Connections Questions for the Classroom
The following are some questions for classroom discussion to help students connect the history presented in this website to their own lives and the choices they make everyday.
- What has the nation learned since the crisis in Little Rock? What issues still divide Americans?
- What does the story of Billings suggest about the way people get involved? About the way one act leads to another and yet another? On what precedents did the people of Billings build? What legacies did they leave for their children? For other communities?
- What does Sarah Anthony mean when she says, "We did something right here, and we will do it again if we have to. If we don't, there are people who would break every window in Billings, and we would look in those windows and see ourselves"? Marian Wright Edelman believes that "the good people's silence" can be "as damaging as the bad people's actions." Would Anthony agree? Do you agree?
- What is a hate crime? What distinguishes a hate crime from other crimes? After a rock was thrown through the window of a home that belonged to a Vietnamese family, then Deputy Superintendent William Johnston of the Boston Police Department noted that the rock did more than shatter glass. It also shattered a family. What do you think he meant? How do his words apply to Billings? A video of Johnston's talk is available to Facing History teachers from the Resource Center.
- "Hate crimes are not a police problem," says Former Police Chief Wayne Inman. "They're a community problem. Hate crimes and hate activity flourish only in communities that allow them to flourish." James Pace, the head of a racist "skinhead" group in Billings, agrees. He told a reporter, "If you have a racist problem, it was here and it's been here and it's going to be here if we are here or not." What are the two men suggesting about the role of the bystander in a community?
- Since 1994, a video has helped spread the word about what happened in Billings and the importance of speaking out against hate crimes. It is called Not in Our Town and is available to Facing History teachers from the Resource Center. The video has inspired several other communities to take a stand against racism and antisemitism. In 1997, a magazine reported:
In Cedar Rapids, Iowa, the Faith United Methodist Church has used the Not in Our Town video to encourage community groups to speak out against public events sponsored by the Iowa Militia. "We did not want the militia to be the only loud voices talking to our children," said Tom Mohan, who works through the Methodist church. "We watched the program so the people could talk about what happened in Billings and what we can do here. Doing something that you know others are doing all over the country makes you feel stronger."
In Bloomington, Illinois, "Not in Our Town" became the town motto: An official road sign was erected with a red circle containing a slash over the word "racism," followed by the phrase "Not in Our Town." Last year, nearly 1000 people signed a pledge against intolerance. Police officers wore "Not in Our Town" buttons on their lapels as they joined the mayor in a protest against racial hatred and church burnings around the country.
- What does the response of other communities suggest about the way people get involved in a movement? What does it suggest about the way that one act leads to another and yet another? How do we create civic spaces that allow these conversations to take place?