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 did Bryn Mawr and Loma Linda come to be?
55 minutes
Students learn about the area of Bryn Mawr and Loma Linda learning about land prospectors, early townsites, the importance of the railroads, and the beginning of the citrus industry in the region.
Intersectional Identity and Community Support Groups
2 Days (55 Minute Class)
How do community support groups honor our intersectional identity? Students will examine the influence of community support groups and explore intersectionality. Students will engage in a historical analysis of important figures in the Inland Empire community, analyze examples of mission statements from community support groups, and dissect the purpose of community support groups and their principles. For the culminating project, students will work in groups to create their own mission statement in support of a community group of their choice, along with five principles to identify and support a specific group.
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?
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.
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.
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.
How Did Mexican Americans Build a Community in Bryn Mawr?
55 minutes
Students learn about the ways that Mexican immigrants made community in the Bryn Mawr and Loma Linda area including how they faced discrimination, prejudice and pressure to assimilate.
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.
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.
The First Koreatown and the Legacy of Dosan Ahn Chang Ho Lesson 2
55 minutes
Students explore the life of Dosan Ahn Chang Ho, his immigration to the United States, and his life as an activist and community builder
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.
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.
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