The July 13 acquittal of George Zimmerman in the death of Trayvon Martin has touched off a national debate, protests, and many powerful discussions about race, racism and justice, which TeachableMoment will be exploring in the weeks to come.
In the meantime, please see our guidelines for teaching on controversial issues to help inform your discussion with students:
A simple Listening Circle can give students a chance to share their thoughts and reactions.
For more in-depth exploration of racial profiling and related issues, consider using the following to help open up discussion among high school students:
- President Obama's July 19 remarks about Trayvon Martin (transcript)
- The Whole System Failed Trayvon Martin, Charles Blow's op-ed in the New York Times
- Of Hoodies And Lost Time, essay by NPR's Sam H. Sanders
- The Trayvon Martin Case from the Perspective of a Black Teen, blog by Omnia Saed on Huffington Post
- Images of protests around the country, from Mother Jones
For discussion of gun laws, please see two recent TeachableMoment lessons on the subject: