Voices of Black Liberation

Lesson by Larry Miller

Rear: Dr. W. E. B. DuBois, Dr. E. Franklin Frazier, Dr. Horace Mann Bond. Front: Julian Bond, age two, and Jane Bond, age four, Fort Valley State College, Fort Valley, Georgia, March 14, 1942.

This roleplay concludes my five-week Black liberation unit. It’s one way for students to become familiar with the writing and speeches of famous leaders of the Black liberation movement.

First, my students review speeches and popular writings of leaders of the Black liberation movement in the 1950s, 1960s, and earlier. I chose the following leaders to represent a broad spectrum of opinion:

• Booker T. Washington, “Speech Before the Atlanta Cotton States;”

• W. E. B. DuBois, “Men of Niagara;”

• Marcus Garvey, “Masters of Your Own Destiny;”

• Paul Robeson; Fannie Lou Hamer; Malcolm X, “Ballot or the Bullet;”

• Reverend Martin Luther King Jr., “I Have a Dream;”

• Barbara Jordan, “Who Will Then Speak for the Common Good;”

• Stokely Carmichael, “Black Power;”

• Huey P. Newton.

Students can work alone or in pairs, representing one of the leaders. In larger classes more than one group represents the same person. They read documents I provide and write a speech, in their own words, representing the views of their assigned leader. 

Once finished, the students give their written speeches. While the students speak, I outline their arguments on the chalkboard. Once all the students are finished giving speeches, we compare each person’s perspective, ensuring that the views represented are accurate and emphasizing the similarities and distinctions. I then ask the students to put the board notes into their notebooks. 

Afterwards, we hold a debate. The students are required to argue the views of the people they represent, even if they have disagreements with those views. I spend time with the students as they prepare for the debate, asking them to give me the arguments they plan to present. I do this to make sure that their arguments accurately represent the views they are presenting. And I also ask students to write a list of statements that would make clear their disagreements with other leaders’ perspectives. While doing this, I ask them to write down any criticisms they have of another person’s point of view.

Grade Level: High School

Time Required: One to Two Class Periods