil liberties in this country -- and even legitimize racial and ethnic intolerance.
Since the election, there has been a spike in hate crimes and incidents of bigotry in schools. Many young people have expressed concerns about the uncertain future of our country. Many teachers and administrators have appealed to education scholars for help and guidance in teaching their students about the election, about its potential implications, and about ways students can express and act constructively on their concerns.
Today on Midday, Tom talks to three education scholars who have responded to this need for a post-election lesson plan. They are currently working with K-to-12 and even college teachers around the country to compile what they’re calling the "Trump Syllabus K-12." That syllabus will be introduced at the Baltimore Trump Teach-In tonight (12/08) at 7:00pm at Red Emma's Bookstore in Station North, here in Baltimore. That event is co-sponsored by the Teachers Democracy Project and Towson University's Social Justice Collective.
Helping to lead the teach-in will be Dr. Kaye Wise Whitehead. She’s an Associate Professor of Communication and African & African-American Studies at Loyola University-Maryland, and the founding executive director of the Emilie Frances Davis Center for Education, Research, and Culture. She’s also the author of several books -- most recently, Letters to My Black Sons: Raising Boys in a Post Racial America (2015).
Professor Jessica Shiller will be moderating the teach-in tonight. Dr. Shiller is an assistant professor of education in the Department of Instructional Leadership and Professional Development at Towson University. She’s also taught high school in New York, and coached new teachers in the Bronx. Before coming to Towson, she was on the faculty of Lehman College/City University of New York.
Joining us by phone from Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas, is Dr. Alicia Moore. She’s an education professor, author and consultant, who currently holds the Cargill Endowed Professorship in the Department of Education at Southwestern. A specialist in multiculturalism, early childhood and special education, she has served for the past 10 years as the co-editor of The Association for the Study of African American Life and History’s Black History Bulletin and she was a major contributor to an education blog entitled: "How Parents and Teachers Should Teach Children About Slavery."
