Razing the “House of Screams": Teaching, Learning, and Living the Reparations Won Curriculum

• In Event: Critical Perspectives on Race and Racism

Abstract

This project is an investigation into the "Reparations Won: A Case Study in Police Torture, Racism, and the Movement for Justice in Chicago" curriculum that is taught in 8th and 10th grade history classes in Chicago Public Schools. Specifically, this study asks, “How do teachers and former students understand this curriculum, its relevance, and its impact?” In a broader sense, we are interested in exploring if and how education can shed light on police violence and create lasting and impactful change. This project relies on preliminary analysis of 13 in-depth interviews with teachers and former CPS students. Centering the insight from those on the “front lines” of this work, this project has the potential to inspire and guide similar initiatives in school districts across the country while also illuminating the broader ideological struggles that are often fought through public school curriculum

Authors

• Kaitlyn Selman, Illinois State University

• Justin Turner, Illinois State University

• Hannah Carson Baggett, Auburn University