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.

How can we continue to help preserve our communities’ stories?

55 Minutes

Students will examine oral histories and pictures showing community members from A People’s History of the Inland Empire Story Maps and Bridges That Carried Us Over oral history collection. This collection examines the great migration of African Americans to California from 1940-1960. This lesson also focuses on how people build community when they move to new places and the impact the Great Migration had on the Inland Empire today. The students will look at examples of how community is created and continued.

Curriculum Grades 3–4 History

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

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

Historical Markers & Sacred Sites: Pá’čapa & Mt Rubidoux

2-3 Days (55 minute classes), 11-12 Grade

Which sites are remembered, how are they remembered, and who has the power to decide? In this multi-day lesson, students will look at historical markers and sacred sites in order to explore concepts of colonialism, displacement, and forced assimilation and their impact on Southern California Native people. Students will examine how sites like Pá’čapa or Mt Rubidoux are remembered and have the opportunity to write/rewrite a historical marker that centers the indigeneity of the Inland Empire and proximal areas.

Curriculum Ethnic Studies Native American Riverside

What did housing segregation look like in the Inland Empire in the 1920s-1970’s?

55 Minutes

Students will learn about housing segregation and its effects on Black communities across the country. Students will then explore primary source documents regarding housing segregation in the Inland Empire from 1920-1970. Students will synthesize the information to write a paragraph answering the questions – What did housing segregation look like in the Inland Empire and how do you think this history may have affected the communities you live in today?

Curriculum Ethnic Studies Grade 12 History Segregation

Baseball & Civil Rights

2 Day Lesson (55 Minute period), Grade 9-12

How did Baseball help forge community ties and a strong sense of ethnic identity, pride, and power that was necessary for the fight for civil rights? Students will explore the impact of segregation on communities of color, with a particular focus on the Latino community in the Inland Empire region of Southern California. Students will analyze an excerpt from the book Mexican American Baseball in the Inland Empire, an oral history from South Colton and photographs highlighting Latino baseball and softball players during the era of segregation. Through critical discussion and analysis, students will develop a broader perspective on how segregation shaped everyday life and how the community resisted by forging community pride, support, and identity as they fought in the ongoing struggle for civil rights.

 

Curriculum Civil Rights Colton Community Leaders Ethnic Studies Latina/o/x Riverside San Bernardino

Community Food Spaces, Cultural Wealth & Resilience

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

How do community food spaces reflect cultural wealth and resilience? Students will learn about the almost century-long history of Mitla Cafe in San Bernardino, California founded in 1937 by Lucia Rodriguez, and explore the historical significance of the space as a community hub, site of politics, and celebration. From sponsoring student historical theatre and community meals such as Feed the IE to hosting civil rights leaders like Cesar Chavez, Mitla’s significance in the community is historic and ongoing. Students will discuss the geographical and institutional challenges faced by Mitla Cafe, such as redlining, segregation, freeway infrastructure, and highlight the resilience that allowed cultural wealth to thrive, such as lowrider cruising, the cafe as a civil rights center, and community events for West San Bernardino. As extension activities, students can also learn about Glen Bell and the founding of Taco Bell (1964), as it relates to Mitla Cafe and Taco Tia (1954)  in Redlands and San Bernardino.

Curriculum Activism Business Ethnic Studies Latina/o/x San Bernardino
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