Rethinking Schools: Nina Simone, Social Justice Education, and Early Elementary Students

"Who are, were, and will be the people for whom Nina Simone sings?"

In the article, What Nina Simone Teaches 1st and 2nd Graders About Making Change by Cristina Paul, in collaboration with Olivia Lozano and Nancy Villalta, a trio of teachers at the UCLA Lab School, part of UCLA's School of Education & Information Studies, Paul explains and outlines the methods they employed to help students understand the importance of collective freedom through the work of Nina Simone. Guided by the Common Core and Learning for Justice social justice standards, the trio developed an interdisciplinary curriculum centered on the concepts of power and change to implement with students from diverse socioeconomic and Spanish-speaking backgrounds. 

In a unit on changemakers, students were asked to examine questions related to the concept of power, the meaning of change, and the role of changemakers within communities, enabling them to understand the impact that one person's actions can have on a movement and providing them with examples of ways in which they could take action in the face of injustice and inspire change. To meet this learning objective, students read texts about young changemakers, analyzed primary sources, and learned about the history of various intersectional activists such as Nina Simone. The use of Nina Simone's music as an empathy-building primary source opened the door for students to think critically about the world around them and the impact that one person can have on a community. Students' introduction to Simone's music, through an inquiry-based approach and a series of 'notice and wonder' activities, allowed them to internalize and connect with broader social justice themes relevant to the present day. 

This article, along with the work of the educators at the UCLA Lab School, exemplifies the argument Sleeter made in last week's reading, "The Academic and Social Value of Ethnic Studies." It also echoes and embodies the sentiments of our earlier reading of Teaching for Social Justice, which argues that "schools and classrooms should be laboratories for a more just society than the one we currently live in." Our viewing of Precious Knowledge serves as a powerful companion piece to this article, as the teaching methods employed are similar, with both highlighting the importance of culturally responsive teaching. The fact that children of such a young age can critically engage with such advanced themes demonstrates the capacity of youth to grapple with complex topics when given the right tools and support. Each of the pieces we've engaged with demonstrates how centering identity, history, and activism in curriculum empowers students to see themselves as agents of change and resist the systems that seek to marginalize them. This reading also reinforced the importance of an interdisciplinary approach in education, specifically the need to integrate art across disciplines, including but not limited to English Language Arts and Social Studies, to support better, deeper student engagement, comprehension, and creative expression.

As a longtime Nina Simone fan, this article reminded me of her iconic song "Young, Gifted and Black," a classic in the Black community that has inspired generations of Black youth with hope, perseverance, and strength.

"You are young, gifted and black"

We must begin to tell our young

There's a world waiting for you

Yours is the quest that's just begun

More AMAZING hits from Ms. Simone, "Backlash Blues/I Got Life/Revolution" performed live:

Similarly, when considering the power of voice through song and poetry, the poet and musician Gil Scott-Heron came to mind. Specifically, his poem, Whitey on the Moon:

There is also a clip included toward the end of the video above with Scott-Heron's performance of a song titled "Alien," detailing the experience of immigrants to the United States, which I had never heard before. 

Another classic by Mr. Scott-Heron that I come back to a lot is "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised":