Volume 5, No. 3 (Winter 2003) -- Special Issue on Tolerance

Vol. 5, no. 3 (Winter 2003): | National Campaign for Tolerance | A Personal Perspective | Activities About Diversity, K-3 Lesson Plan | Power of Community, Grade 4-6 Lesson Plan | Teacher Talk, Grade 7-9 Lesson Plan | Call For Reflections on Brown v. Board | Using the Internet | Book Nook | Migration and Immigration, Grade 10-12 Lesson Plan |

More than two years ago, the Southern Poverty Law Center began a National Campaign for Tolerance to provide a unifying theme for its programs and serve as a vehicle to mobilize supporters into community activists. The Campaign is co-chaired by Rosa Parks and Morris Dees. The goal is to enlist five million people to participate in tolerance initiatives.

Although there is no fixed time limit on the Campaign, supporters hope it will peak on Dec. 1, 2005, the 50th anniversary of Rosa Parks' refusal to give up her bus seat — the spark that set off the modern-day Civil Rights Movement.

The Campaign for Tolerance emphasizes the same courage of ordinary people that made the Movement a success and offers people the opportunity to actively participate in the struggle against hate and racism.

The Southern Poverty Law Center will send individuals who sign on to the Campaign a Citizen's Action Kit with the booklet 101 Tools for Tolerance and Ten Ways to Fight Hate. Also included in the kit is a Declaration of Tolerance, which individuals can sign as their commitment to taking positive actions.

To fulfill the pledge, signers promise to:

• examine their own biases and work to overcome them;
• set a positive example for family and friends;
• work for tolerance in their own community;
• speak out against hate and injustice.

On the website www.tolerance.org, are resources for educators and direct links to a long list of lesson plans examining tolerance issues. Four lesson plans have been highlighted in this issue of the Brown Quarterly. In addition, a list of other websites with lesson plans of interest to teachers and a book list can be found in this issue.

For more information on the Campaign for Tolerance and resources available, go to the web site www.tolerance.org or contact the National Campaign for Tolerance, Southern Poverty Law Center, 400 Washington Ave, Montgomery, Alabama, 36104 or email nct@splcenter.org. Educators are always welcome to submit suggestions, lesson plans or other resources.

The Brown Foundation is pleased to publish this newsletter for classroom teachers through which we will share resources available from national parks and museums. Established to maintain the legacy of the Brown decision, our organization plays an exciting role as a park partner. In 1990 we were instrumental in developing Brown v. Board of Education National Historic Site in Topeka, Kansas. We hope you enjoy the Brown Quarterly and we eagerly anticipate your comments.

Executive Director: Cheryl Brown Henderson

Program Associate: Linda Brown Thompson

Editor/Design: Grace L. Wilson gracewilsoneditor [at] cox.net

Mailing Support: Chelsey Smith