Those who Diced with Death

The document under study is the trailer for a TV series entitled “Underground”. It is about the Underground Railroad. We could see white characters who were the slave masters, some had guns, they were the slave catchers. We could also see a big house, the house of the slave master and its plantation of cotton with slaves working on it. Moreover, we could see the two main characters Rosalie, who is a house slave working in the big house and Noah, a slave who works outside on the plantation. They both planned to escape and to run away from their plantation thanks to the Underground Railroad. Furthermore, we can also see a couple of white people, who are station masters and abolitionists, helping fugitive slaves to escape. They are working with a free black man. It is interesting to note that fleeing the plantation is not an easy decision to take because it is often the slaves that are left behind that would pay the price.

Homework: Learn the lesson.

 Commonwealth Day

The document under study is a video about Commonwealth Day, published in March 2024. We have learned that the Commonwealth is composed of 56 nations with 2.5 billion citizens. Commonwealth Day happens every year on the second Monday of March. The main ceremony takes place at Westminster Abbey in London, UK. At the same time, there are other ceremonies across the world including The Caribbean, Africa, Asia, Oceania, The Pacific, the Americas and Europe.

The goal of Commonwealth Day is to promote unity, diversity, resilience and democracy. Moreover, despite the different cultures and traditions, the aim is to create one common bright future as it was the theme for Commonwealth Day in March 2024: “One Resilient Common Future”.

Homework: Learn the lesson.

 (At the following of what we did last time)

Moreover, he mentions the defiance of Malcom X, the soulfulness (passion) and the moral strength of Martin Luther King and the strength of Mohamed Ali as great inspirations for him to pursue his ambitions.

However, with all his travels overseas, he realized that race relations problems were not only an American issue. Indeed, he noticed that it is actually a human problem as people naturally divide themselves in their daily lives (working places, schools, churches…). As a result, they create assumptions and beliefs in stereotypes leading to tensions between communities.

To conclude, by willing to become the first African-American president his goal was to unite people and to convince them that differences can actually be enriching and empowering for everyone no matter the ethnic group they belong to.

Homework: Learn the lesson.

The Making of a Black President

The document under study is an interview of former President Barack Obama broadcast by the Atlantic in 2016. It is about his childhood experiences and feelings and thoughts when he decided to run for the White House. We have learned that Obama never doubted to get white support to win the presidency because he grew up being surrounded by his mother’s side of the family that were mainly white people. Therefore, he never though that people could judge him based on his skin color as a mixed-race person. Indeed, he did not feel that he had to prove anything to anyone. However, his only concern to be able to win the presidency was his age as he was a very young candidate.

In this interview, he mentions his family members: we learn that his father was a black man from Kenya and his mother an American from Kansas. He mainly grew up with his grandparents from his mother’s side. He also mentions his wife, Michelle, who mainly grew up in a black community that made her have a completely different perception of relationships with white people than the one Barack has.

 Homework: Learn the lesson.

The Making of a Black President

The document under study is an interview for The Atlantic of former President, Barack Obama in 2016. He shares about his personal background and his feelings and doubts when he decided to run for the White House as a young African-American candidate. We have learned that he never doubted to get white support to win the presidency as he grew up with his mother’s side of the family that were white people who lived and appreciated him as who he was. When he would meet other white people on the workspace, he would picture his grandparents, therefore he felt that he did not have anything to prove.

In this interview, he mentions his parents: his father was a black man from Kenya and his mother was an American from Kansas.

Moreover, he also mentions his wife, Michelle to contrast their respective childhoods and their experiences with white people as Barack had always felt at ease among white people contrary to Michelle as being African American growing up in        a mainly black community.

Homework: Learn the lesson.

 (At the following of what we did last time)

Nelson Mandela and FW De Klerk both were awarded of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1993 because they fought together to put an end to Apartheid.

To conclude, South Africa is nicknamed the “Rainbow Nation” because a rainbow is an arch of various colors that appears after the rain when the sun shines bright again. For South Africa, after Apartheid, everyone gained the same rights and unity came to the country among the different communities. Moreover, this new situation would lead to a brighter future for South Africans no matter the color of their skins. Furthermore, a rainbow is like a bridge that connects two places; for South Africa it is a metaphor to illustrate the fact that it connects two communities, the Blacks and the Whites to live in peace and in hope of a better future.

Homework: Learn the lesson.

 (At the Following of what we did last time)

The Nobel Peace Prize 1993 was awarded to both Nelson Mandela and FW De Klerk because they both worked for the end of Apartheid and made South Africa a democratic country.

To conclude, South Africa is nicknamed the “Rainbow nation” because it is a metaphor with the word “rainbow” with its different colors and it is linked to unity between people from different communities. With the end of Apartheid, South Africa gained this nickname to symbolize the end of this difficult period. It is to symbolize peace and a bright future for all whatever their color of skins.

Homework: Learn the lesson.

Land of the Free, Home of the Oppressed

The document under study is an interview of an African-American writer called Colson Whitehead introducing his novel entitled “The Underground Railroad”, released in 2017.

Before writing his book, he searched the Internet to find slave narratives in order to sound realistic and stick to the harshness of slavery even if he added fictional facts. Moreover, he read the lives of famous former slaves such as Frederick Doulgass and Harriet Jacobs. What is interesting to note is that in his novel, the Underground Railroad is a literal subway beneath the earth. As opposed to the reality, the Underground Railroad was a metaphoric network created by the runaway slaves and the abolitionists to escape from their slave masters in secret, using secret routes and communicating with a secret code.

Homework: Learn the lesson.

Land of the Free, Home of the Brave?

The document under study is an interview an African-American writer called Colson Whitehead. He wrote a novel entitled “The Underground Railroad”, published in 2017. We have learned that he was inspired from reality to create a fictional story around the Underground Railroad. In fact, in reality the Underground Railroad was a metaphoric network created by the fugitive slaves to escape in secret from their masters. However, in Whitehead’s book, he wrote about a real underground railroad built beneath the earth that his characters would take to go from the southern states to the free states in the North. Moreover, to write his novel he was inspired by slave narratives that he had read before, such as the lives of Harriet Jacob and Frederick Douglass, two famous former slaves.

Homework: Learn the lesson.

 (At the following of what we did last time)

The runaway slaves would travel from the southern states (the slave states) to the northern states (the free states). To avoid being caught easily, they would avoid the popular routes that would be watched over by the slave catchers and pro-slavery sympathizers.

Everyone was transported on the Underground Railroad to flee slavery: men, women, children and infants. As a group they used a secret code to travel with them, they were called “trains” or “wagons”.

Homework: Learn the lesson.

Complete the message of Harriet Tubman with the code of the Underground Railroad you received in class.

 (At the following of what we did last time)

Apartheid: it was a segregation system that separated Blacks and Whites in their daily lives in South Africa. They were living apart from one another. Moreover, there were inequalities and discrimination against people of color. On top of that, people had different rights according to their skin color. For example, Black people could not choose where they lived. They had to live in rural homelands or townships or ghettos near their place of work. In addition, they were not allowed to vote. To finish with, they were not allowed to choose their education.

The ANC, African National Congress, was a political organization created by students to fight against apartheid. It started as a non-violent movement. However, they decided to use sabotage after the government decided to ban their movement.

Mandela was sentenced to life imprisonment, meaning he would have to stay in jail for the rest of his life. He refused to be freed because he was a symbol of resistance to apartheid.

Homework: Learn the lesson.

Unit 3: Black Lives Matter

To what extent has public protest helped African Americans to get closer to equal rights?

Axe 7: Diversity adn Inclusion

Claudette Colvin: Civil-Rights Activist

The document under study is an article from Speakeasy news published on January 15^th 2026. It deals with Claudette Colvin’s story. Indeed, this article pays tribute to her life and legacy because she died/passed away 2 days prior the publication of this article. We have learned that her protest was a spontaneous one because she was inspired by two famous women anti-slavery activists: Sojourner Truth and Harriet Tubman.

After she was arrested her father decided to stay up at night with shotgun to ensure his daughter safety against the KKK.

Rosa Parks’ arrest did not lead her to the Supreme Court unlike Colvin and three other women who did the same. It was the Browder v. Gayle case that ended segregation in the transport system in the South.

Homework: Learn the lesson.

The Atlantic Slave Trade

The document under study is video from Ted Education published in December 2014. It is about the Atlantic slave trade. We have learned that the trade started in the late 1400s (15^th century) and ended in the middle of the 19^th century (1800s). There were 10 million Africans deported to the Americas. The trade was organized on three continents: Africa, North America and South America.

It all started with Portuguese colonies in West Africa who exchanged with Spanish settlements in the Americas. The impact of the slave trade was not only on the slaves and their descendants, but also on the economies and histories of the countries that were involved in the process.

In the new colonies, they cultivated cotton, sugar cane and tobacco. The Natives were the first enslaved people to take care of these crops. However, many Natives died because of the diseases brought buy the Europeans. As a result, the Europeans decided to buy slaves from Africa.

In Africa, African leaders were pleased to sell their criminals and prisoners of war in exchange of rifles and money in order to enrich themselves.

Homework: Learn the lesson.

 The Slave Trade

The document under study is from TED Education, published in 2014. It deals with the Atlantic slave trade. We have learned that it started in the middle of the 15^th century (1400s) and it ended in the 19^th century (1800s). It happened in Africa, North America and South America. There were more than 10 million slaves were deported. It all started with Portuguese colonies in West Africa and Spanish settlers in the Americas. Slavery not only had an impact on the slaves and its descendants but also on the economies and the histories of the countries involved in the process. In the new colonies, cotton, tobacco and sugar canes were cultivated. The first enslaved people were the Natives. However, they caught diseases brought by the Europeans and many of them died. Moreover, some others tried to protect themselves against the European settlers. As a result, the settlers decided to look for another work force in Africa.

In Africa, African leaders sold their slaves, their criminals and prisoners of wars to the white colonists in exchange of weapons and to enrich themselves.

Homework: Learn the lesson.

The Queen of Pop Culture – A Media Savvy Monarch

The document under study is a video from Good Morning America published in September 9^th 2022, the day after the death of Queen Elisabeth II. We have learned the Queen was nicknamed the Queen of Pop Culture because throughout her reign we could see her face in many different types of media (the press, magazines, the radio, TV, currencies, stamps…).

The Queen had always had an elegant and classic style, with her classic hats and handbags wearing bright colors to stand out. In fact, she had created her own style that would her signature.

At the beginning of her reign, she would appear on TV, on photos, magazines… Then, more recently, she was portrayed in movies, TV series, and cartoons. She also was the subject of songs and pieces of art. In addition, she featured with Daniel Graig in a short film for the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games of 2012 in London.

 Homework: Learn the lesson.

The Queen of Pop Culture – A Media Savvy Monarch?

The document under study is a video from Good Morning America, published in 2022 right after Queen Elisabeth II died. We have learned that she was nicknamed “The Queen of Pop Culture” because we could see her face on several types of media throughout her reign. Indeed, for example, we could see her on the press, on Pound bills and coins, on stamps, on magazines and newspaper, on the radio, on TV…

On top of that, she had a distinct style of dress: she would wear hats and purses and dresses with bright colors and monochrome as to stand out.

At the beginning of her reign, her face was already famous thanks to newspapers, currencies, magazines, books… years after years she began to be portrayed in movies, cartoons and TV series on the small and big screens. Moreover, more recently she went on social media to reach the younger generations. In addition, we can also hear about her and see her in pieces of art (songs and paintings…). Furthermore, she even starred in the ceremony of the Olympic Games that took place in London in 2012.

Homework: Learn the lesson.

The Underground Railroad

The document under study is a video about the Underground Railroad in the 19^th century.  We have learned that there were individuals and families who were committed to the anti-slavery cause and helped many slaves to flee the South. There were abolitionists, code name: Station masters who would provide fugitive slaves safe places in their houses to hide them from the slave catchers and to allow them to rest as well in the middle of their journey.

(We will continue the study of the video next time. Be ready!)

Unit 3: Black Lives Matter

To what extent has public protest helped African-Americans get closer to equal rights?

Axe 7: Diversity and Inclusion

The Rosa Parks Story – Tired of giving in: The bus ride that changed America (1955)

Rosa Parks can be seen as a hero because she was one of the first women, after Claudette Colvin, who refused to give up her seat to a white passenger in a segregated bus in Montgomery Alabama. Moreover, thanks to this action, she is seen as a hero because everyone remembers her. On top of that, she is also the figure of a bigger movement involving different personalities that also had an impact on the Civil Rights movement of the 1950s.

The NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) chose to wait for the right person to challenge the bus segregation laws so that they would not be blamed or beaten off for anything else. Indeed, a black man could have beaten off to death; Claudette Colvin, even though already was arrested for having challenged the segregation laws, was a teenage girl who was pregnant and not married. She would have been accused of being promiscuous. Hence, Rosa Parks was perfect because she had no criminal records, nothing to blame as she was a married woman who also had a proper job.

Homework: Learn the lesson.

An Heir and a Spare

The document under study is an extract from Prince Harry’s memoirs entitled “Spare” published in 2023. In this extract, he shares about his family. More precisely, he remembers his mother, Princess Diana, as being a loving mother toward her two sons. Moreover, she wanted peace and love between William and Harry and their father. He shares about these values about his mother at a time when the Royal family is divided. In fact, the word “duel” refers to the fact that the two brothers do not get along well because Meghan Markel Harry’s wife, was not well welcome in the family, as a result, they decided to leave the country to go live in the USA.

In this extract, Harry is back in the UK to attend the funerals of his grandfather. However, he feels stressed, lonely and insecure because he feels rejected by his family because of his personal choices. His mother was peaceful and loving, nevertheless, there is a contrast with the Royal family nowadays who seem to be deprived of love.

Furthermore, he has also planned to meet with his father and brother. However, he feels stressed, intimidated and overwhelmed. When Charles and William show up they are described as threatening. The meeting appears to be conflictual.

To conclude, Harry sees the Royal family as an institution as he set a sort of emotional distance between them, but also physically with his departure to the USA. Harry can be considered as a modern shift in the monarchy as he is one of the few who were ready to break with the Royal institution for personal reasons. Nonetheless, at the same time, having a meeting with his brother and father could be a way to find a compromise.

Homework: Learn the lesson.

Be ready for the Final Project => Monday, January 26th => Let's Talk Royals!

An Heir and a Spare

The document under study is an extract from Prince Harry’s memoirs entitled “Spare”, published in 2023. In this extract, he is sharing about a different face of the Royal family and the consequences of his departure from the Royal family to live in the USA with his wife.

He shares about his mother, describing her as a symbol of peace and love. Her wish was to bring peace all over the world through her charity work, but also to have a family with less conflict as possible. However, nowadays, there are tensions in the Royal family that is divided because Harry’s wife, Meghan Markel, was not well welcome in the family.

Moreover, there has been an ongoing rivalry between the two brothers (Harry and William) that reinforced when Harry chose to leave the country.

In this extract, Harry is back in the UK to attend the funerals of his grandfather, Prince Philip. He planned to meet with his father and his brother. He feels a bit stressed and anxious about this meeting. When they show up, they seem to be deprived from love towards Harry.

To conclude, Harry sees the Royal family as an institution from which he had been rejected because of his personal choices. The fact that he left the Royal family can be seen as if he seemed not to want to be part of the monarchy anymore. Nevertheless, at the same time, he is looking for a connection with his brother and father as if he was looking for a compromise.

Homework: Learn the lesson.

Be ready for the Final Project => Monday, January 26th => Let's Talk Royals!

Unit 3: The Secret Road to Freedom

How did a chain of diverse people save thousands of slaves from the Deep South?

Axes: Identity and Exchanges – Diversity and Inclusion

Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad.

The document under study is a painting showing a black family in the woods at night, they seem to be trying to escape from someone.

We can also see a woman heading the group holding a rifle, helping and guiding the group to escape from something by protecting them (stretching her left arm). We can deduce that this woman is the famous Harriet Tubman, an African-American woman who escaped from/ ran away from/ fled slavery in the South of the USA to go to up North/ to the northern states. Then, she came back several times in order to free other slaves. Therefore, on this painting we can see a family of fugitive slaves escaping from slavery in the 19^th century.

Running away from slavery was not easy, the fugitives slaves took great risks assumed by the use of a firearm. Indeed, it was dangerous as they were chased by slave-catchers who could be very violent with runaways. Despite the dangerousness of the situation, there were families, as we can see it on the painting with the little baby, who were ready to take any risks to go away from slavery.

To conclude, this painting represents the process of escaping through the Underground Railroad. Harriet Tubman was a conductor on the Underground Railroad.

Homework: Learn the lesson.

 -The Commonwealth of Nations-

The Life of Nelson Mandela

We have learned that Nelson Mandela was born in South Africa in 1918. His real name was Rolihlahla. Because his father was an African chief, it gave him access to school and to university. He studied law and became a lawyer. Afterwards, he joined a political party called the African National Congress (ANC). This political party fought against the government and its ethnicity rules. Members of the ANC organized a lot of boycotts to denounce the inequalities between Blacks and Whites in South Africa. Indeed, they were protesting against Apartheid. From April 1964 to 1990, Mandela was in jail. When he got out of prison, he received the Nobel Peace Prize with FW de Klerk. One year later, in 1994 he was elected president of South Africa. In 1999, he retired from politics. He died in 2013.

Homework: Learn the lesson.

Be ready for our field trip to see the play: The Life of Nelson Mandela on Thursday.

Prince Harry at the Invictus Games

The document under study is a video of the speech of Prince Harry during the opening ceremony of the Invictus Games in Vancouver, British Columbia (Province), Canada, in 2025. At first, he wants to honor the peoples from the First Nations because they are hosting the games on their lands. Moreover, he is addressing to the veterans who are taking part to the games. In his speech, he highlights the values of courage, respect, mutual support unity and equality. These are words late Queen Elisabeth would not have used. Therefore, Harry demonstrates a form of progress and modernization of the monarchy. It shows that the British royal family care about the other countries. They are not centered on themselves but they wish to connect more with the rest of the world.

(We will continue the study of the vidoe next time. Be ready)

Homework: Learn the lesson.