Journaling Exercise
- Make sure that your students have blank, lined paper, and a writing implement. Prepare them for a journaling exercise. You may choose to have the students keep their journaling exercise or hand it in.
- Ask the students to consider the story that Ellen tells about her family's African American maid and the scenes from Miss Daisy about the Martin Luther King, Jr. dinner. Remind your students that these are examples of people's words and actions not quite matching (or examples of the limitations of people's beliefs about their own lack of racism). Explain that this is also a challenge in our world today.
- Have your students reflect and write on one of the following:
- Describe a situation today in which you or someone you know or a public figure has proclaimed certain values and then acted in ways that did not reflect those values. How could this person better align his/her actions with his/her beliefs? Which do you think speak louder, words or actions? Why?
- How do power and privilege shape your life? Give a specific example.
