Experience history from the ground up, in the voices of those who have lived it. We are a community archive & mapping project documenting historic communities of color, working people, and LGBTQ+ individuals in Riverside and San Bernardino.

Harada Family: House on Lemon Street

This lesson plan provides students the opportunity to use local primary sources to learn about Japanese immigration in the late 19th and early 20th century and the ways California and federal laws created land ownership barriers for Japanese Americans. Students will learn how the Harada family in Riverside challenged racial housing restrictions and ultimately launched a historic legal court case that reaffirmed the rights of American-born children of immigrants were entitled to all the constitutional guarantees of citizenship under the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, including land ownership. The lesson plan provides a way to connect local history to national laws like the 1790 Naturalization Act (which excluded non-white immigrants from becoming citizens), the 14th Amendment, and the 1913 CA Land Law.

Curriculum Asian American Civil Rights Ethnic Studies Housing Immigration Riverside

How do we remember our community’s history?

55 Minutes

The purpose of this lesson is to reflect on how we remember the contributions of those who may not be as visible in the stories of our local communities, particularly historically marginalized groups. This calls into question how we think about the terms that we use for people in our communities as well as ourselves, and the changing nature of names, identities and narratives surrounding them.

Curriculum Asian and Pacific Islander Ethnic Studies History

How can communities repair past injustices? 

2 Day (55 Minute Classes), 11-12 Grade

Students will explore ways in which various community members have sought justice for the 1946 arson murder of O’Day Short and his family in Fontana, California. Students will analyze primary source documents to research attempts to bring this injustice to light, repair the harm, and commemorate the Short family’s death. After exploring and discussing primary sources, students will write an argumentative paragraph answering the question “Has the injustice of the firebombing and death of the Short family been repaired?” Students will apply what they have learned about repairing past injustices to research and bring to light an issue or incident that affects their community, and produce a 30-60 second “Instagram Reel” that highlights the issue and proposes an action to address the injustice.

Curriculum Activism African American Fontana Segregation

How have shifts in land use in and around Mira Loma, CA contributed to evolving social justice movements?

3 Days, 55 minute periods

This ethnic studies lesson plan explores the intersection of land, labor, and logistics in Mira Loma, CA, emphasizing the 4’Is of oppression, social justice, and sustainable development. It dives into Mira Loma’s history, along with the social justice movements emerging in response to the area’s growing logistics centers. The lesson encourages active learning and critical thinking through discussions, written reflections, and a creative task where students respond to the essential question through the creation of a comic strip.

Curriculum Environmental Justice Ethnic Studies History

Equal Access to Public Pools

2 Days (55 Minute Classes), 11-12 Grade

In what ways does having access to public pools impact a community? Students will learn about the creation of public pools and the challenges presented to equal access by exploring historic access to pools in three Inland Empire cities: the Fairmount Park Plunge in Riverside during the 1920s, the Sylvan Plunge in Redlands in the 1930s, and the Perris Hill Plunge in San Bernardino during the 1940s.  Students will identify why having access to a public pool was important then and now – and how it impacts individuals and the community. Finally, students will research and map access to public pools in their own community to analyze current needs.

Curriculum African American Civil Rights Latina/o/x Redlands Riverside San Bernardino Segregation

Building Spaces of Belonging, Resistance & Care in the IE

4-day lesson (55-minute class periods)

How have Inland Empire communities built and sustained spaces of belonging, resistance, and care across generations? Students use historical images from Riverside’s Eastside to explore the concept of spatial entitlement, the idea that marginalized communities have the right to claim and shape space for belonging, resistance, and care. Students will learn the concept of spatial entitlement through  personal reflection, an analysis of Orange Valley Lodge, and the study of sonic spaces inspired by Gaye Theresa Johnson’s Spaces of Conflict, Sounds of Solidarity. Students will then research a local Inland Empire space and creating a historical “postcard” that illustrates how the site embodies spatial entitlement. The lesson culminates with a peer postcard exchange and analysis, deepening their understanding of local histories and the power of place.

Curriculum African American Asian American Business Community Leaders Ethnic Studies Latina/o/x Native American Riverside
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