People Power Organizing Project
For this project you are going to become a member of one of the major civil rights movements of the 20 th century. Your
jobs is twofold: creating a press release to alert the media to your accomplishments and goals, and an organizing poster
advertising an event of yours.
The essential questions you will answer in this project are:
How effective were strategies used during the Civil Rights Movement in achieving their goals?
How is power acquired, used, and distributed?
Questions to answer in your project
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What were the major goals and key players of each movement
How did each movement challenge dominant power structures
What methods did major social movements use to accomplish their goals
What are major events in each movement
How did each movement transform and improve our country
What work must still be done?
Steps:
 Select a topic: Black Power (Malcolm X), SNCC or SCLC (MLK), Latinos,
American Indian Movement, Feminism, Environmentalists, Gay Rights, Disabled
Rights
 Research: Answer the guiding questions
 Create a Press Release: You are alerting the media to your event. Your
press release is designed to educate the media about who you are, what you’ve
done, and what you hope to accomplish.
 Create an advertisement for your modern event: Your ad must contain a
symbolic image of your movement (see above). It will advertise the action you are
taking to correct an injustice.
Press Release Checklist
Press release is about a modern issue facing the group you
have selected (ex. Columbus Day)
Press release includes the history of your movement, going
back in time. This shows your history and accomplishments!
Includes what tactics you have used in the past, and any
defeats you faced
Includes a description of what victory looks like. Ex. Mascots
are changed to another image, from Redskins to Redtails
Follows the writing rubric and is 2 pgs in length.
Research Guide:
Research Topic:
Group Members:
Where was the movement born?
When as it born?
Why was it created? What were the problems they were fighting?
History
Direct Action
(Ex. Bus
Boycott)
Why did you do it?
QUOTE FROM HISTORICAL STRUGGLES
Tactics used to fight and
Who was involved?
Effect
COMMENTARY ON QUOTE
Modern
Issues Facing
Movement
Cause/problem?
QUOTE FROM CURRENT STRUGGLES
Tactics that could be used to fight
Desired effect
COMMENTARY ON QUOTE
Stems for Citing Evidence:
Cause and Effect
Because of ________, __________ happened
As a result of____________,_____________
Explain or Describe
For example, __________________ Therefore, _______________
The impact of ________________
An example of __________ is _________
If_____________, then____________
This is important because ____________
Consequently,________________
________ could be described as_______
Based on the evidence _____________Due to__________, ______________
This led to___________________
According to ________, _____________
effectively (caused)___________
_____ can be viewed as/characterized_____
by
_____ is associated with/defined by/consists of
____ is considered / described as
Additional evidence highlights _________
This evidence points to _______________
Compare and Contrast
_______ is similar _______
Compared to _______,________
____ have in common
But ; However
In contrast,_______
On the other hand_________
As opposed to______,_______
A distinction between__________
However, __________ is ___________
Conversely, (contrast)_____________
Comparatively, (similar)____________
Citation
Using a Quote
At (date/place)(Person) spoke
Set up
about (topic) when he/she/they
said (“Quote”). This means that
(Explain/Interpret Quote) This is
Explanation
another piece of evidence that
(Point back to thesis).
Historical Topics: African American Civil Rights
Historical Topics: Gay Rights
Brown vs. Board of Education
Montgomery Bus Boycott
March on Selma
Poor People’s Campaign
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Kinsey Study
Stonewall Riots
AIDS Quilt
Harvey Milk Elected
Same Sex Marriage in Massachusetts
Historical Topics: Women’s Rights Movement
Historical Topics: Disabled Rights
Seneca Falls Convention
19th Amendment
Griswold v. Connecticut
Title IX
ERA
Social Security Act
Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
ADAPT Denver RTD
Historical Topics: Chicano Rights
Historical Topics: American Indian Movement
UFW Delano Boycott
Crusade for Justice
LA Student Walkouts
Immigration Reform and Control Act
Equal Educational Opportunities Act
Brown Berets
1968 Police Brutality Patrols
Trail of Broken Treaties
Wounded Knee Occupation
Alcatraz and Plymouth Rock Occupation
BIA occupation
Bowen v. American Hospital Association
ADA protests and passage
PRESS RELEASE OUTLINE
Fortunately, the standard format for writing releases is not complicated or difficult to follow. Simply include the necessary information in
the correct order, as follows:
1.
Headline: Write a headline that is short and simple. It should not be longer than 170 characters and the primary keyword for the
release should be included.
2.
Summary Paragraph: The first paragraph should briefly illustrate what the main point of the release is, including why the
information provided is relevant and newsworthy. It should be italicized.
3.
Location & Date Line: Beneath the summary, begin the opening paragraph of the release with the city and state where the problem
is located, and the date the news release is being made public using the month, day, and year format.
4.
Body: The body typically consists of two or three paragraphs that are single-spaced and separated with one blank line in between.
Each paragraph should be focused on a single idea and have only a few sentences.
1.
What is the activity you are planning and WHY?
2.
Who are you, what is your history?
1.
What have you accomplished in the past?
1.
5.
Use quotes, yo!
Contact Details: Include information about how readers can contact the appropriate person for additional information. This section
should include the name of the appropriate person along with his or her telephone number; email address; Twitter, Facebook, and
LinkedIn information; and the URL for the organization's website.
COLORADO AIM Denounces Sons of Italy,
New Generation plans for "Convoy of Conquest" in LoDo
AIM Calls for Massive Opposition to Racism on October 9
Once again, the Sons of Italy (SOI) and their cohorts, have wasted an opportunity to transform a day of
distrust and animosity into a mutually-respectful, multicultural celebration of Italian heritage. The SOI has
again obtained a permit for its racist and bigoted celebration of the Indian-killer and slave trader, Christopher
Columbus.
Last year, as for the past three years, the Transform Columbus Day Alliance, of which Colorado AIM is a
member, has invited and requested (see attachment) the organizers of the Columbus hate speech display, to
abandon the veneration of one of the most repressive figures in the history of the Western Hemisphere.
Last year, a respected American Indian elder, the late Wallace Black Elk, and Columbine High School massacre'
survivor, Richard Castaldo, jointly delivered a request for the Columbus marchers to abandon Columbus.
Instead, the request suggested that a common ground be found, upon which people from all communities in
the Denver region could join to celebrate Italian-American culture, and all cultures. The request was not only
refused, it was ridiculed by the SOI.
Colorado AIM, believing that more progressive leaders in the Italian-American community might inspire a
change of heart among the SOI, did not compete for a parade permit for the weekend of October 9th. The SOI
proceeded with its plan to continue its selfish, anti-American Indian escapade, without regard for the harm
that it creates to the people of Denver, and without regard to historical accuracy or to common decency.
The SOI calls its travesty a "parade," but it clearly is not a parade. Parades have balloons and laughing children
and a festive atmosphere. What occurs in honor of Columbus is a "Convoy of Conquest" a "Procession of
Prejudice." There are no festive moments, no squealing children, no inclusive celebrations. Instead, there are
lines of Hell's Angels bikers, a few semi-trucks, and some stretch limos and Humvees to compensate for the
ridiculously small size of the entire event. Any eyewitness for the past few years can attest that this "parade"
does not even have any spectators, unless one counts the 600 riot-clad Denver Police who are required to
defend the racists.
Some might ask, if the parade is so ridiculous and pitiful, then why protest it? Colorado AIM's position is this:
the celebration of Columbus Day is the celebration of the destruction of indigenous peoples and nations, pure
and simple. Columbus Day began as a state holiday in Colorado in 1905, and Colorado AlM feels a unique
responsibility to confront the racism inherent in the holiday, in its birthplace.
The "Convoy of Conquest" which is scheduled for Saturday, October 9th, is designed for one purpose - and
that purpose is not the celebration of Italian pride. The purpose is the assertion of power, the assertion that
those who came to conquer indigenous peoples have won in their mission, and to reinforce (with the
protection of the Denver Police Department SWAT Team) that they can flaunt their domination through their
hateful, anti-Indian displays.
For the past four years, the Transform Columbus Day Alliance has attempted to provide an alternative model
for the people of Colorado and America. We have brought together the All Nations - Four Directions March, to
prove that respectful, multiracial cultural celebrations are not only desirable, but are achievable. We have
brought thousands of people together, from across the continent, in our hope that Columbus hate speech
might be abandoned, but the SOI keeps the hatred alive.
In response to the SOI’s blatant, bigoted insistence:
* Colorado AIM calls for all people of conscience to confront this ''Convoy of Conquest." We call for nonviolent, direct action against racism in the streets of Denver on the day of the Columbus hate speech,
Saturday, October 9, 2004,
*Colorado AIM calls on Mayor John Hickenlooper to condemn the racism inherent in the celebration of
Columbus, and to create a new model for transforming the Columbus holiday, in Denver, its birthplace.
* Colorado AIM calls on all elected officials to transform the hateful Columbus legacy by replacing Columbus
holidays and celebrations with events and holidays that are more historically accurate and respectful.
* In the coming days, Colorado AIM will announce plans for a national campaign to transform the Columbus
legacy nationally and internationally.