The Education Development Center has mobilized in esponse to the 9/11 tragedy, and subsequent attacks on Arab-Americans, to create a mini-curriculum, Beyond Blame: Reacting to the Terrorist Attack. The 3-lesson, 25-page curriculum, for middle and high school students, focuses on issues of justice, fairness, and mislaid blame. It is available for free on the EDC website*.
The curriculum, which is co-sponsored by The Justice Project and the Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation (VVAF), was designed by a team of EDC researchers and curriculum writers who were concerned that the terrorist attacks have created a hostile climate for Arab-Americans-much like the climate Japanese-Americans faced following the attack on Pearl Harbor. Please spread the word about the curriculum to your school partners and networks.
Here is the information from their web page, at: http://www.edc.org/spotlight/schools/beyondblame.htm
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September 25, 2001
EDC releases Beyond Blame: Reacting to the Terrorist Attack
Curriculum focuses on issues of justice, fairness, and mislaid
blame
In response to the terrorist tragedy of September 11 and
subsequent attacks against Arab-Americans, EDC has developed a
free 30-page curriculum for middle and high school students
focused on issues of justice and mislaid blame.
Beyond Blame: Reacting to the Terrorist Attack, which is
co-sponsored by The Justice Project and the Vietnam Veterans of
America Foundation (VVAF), was designed by a team of EDC
researchers and curriculum writers who were concerned that the
terrorist attacks have created a hostile climate for
Arab-Americans--much like the climate Japanese-Americans faced
following the attack on Pearl Harbor.
"Coming to grips with the trauma of the tragedy is the first
step," said EDC Vice President Eric Jolly, Ph.D., one of the
lead writers of the curriculum. "Helping our youth make
meaning of the tragedy is the next step. We need to make sure
that in the process of making meaning, we do not create a second
wave of victims."
The curriculum features three lessons, designed to stimulate
student reflection, discussion, and writing. Lesson 1, "What
is Justice? What is the Injustice Here?", guides students
through a discussion of the events of September 11th and reports
of subsequent attacks and threats made against innocent people
perceived to be of Arab descent. Lesson 2, "Has the Past
Been Just?", examines parallels between today's events and
the internment of Japanese-Americans in the aftermath of Pearl
Harbor. Lesson 3, "How Can You Prevent Injustice?"
leads students through a discussion of the kinds of actions they
can take to prevent injustice, discrimination, and mislaid blame.
Click here to get a printable copy of Beyond Blame in PDF format.
[Note:In order to access and print the document, you need to have
the Adobe Acrobat Reader (version 3 or higher) installed on your
computer. You can download the free Acrobat Reader (version 5)
from the Adobe site: Get Acrobat Reader.]
Other ways to get copies of Beyond Blame for educational use
* We can e-mail you a Microsoft Word version of Beyond Blame.
Send a request to BeyondBlame@edc.org. We also welcome your
comments and feedback on the curriculum.
* We can send you a hard copy of the curriculum. Call and leave a
message at: 617-618-2700. Allow three to seven business days for
delivery.
Sponsors of Beyond Blame: A Reaction to the Terrorist Attack
The Justice Project is a nonpartisan organization dedicated to
fighting injustice and to creating a more humane and just world.
The Justice Project was founded by Vietnam Veterans who have
joined like-minded women and men to extend the reach of justice.
Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation (VVAF) is an international
humanitarian organization that addresses the causes, conduct, and
consequences of war through its rehabilitation projects for
victims of war, its landmine survey projects, and its public
education and advocacy programs.
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