Falling for Fascism
Year 3 Dedicated to MJG In the wake of Trump’s second election and subsequent inauguration, students asked if they and their families were going to get deported. We felt scared and powerless. However, in our United States history class we had recently finished a unit on the Bill of Rights. Students knew that the 4th Amendment protects them and their families from unlawful searches and seizures, and that law enforcement needs a warrant before entering their private residences. We learned that the 5th Amendment gives us the right to remain silent, so that no person is compelled to be a witness against themselves. To connect these lessons to our current context, a practice continually encouraged in professional development, I printed out “Know Your Rights” flyers for students to take home to their families. I made sure that these documents came from a credible city agency, the NYC Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs, which made it clea...