HOW TO USE THIS STUDY GUIDE
Book-It Repertory Theatre’s Arts and Education Program closely aligns its performances and learning materials with research-based reading instruction. The purpose of this study guide is to engage students in the Book-It Style®, literacy objectives, and hands-on activities that support the comprehension of New Shoes.
LITERACY OBJECTIVES ACTIVATING PRIOR KNOWLEDGE MAKING SELF-TO-TEXT CONNECTIONS VOCABULARY DEVELOPMENT BUILDING BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE
FIRST: READ THE BOOK
As part of Book-It’s touring package, your school has received a copy of the story that serves as a permanent resource for your library.
REFLECTING & EVALUATING
THEMES & CONCEPTS SEGREGATION
SECOND: SELECT ACTIVITIES
Select one or all of the activities and adjust them to fit your students and classroom needs. Some activities are designed for teachers to lead students through an interactive process; directions and support materials are included for successful facilitation. Others are handouts for independent student work or to be used for whole-class instruction.
INNOVATIVE THINKING PERSEVERANCE COLLABORATION
THIRD: KEEP READING!
Standards for the study guide and Performance: Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts*: R.CCR.1, R.CCR.2, R.CCR.3. R.CCR.4, R.CCR.6, RI.CCR.5, L.CCR.4, SL.CCR.2 Washington EARLs in Theatre: 1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11 *Exact standards depend upon grade level, reading the text, and instructional shifts to meet the Standard Study Guide Written and Compiled by: Maddie Napel, Primary Teaching Artist Additional Contributions and Study Guide Edited by: Annie DiMartino, Director of Education
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An important note on the Book-It Style® The use of narrative, particularly third-person narrative, is a hallmark and founding principle of Book-It Repertory Theatre productions since the company’s inception in 1987. Book-It’s approach to narrative text on ®stage is known throughout theatre communities regionally and nationally as the Book-It Style . Book-It adaptations provide an experience of the book unlike any other adapted work. By preserving the author’s original language, Book-It adaptations capture the essence of the novel’s original intent and tone, while celebrating the author’s unique voice. Actors in a Book-It Style production perform narrative lines in character with objectives and intentions as they would with any line of dialogue in a standard play. Narrative lines are delivered with motivation to other characters, as opposed to a detached delivery straight out to the audience as a narrator. Book-It adapters will often divide descriptive narrative amongst several characters. This arrangement and editing process is a result of purposeful exploration and development over the last 29 years of the company’s artistic history, and overseen by Founding Co-Artistic Directors Jane Jones and Myra Platt.
SCRIPT EXAMPLE:
ELLA MAE And now she would describe herself as “black” or “African American.” —
Enter ELLA MAE & CHARLOTTE. They begin the “New Shoes” step– dance routine. Throughout the play, the step motif reappears periodically as punctuation and gesture within each character’s lines.
They continue the step routine and finish. ELLA MAE My cousin Charlotte hands me the package —
ELLA MAE & CHARLOTTE This story is set in the 1950s! —
CHARLOTTE As we stand outside — ELLA MAE Johnson’s Shoes.—
ELLA MAE So Ella Mae describes herself as “colored.”—
ELLA MAE “If you could have any shoes in the window,” I ask, “which one would you choose?”
CHARLOTTE But language changes over time.—
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TABLE OF CONTENTS ABOUT THE STORY & CHARACTERS
Story Synopsis ................................................................................. 5 Characters in the Story ....................................................................... 7 About Me: from author Susan Lynn Meyers ................................................ 8 An Interview with Susan Lynn Meyers ..................................................... 10 About the Illustrator: Eric Velasquez ..................................................... 12 Meet the Director of New Shoes ........................................................... 14
CONTEXT
Self-to-Text Connections: Shoe Sizing .................................................... 15 Time Travel with Susan Lynn Meyers ...................................................... 16 Jim Crow in the American South ........................................................... 17 Stories from Youth in Birmingham, Alabama ............................................ 19 Stepping: African American Dance in Context ........................................... 21
ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES
Entrepreneurship: Starting a New Business .............................................. 22 Advertisement Design ....................................................................... 24 Becoming an Activist ........................................................................ 25 Soles4Souls Shoe Drive ...................................................................... 26 Additional Resources ........................................................................ 27
INTRODUCTION TO BOOK-IT REPERTORY THEATRE’S ARTS & EDUCATION PROGRAM:
Book-It’s Arts and Education Program is dedicated to inspiring people of all ages to read. We tour a diverse range of stories to schools, libraries, and community venues throughout Washington state, conduct long-term residencies in schools, offer teacher professional development for school staff, and present low-cost student matinées of our mainstage shows. What you will see and hear at a Book-It performance is literature spoken by the characters as if it were dialogue in a play—actors speak both the narration and the dialogue. Book-It takes the written word back to its roots—storytelling!
OUR MISSION
To provide an interactive relationship between youth and literature through diverse theatrical productions and educational programs that promote the joy of reading, enhance student and teacher learning, and inspire the imagination. 4
STORY SYNOPSIS Somewhere in the Jim Crow South, in the mid- 1950s, Ella Mae stands with her cousin Charlotte and admires a pair of saddle shoes in the display window of Johnson’s Shoes store. Ella Mae knows that her family will not be able to afford new shoes for her this school year. She and her brother Clayton will have to make do with hand-me-downs from Charlotte and her brother Winslow. However, when Ella Mae gets home and tries on Charlotte’s old shoes, they are too tight and pinch her toes. Her mother agrees that this year, they will scrape together enough money for a new pair. On Saturday morning, Ella Mae goes to Johnson’s Shoes with her mother. They wait while Mr. Johnson helps a white man and his daughter try on pair after pair of shoes. Finally, it is Ella Mae’s turn. She points to the saddle shoes, “I want to try those on, sir!” Mr. Johnson shakes his head and points instead to a pencil and paper. Ella Mae is not allowed to try on shoes because of the color of her skin. Instead, she must trace a picture of her feet onto paper and accept whatever shoes she is given. Though Ella Mae ends up with new shoes she likes, the experience of shoe shopping leaves her feeling bad.
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K-3 Activity
4-6 Activity
The next day at school, she shows her shoes to Charlotte, and they compare stories of not being allowed to try on shoes. During spelling, Ella Mae has an idea. She and Charlotte decide to do chores for their neighbors in exchange for a nickel and a pair of used shoes. At the end of a month, they pool their earnings and buy tins of shoe polish. After cleaning and polishing the used shoes, they arrange them in the barn by Ella Mae’s house and put up a sign, “Ella Mae and Charlotte’s Shoes, Price—10¢ and another used pair.” Neighbors flood the store, eager to try on shoes as Ella Mae announces proudly, “In our store, anyone who walks in the door can try on all the shoes they want.”
Pre-Show Discussion Questions: K-3 • After showing your students the front cover of the book, ask them what they think the book is going to be about and where and when do they think it will take place? Then read the book, and ask them to point out what they see and what they think the characters are feeling. • Think about a time that you wanted something new. What was it? Were you able to get it right away, or did it require some extra work? How did it feel to get (or fail to get) the thing that you wanted? Ask your students to make a silent sitting statue of each emotion. 4-6 • Why do you think the author chose to write this particular story from Ella Mae’s point of view? Imagine that it had been written instead from her mother’s point of view or her older brother’s. How would the meaning of the story be changed? • What other stories have you read or seen that take place in a similar time period? • Think about a time that you, like Ella Mae and Charlotte, persevered to achieve a goal? How did it feel when you finally got what you wanted? 6
CHARACTERS IN OUR STORY The following characters are played by the 3 actors in our production: Ella Mae: a 7 year old African American girl living in the Jim Crow south in the 1950s Charlotte: Ella Mae’s cousin, she is also African American and attends the same school as Ella Mae Mama: Ella Mae’s mother, she is wise to the ways of the world and tries to help Ella Mae stay positive about the daily discrimination they face Clayton: Ella Mae’s older brother Winslow: Charlotte’s older brother Mr. Johnson: A white shopkeeper, the owner of Johnson’s Shoes White girl with blonde curls and her dad: The father, daughter duo who get helped first by Mr. Johnson before Ella Mae and her mom.
Mrs. Douglass: An African American woman who brings her daughter Laura to try on shoes at Ella Mae and Charlotte’s Shoes Laura: A young African American girl who tries on shoes at Ella Mae and Charlotte’s Shoes
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4-6 Activity
About Me: from author Susan Lynn Meyers (https://susanlynnmeyer.com/about/)
I had another near disaster with a book a few years later in fourth or fifth grade. My Uncle David and Aunt Ann (who is also the writer, novelist Ann Swinfen) lived in Scotland, along with my granny. For my birthday, they sent me wonderful British books that I never would have been able to find in Baltimore. They arrived in brown paper packages with British stamps on them. I still have those much-treasured books from across the ocean. One book they sent me was C. S. Lewis’s The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, which quickly became one of my favorite books of all time.
I have always loved to read. Really—almost always! When I was a toddler, my mother started teaching my older brother David to read. I wanted to do everything David could do, so I spied on the lessons, and started to read (or so the family story goes) at the age of two. I grew up in Baltimore, in a small, noisy house, with my five brothers and sisters. Our dog was named Toto. One cold winter night, I found her huddled on an old mattress in our carport. I begged to keep her—and we named her after The Wizard of Oz.
Unfortunately, there was a girl in my class that year who stole things. I’ll call her Mary. After a while the kids in my class complained enough that our teacher found an excuse to send Mary out of the room. While Mary was out, our teacher looked through her desk. As the teacher picked up pencils, erasers, and jewelry, various kids called out indignantly, “That’s mine!” Then, to my great shock (though I loved books, I obviously didn’t keep good track of them!) she reached into Mary’s desk and lifted out my copy of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.
When I was in first grade, I had a reading disaster. I loved the Pippi Longstocking books by Astrid Lindgren. The library was getting a new one, and I put my name on the long waiting list. After waiting for what seemed like forever, finally it was my turn. I was so absorbed in the story that I brought it into school the next day and read it sitting outside the classroom—and then, when the bell rang, somehow I left it behind. That night I panicked.
When Mary came back, our teacher asked her if there was anything in her desk that didn’t belong to her. Mary gave some things back but insisted that my book was hers. I said it was mine, but the teacher didn’t seem to believe me.
The next morning my teacher told me that she had found the book. I started to smile—until she cheerfully informed me that she had returned it to the library. Then I burst into tears. Because she returned my precious book, I had to put my name on the list at the library all over again—and wait for weeks and weeks to finish it!
But suddenly I remembered something. “Where did you get it?” I asked. “My parents bought it for me,” Mary said. “Where?” I demanded. 8
About Me: from author Susan Lynn Meyers Continued Mary named a bookstore in nearby Towson. “No they didn’t!” I exclaimed triumphantly. “Look at the back of the book.” The teacher turned my book over, but didn’t see anything.
I jumped up. “There!” I said, pointing. I had studied and loved the book so much that I knew every detail about it. In small print on the back it said: “For copyright reasons this edition is not for sale in the U.S.A.” I got my cherished book back, and I still have it. In the photo, you can see that is a little water-damaged from the time I left it in a bag next to my wet swim suit. Of course, I did other things as a kid. I babysat for my younger brothers and sisters and neighbors. I played softball with the neighborhood kids—and we only sometimes hit the ball through windows or crushed the azalea bushes. I loved swimming, dance classes, and gymnastics. I was really proud when I made it onto the Rebounders Gymnastics Team. I went to college in Baltimore, at Johns Hopkins University. I started out as a math major but then changed to English. It was amazing to realize that I could sit and read all I wanted and have that count as schoolwork. I went on to study literature in graduate school at UCLA (where I got my master’s degree in English literature) and then at Yale (where I got my Ph.D.). I am now an English professor at Wellesley College outside Boston. I write literary criticism (books and articles about works of literature) as well as children’s books. I teach courses in Victorian literature, American literature, and creative writing. But I also like kayaking, playing with my daughter, exploring the rocky coast of Maine, berry-picking, bicycling, hiking, and ice-skating. I hate lima beans—I never outgrew that from my childhood. I love old public libraries, the French language, fountains, fall in New England, and caramel apples. RIGHT-IN-THE-TEXT QUESTIONS: 1. Name two books that were important to Susan Lynn Meyer growing up. 2. According to Susan Lynn Meyer, what was the best thing about studying English in college? 3. What does Susan Lynn Meyer enjoy doing in her spare time?
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An Interview with Susan Lynn Meyers (from www.holidayhouse.com)
Q: Susan, in two to three sentences, tell us about your book New Shoes. A: New Shoes is the story of Ella Mae, an African American girl living in the 1950s before the civil rights movement. Ella Mae is very excited when she goes with her mother to a shoe store to pick out her first pair of new shoes. But she is humiliated when she finds out that because of her skin color, she isn’t allowed to try on any of the shoes—and the story is about what she and her cousin Charlotte do together to improve that situation. Q: Though New Shoes is a fictional story, it focuses on the reality that many African Americans used to face when going to purchase shoes. Can you tell us where you found your inspiration for the story? A: I was reading about the Jim Crow era as background for a novel I’m writing set in New York in the 1940s. Before I started researching, I knew what most people know about segregation: about segregated seating on buses, segregated water fountains, segregated restaurants and segregated lunch counters. When I came across the fact that in many places, African Americans weren’t allowed to try on clothes, hats or shoes before buying them, I was startled and appalled. I thought a lot about what it would have felt like to be slapped in the face by that practice for the first time. That’s where the idea for New Shoes came from.
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K-3 Activity
4-6 Activity
Q: Tell us about any research you did for the story. A: As I mentioned, the premise of the story—a girl finding out for the first time that she is not allowed to try on shoes—came from reading I was doing about the history of segregation. In the course of my research, I read a number of oral histories of African Americans who lived through this time. One thing I really enjoyed finding out about was the subtle acts of resistance and rebellion that people engaged in, such as refusing to patronize restaurants that would only sell food to African Americans by handing it out the back door, or planning ahead to bring their own drinks so that they wouldn’t have to use segregated water fountains. One of the most important things I did was talk to African American friends and ask them to read drafts of the story. One friend told me that in an early draft I had Ella Mae’s mother’s attitude wrong. I had her directly expressing resentment at the discriminatory situation in the shoe store when she talks to Ella Mae. My friend said that her own older relatives wouldn’t have acted that way, that they would have tried to protect Ella Mae and encourage her to think positively. I thought about my own relatives from that generation, and about the way I talk to my own daughter when she faces adverse situations and my friend’s advice immediately felt so right. So I changed what Ella Mae’s mother says to her. Q: What advice would you give to young authors? A: Read a lot! Read books you love and read all kinds of books. Write your own stories—what happens to you and what you think and feel are important. Try to capture your experiences in words. Revise your work to make it better. I numbered the drafts of New Shoes, so I know it went through 23 drafts. It took me many versions of the story to figure out what Ella Mae and Charlotte could do after the shoe store experience to make things better. I tried many different endings! K-2 ACTIVITY—The Friendly Advice Wall Susan Lynn Meyer sought the advice of her friends when writing New Shoes. On a flip chart, or any large piece of paper, write the title “Friendly Advice”, then as a class discuss what helping someone looks or sound like, especially when they need help. Next, have your friends either draw pictures or write out helpful advice they would offer a friend. Attach your students’ suggestions to the piece of paper and keep on display. RIGHT-IN-THE-TEXT QUESTIONS: 1. What inspired Susan Lynn Meyer to write New Shoes? 2. What advice was given to Susan Lynn Meyer about the Mother character and what changes were made? 3. How many drafts were written before New Shoes went to publication? 11
About the Illustrator: Eric Velasquez (from http://www.ericvelasquez.com)
Illustrator Eric Velasquez, the son of Afro-Puerto Rican parents, was born in Spanish Harlem and grew up in Harlem. His dual heritage coupled with the experience of living in dual cultures in New York City gives Eric a rich and unique cultural perspective. As a child, his love for doodling and drawing was strongly encouraged by his mother. From his grandmother he inherited a love of music and from his father he developed a love of film. Growing up in this setting, Eric says, “Becoming an artist was a natural choice for me. I have never thought of being anything else.” Eric attended the High School of Art and Design and earned his BFA from the School of Visual Arts in 1983. In 1984 he completed a year of studies with Harvey Dinnerstein at the Art Student’s League. Eric is a member of the Art Student’s League. Upon completion of his studies with Mr. Dinnerstein, Eric began his career as a freelance illustrator. Over the next 12 years he completed a body of work of over 300 book jackets and interior illustrations. Such works include Beverly Naidoo’s award-winning “ Journey to Jo’Burg” and its sequel “Chain of Fire.” In 1997 Eric expanded as an illustrator with his first picture book “The Piano Man” by Debbie Chocolate, published by Walker & Co. Eric says he approached this project as a Technicolor movie extravaganza…. He was awarded the 1999 CorettaScott King/John Steptoe award for new talent for “The Piano Man.” In 1999, Eric again expanded his range as an illustrator/ storyteller with his authorship of “Grandma’s Records.” This is an autobiographical picture book based on his childhood in Spanish Harlem with his grandmother. Eric describes this book as an inspirational tribute to his grandmother. “This was an emotional journey through time to the place I come from.” Eric Velasquez lives and works in Hartsdale New York. 12
K-3 Activity
4-6 Activity
Finding your Passion Author Susan Lynn Meyers and illustrator Eric Meyers describe finding their respective careers as artists in different ways. Susan Lynn Meyers loved to read but did not consider that she could be a writer until college, when she switched majors to English. Eric Velazquez, on the other hand, says “Becoming an artist was a natural choice for me. I have never thought of being anything else.”
Career Collage ART ACTIVITY: On a separate sheet of paper, have your students draw or cut and paste from magazines, all of the jobs they are passionate about pursuing right now. Make sure that they label the career and perhaps add a sentence or two about why certain careers interest them.
Advice from your older self WRITING ACTIVITY: Imagine yourself, thirty years from now. You have the coolest, most fulfilling job in the world. What do you do? Have you always wanted to do this, or did you discover this career passion later in life? In the space below or on a separate sheet of paper, write a letter to your younger self about your career path journey. Begin with: Dear Self, You won’t believe what I’m up to now.
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Meet the Director and Adapter of New Shoes: In Conversation with Lamar Legend Q: Tell us a little bit about your artistic process as a director. How do you get started with a new play? A: The very first thing I do is read the play. And while I read, I focus on truly experiencing it as an audience member as much as possible. I tune into the language, the story and its affect on me; the imagery, the timing, rhythm, music, and flow. I get a sense of its themes, what the playwright is clearly telling us what they want heard. Q: How do you know you’re on the right track? A: So much of working in theater is collaborative. As a director, I position myself as a guide towards the focal point of the story. Eventually, things start to become synergistic in the journey towards that focal point with my fellow collaborators, and that's how I know we're on the right track. Also, previews with an audience helps distill things. Q: What aspects of being a director are the most challenging for you or the most rewarding? A: The most challenging part of directing is not getting in my own way and remaining open. The most rewarding part is watching an audience listen. Q: What excites you about bringing this play to schools in Washington State? A: "New Shoes" is a play about the daily struggles of people of color, our resilience, and its relevance today. As an educator and an artist who has worked with and performed for children, these themes become increasingly important; especially in Washington State where I've been asked by students, "Did this really happen?" - after seeing a story where racial injustice occurs.
Q: Part of Book-It’s mission is inspiring students to read. What are you reading right now? A: I'm always reading a bunch of books at once, so here goes: I just finished reading Mordred, The Bastard Son, a gay retelling of the Arthurian legend from the point of view of his enemy. I just started Fire & Blood, a companion piece to the Game of Thrones series; while also beginning Toni Morrison's God Help The Child. And finally, I always read a story from The Complete Grimm's Faerytales before I go to bed. 14
K-3 Activity 4-6 Activity
SELF-TO-TEXT CONNECTIONS: Shoe Sizing In New Shoes, Ella Mae is not allowed to try on shoes at Johnson’s Shoes because of the color of her skin. Instead, she must trace her feet on a piece of paper to determine her size. Using the directions below, size your own feet using this method. Compare the resulting size to the size you usually buy from stores. Is this a good method for finding the size most comfortable for you? Why or why not?
1. Find a ruler, a pen and a piece of paper. 2. Tape the paper to the ground and place your foot on it. Gently press down on your foot to make sure it is flat and that your toes are not curled. 3. Draw a line behind your heel and another line in front of your longest toe. 4. Measure the distance between the lines in inches or centimeters.
Sizing Tips Add 1/4" for adequate wiggle room for toes and proper foot growth. Poor fitting shoes can lead to bone, back and muscle problems later in life. •
Make sure you measure both feet and use the longer foot measurement for sizing. •
Measure often to ensure a perfect fit. Little feet should be measured at least every 2-3 months for the first 2 years and at least every 6 months after that. •
Add socks. If you're buying shoes that will be worn with socks or tights, measure feet while wearing these items or add a little extra length to ensure a good fit. •
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K-3 Activity
Time Travel with Susan Lynn Meyers
(from Susan Lynn Meyer’s guest post Time Travel with Kindergarteners on https://jeanreidy.com/)
How can young children travel in time? How can they feel what it was like to live in another era? Enter: THE HISTORICAL FICTION PICTURE BOOK! If I were teaching an elementary grade, I’ve been thinking (I teach older students), I might decorate a time travel capsule for my class. You could make tickets for the box providing transport to particular eras. You could have books at the ready that vividly represented life in that time—and maybe also a few appropriate artifacts to go along with each book. A child could reach in and pick out a ticket. And then it would be time to read aloud a book. If the card said, for example, “1950s America,” you might read my newest picture book, New Shoes. Maybe you could show your class a pair of saddle shoes too. (Yes, they still make them! I found mine on Zappos—I wanted a pair to wear when I visit elementary schools to talk about my book.) Ella Mae, the main character in New Shoes, is an African-American girl who yearns for a new pair of saddle shoes for school—but getting them isn’t as wonderful as she had hoped.
Activity: Building Your Time Machine 1. Design a Time Travel Capsule like the one Susan Lynn Meyers describes. Suggestion: decorate a shoe box with construction paper, glue, and glitter. 2. Make “tickets” for your time capsule. Decorate each paper ticket with drawings and cut-outs appropriate to a different time period and place. Suggestion: Use the time periods from the picture books below (all written and/or illustrated by the author and illustrator of New Shoes) to identify time periods and places to visit. 3. Align each ticket with a picture book (again, you may choose to use the picture books below). Gather artifacts appropriate to each time/ place. 4. Play with your Time Travel Capsule! Invite friends and family to choose tickets. Read them the appropriate story and fill your capsule with relevant artifacts.
Black Radishes Paris, 1940s
Skating with the Statue of Liberty New York, 1942
The Price of Freedom Ohio, 1856 16
I, Matthew Henson North Pole, 1909
4-6 Activity
Jim Crow in the American South (from www.khanacademy.org)
Overview Jim Crow laws were laws created by white southerners to enforce racial segregation across the South from the 1870s through the 1960s. Under the Jim Crow system, “whites only” and “colored” signs proliferated across the South at water fountains, restrooms, bus waiting areas, movie theaters, swimming pools, and public schools. African Americans who dared to challenge segregation faced arrest or violent reprisal. In 1896, the Supreme Court declared Jim Crow segregation legal in the Plessy v. Ferguson decision. The Court ruled that “separate but equal” accommodations for African Americans were permitted under the Constitution. Jim Crow: A Symbol for Racial Segregation Jim Crow segregation was a way of life that combined a system of anti-black laws and race-prejudiced cultural practices. The term "Jim Crow" is often used as a synonym for racial segregation, particularly in the American South. The Jim Crow South was the era during which local and state laws enforced the legal segregation of white and black citizens from the 1870s into the 1960s. In the Jim Crow South, it was illegal for black Americans to ride in the front of public buses, eat at a “whites only” restaurant, or attend a “white” public school. There was also a subtler, social dimension to Jim Crow, which required that African Americans demonstrate subservience and inferiority to whites at all times. A black man who succeeded in business might find his shop burned to the ground by jealous whites. A black woman who failed to step off of the sidewalk to make way for a white man might be fired by her employer the following day. A black man who had a relationship with a white woman might be hanged in the middle of town. Most Southern whites interpreted any claim to pride or equality by African Americans as an affront. From the late 1800s, the name Jim Crow came to signify the social and legal segregation of black Americans from white. After the Civil War and Reconstruction, whites disenfranchised black men (by means of the poll tax, literacy test, and more), frequently relegated black workers to low-paying jobs, and poorly funded public schools for black children. In this way, whites in the Jim Crow South crafted a bitter web of political, economic, and social barriers to full and equal citizenship for their fellow black citizens.
Image of the character of Jim Crow, as portrayed by Thomas Rice, a famous blackface minstrel (a white theatre performer who painted his face in black makeup to caricature African American). Contemporary Contextualization: Childish Gambino, in his This is America video, uses stylized dance movements that are directly related to Jim Crow.
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Plessy v. Ferguson Rosa Parks wasn't the first person to challenge segregated transportation. More than fifty years earlier, an African American man from New Orleans named Homer Plessy challenged segregated train cars. In 1892, Plessy boarded a "whites-only" compartment on a train, and was arrested when he refused to move to a "colored" compartment when called upon to do so. (Plessy planned to be arrested, intending to test the constitutionality of Louisiana's segregation law by arguing that it violated the Fourteenth Amendment's guarantee of equal protection under the law for all citizens).
An African American man drinks out of a "colored" water cooler. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, 1939. Image courtesy Library of Congress.
Plessy's case against segregation wound its way through the court system, finally arriving in the Supreme Court in 1896. In a majority decision, the Court ruled that Louisiana's segregation law did not violate the Fourteenth Amendment so long as separate accommodations for whites and blacks were equal. Summarizing the majority ruling, Justice Henry Brown wrote, "We consider the underlying fallacy of the plaintiff's argument to consist in the assumption that the enforced separation of the two races stamps the colored race with a badge of inferiority. If this be so, it is not by reason of anything found in the act, but solely because the colored race chooses to put that construction upon it."
The Plessy ruling rendered racial segregation legal throughout the United States. Although Jim Crow segregation was practiced most fiercely in the Deep South, some segregationist practices, especially housing and job discrimination, existed elsewhere in the United States as well. The End of Jim Crow Jim Crow segregation came under increasing attack following the Second World War. In 1947, Jackie Robinson broke the color-line in baseball when he joined the Brooklyn Dodgers. In 1948, President Truman issued an executive order officially desegregating the US armed forces. But it was not until 1954 that the Plessy decision was overturned in the case of Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, when the Supreme Court ruled that segregated facilities were "inherently unequal." Throughout the 1960s, thanks to the work of the Civil Rights Movement, Jim Crow was dismantled piece by piece, through legislation that made it illegal to segregate public facilities, suppress voting, discriminate in housing, or prohibit interracial marriage. RIGHT-IN-THE-TEXT QUESTIONS: 1. During what time period were Jim Crow laws enforced in the South? 2. Name three things that Jim Crow laws made it illegal for African Americans to do. 3. What two supreme court cases addressed racial segregation? 4. According to the article, how was Jim Crow dismantled? 18
4-6 Activity
Stories from Youth in Birmingham, Alabama (from http://kidsinbirmingham1963.org/)
DEBORAH J. WALKER Age 12 in 1963 Deborah Walker recalls that fear and rage lived side-by-side for her while growing up in segregated Birmingham. She credits her guardian angels with inspiring her lifelong fight for equity.
On September 15, 1963, fear and rage erupted into a powerful passion to fight injustice at any cost. As I sat in my own Sunday school class at Saint Paul United Methodist Church a block away, Cynthia Wesley, Denise McNair, Carole Robertson, and Addie Mae Collins died in the bombing of the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church. As I ran towards the church, my mother’s voice rang in my ears. She was saying, “Come back, come back!” But, it was too late…there was no turning back. The insanity of racial prejudice and discrimination had to stop, and I had to play a larger role in ending them. As I continued towards the church, I heard the voices of my ancestors, and the spirit I call God loudly said, “Go forth, we will protect you.” A friend recently asked me who were my guardian angels growing up, who influenced my worldview. In addition to family and community, four persons come to mind. My pastor during my teen years and deliverer of the benediction at President Obama’s 2008 inauguration, Rev. Dr. Joseph E. Lowery who at 91 stills inspires me to hear the Social Gospel and continue to engage in social justice and human rights issues. My second mother, Mabel W. Phillips who was an exceptional science teacher, Christian educator, and role model for excellence. She believed in me and in all of the children and youth whose lives she touched. Two others were high school teachers, Cleopatra Goree and Katherine Robinson who believed that education was a key to freedom and inspired me to achieve educationally, become a lifelong learner, and a citizen of the world. Each spoke “truth to power,” had an indomitable spirit of compassion, and was a fierce warrior for creating a just and equitable world. Over the years, my personal and professional lives merged into a seamless system of beliefs that required me to challenge oppression based on race, gender, class, age, sexual orientation, religion, immigration status, physical/mental ability and other differences. In this spirit, I have used my cultural identities, worldview, and skills to create safe spaces for helping others honor their identities and worldviews, build alliances across racial and other differences, and work together to create a just and inclusive world.
CONNECTING SELF-TO-TEXT: 1. In this statement, Deborah J. Walker names some of her personal “guardian angels,” her mentors, role models, and teachers. Who are some of your personal “guardian angels” and why? 2. What does Deborah J. Walker mean by “speaking truth to power?” Have you ever spoken truth to power yourself? Do you know someone who has? 3. Deborah J. Walker talks about challenging oppression based on many different aspects of individual identity. For which aspects of your identity (i.e. race, class, gender, etc.) have you experienced oppression? If the answer is none, why do you think this might be? 19
4-6 Activity
Stories from Youth in Birmingham, Alabama (from http://kidsinbirmingham1963.org/)
MAMIE KING-CHALMERS Age 22 in 1963 On May 3, 1963, photojournalist Charles Moore caught an image of Mamie as she was slammed against a building by a blast of water from a high-powered fire hose. The iconic photo helped to rally the civil rights movement and energize people throughout the US. He [Dr. King] would be at Sixteenth Street Baptist Church at 6 o’clock. So my family went down to the church. A crowd of people was standing there waiting to get in. Dr. King explained to us that this is a non-violent march. “You might get kicked, you might get spit on, but tell the person that’s doing it, ‘I still love you just the same.’” We had intensive training, how to conduct yourself, how not to rebel. That particular night Dr. King was saying some of the same things that I wanted to hear. He said some people might lose their life, some people might go to jail. I didn’t care what happened. I wanted to take a part into the civil rights struggle. So he passed out a sheet of paper, told us to sign our names on it in case we get arrested, they would get us out. They didn’t have any money to get us out of jail. They would have to send up North. People up North sent money down there to get us out of jail. So I signed up for five days, to go to jail. We went to Bohemian Bakery because they didn’t serve black people. They gave us money to purchase items. What we were supposed to do was just walk in and grab whatever they had on the counter. So we grabbed salads, cakes, and chips, or whatever they had, sit down and start eating them. They called the paddy wagon. Paddy wagon came and loaded us up and took us down to the county jail. And I stayed in there five days. It was one of the most horrible experiences. The conditions where we was, the civil rights people, was horrible in there. This photo was taken after I got out of jail. About six, seven days later they was still marching. I went down again. This incident happened in Kelly Ingram Park right across the street from Sixteenth Street Baptist Church. Every day we would meet right in that park, and we was there getting ready, getting our assignments, where we was going to march from that day. Eugene “Bull” Connor, the police commissioner, ordered the fire department to put the water hose on us. “And that’s what they did. And they pushed us against the wall with the water hose. And today I’m deaf in one ear because of that. CONNECTING SELF-TO-TEXT: 1. Many civil rights victories came about because of the actions of brave individuals who risked their lives to fight for justice. What causes are worth fighting for today? 2. Mamie’s photo inspired great change. What other images have you seen, either in the media or in your own life, that have inspired similar changes? 20
K-3 Activity 4-6 Activity
Stepping: African-American Dance in Context When adapting New Shoes for the stage, director Lamar Legend thought: What better way to walk the world in Charlotte and Ella Mae’s shoes than through experiencing the uniquely African-American art of Stepping? Stepping, sometimes called step-dancing, is a dance form that evolved within black fraternities and sororities on college campuses in the early twentieth century (“The Divine Nine” Black Greek-Lettered Organizations) to celebrate pride in their AfricanAmerican culture. Many of these Greek organizations still hold the rights to perform routines developed by their group in the early 1900s. Drawing influence from African folk dances, military close-order and exhibition drills, and the stage routines of groups such as the Temptation and the Four Tops, these highly choreographed step routines use the body and voice as percussive instruments. Dances are passed down from generation to generation—learning a traditional step routine can represent a powerful way to connect with history and culture. Today, Stepping has become popularized through competitions and films such as Drumline (2002) and Stomp the Yard (2007). Other cultures have incorporated aspects of step into their own traditions. For example, many Latinx Greek organizations now perform Salsa and Merengue-influenced Step dances. Even Beyoncé’s 2018 Coachella performance incorporated traditional Step Dance. ACTIVITY: STEP DANCE Watch the following YouTube videos, one from a Historically Black College (HBCU), one from Beyonce’s Coachella performance, and one from a latino fraternity. Compare and contrast the choreography in each. Optional: Choose a short segment of choreography from one to learn and practice. Remember, some of these moves are copyrighted, so only perform for your friends and family. https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=xyyiFiCJ1AY&t=5s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pU7N1OsVEMo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4vuqS3v17Bw ACTIVITY: 4 COUNT GROUP DANCE In a standing circle, clap at a tempo for 8 counts: (Clap, Clap, Clap, Clap, Clap, Clap, Clap, Clap). Repeat the 8 count clap, counting aloud while you clap: (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8) Instruct your students that you will now all participate in a group dance. Each student will have 4 “claps” to dance and in the second 4, the class will repeat what the student did. Go around the circle until all have participated. HINT: Give your students time to practice before sharing with the group. 21
4-6 Activity
Entrepreneurship: Starting a New Business From the Discussion and Activity Guide for Teachers accompanying What Does it Mean to be an Entrepreneur? (2016, Little Pickle Press)
“Being an entrepreneur means identifying a need and being brave and determined enough to create an innovative solution.” Use the following line of inquiry to create a model for your own new business. As an example, consider Charlotte and Ella Mae’s new shoe business in New Shoes.
1. Define a problem Example from New Shoes: Ella Mae wanted to try on shoes before she bought them, but this wasn’t allowed at Johnson’s Shoes. What problems do you see in your community? Brainstorm options below:
2. Ask “What if?” to analyze possible solutions to the problem Example from New Shoes: What if Ella Mae started her own shoe store? Ask “What if?” below:
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4-6 Activity
3. Consider alternate methods Example from New Shoes: What if Ella Mae staged a protest of Johnson’s Shoes instead? What if‌? Consider your options below:
4. Design a product or service Example from New Shoes: Ella Mae opened her own shoe store. She gathered supplies by shining shoes in exchange for nickels and outgrown shoes. She used her profits to buy polish, make the outgrown shoes shine like new, and resell them out of her shed. Sketch your product or service in the space below:
List any supplies you will need, and how you will gather them: 1. 2. 3. 5. Present! Example from New Shoes: Charlotte and Ella Mae had all they needed to accomplish their project in their own backyard, so they did not need to present their idea to others. Imagine if they had had to convince a neighbor to use their shed for premises. That might require a presentation. Write a statement to share your idea with others. In this statement, identify who will benefit from your plan, tell how your product will be helpful, and explain how your idea will make an impact on others. Illustrate as needed! 23
K-3 Activity
Advertisement Design Activity: Design a poster that might be used to advertise Charlotte and Ella Mae’s Shoes. Consider what information might be relevant to your customers. Do they need to know where the store is located? How much shoes cost? What images might you include to make your advertisement persuasive— to convince customers to come? Draw and color in and around the saddle shoes in the space below:
4-6 Activity
Extension:
Imagine that Charlotte and Ella Mae were starting their business today. You have been tasked with creating a 30-second commercial to advertise their business. Consider what you might say. Would you use props? Costumes? Animations? Perform you commercial for a friend or family member. You may ask them to record your performance so you can evaluate it for efficacy. 24
4-6 Activity
Becoming an Activist
(Resources from http://www.teachhumanrights.com/youth-activism.html & https://www.accreditedschoolsonline.org/resources/student-activism-on-campus/)
In New Shoes, Ella Mae and Charlotte are not only entrepreneurs starting a business, they are activists working to upset the status quo of Jim Crow laws in the South. An activist is anyone who works to make change in society. Anyone, of any age, can be an activist. In fact, some of the most effective activism in history has been spearheaded by students, just like you.
Taking inspiration from these young people, choose an issue about which you feel passionately. Use the chart below to do a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) analysis of the issue. Example in italics for fighting for healthier school lunches. STRENGTHS: Healthier lunches= healthier kids Students perform better in school when they are well fed
WEAKNESSES: Healthier options are generally more expensive Student prefer less healthy options
OPPORTUNIES: Parents might be in support and help by bringing the issue to the PTA
THREATS: The school might have rules about who is allowed to provide school lunches
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K-3 Activity
Used Shoes = New Opportunities
Your new and gently-worn shoes help individuals start and sustain small businesses to lift themselves out of poverty. Donated shoes are a viable resource to help entrepreneurs provide crucial necessities for their families. Souls4Soles in a national program with the mission of creating sustainable jobs and providing relief through the distribution of shoes and clothing around the world. Inspire Activism in your students by hosting a classroom shoe drive which Souls4Soles will gladly accept. More information, visit their website at: https://soles4souls.org/shoe-drive/
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New Shoes Study Guide Sources: https://susanlynnmeyer.com/about/ https://susanlynnmeyer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/New-Shoes-HH-interview -.pdf http://www.ericvelasquez.com/bio/index.html https://nmaahc.si.edu/object/nmaahc_2012.137.2.7 http://www.tinysoles.com/sizing-charts.html
http://jeanreidy.com/2015/06/time-travel-for-kindergarteners-guest-post-by-susanlynn-meyer/ https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/us-history/the-gilded-age/south-aftercivil-war/a/jim-crow http://kidsinbirmingham1963.org/on-whose-shoulders-i-stand/#more-649 http://kidsinbirmingham1963.org/all-fired-up-and-ready-to-participate-again/#more -956 https://cdn.sourcebooks.com/assets/downloads/libraryresources/ WDIMTBEntrepreneur-EduGuide.pdf http://www.teachhumanrights.com/youth-activism.html https://www.accreditedschoolsonline.org/resources/student-activism-on-campus/
Book-It Repertory Theatre would like to thank the following Arts & Education Program Supporters Norcliffe Foundation
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