>> Order classroom sets of the Rights Matter curriculum
The Bill of Rights Education Project, which is based at the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts,develops innovative strategies of citizenship education that are designed to make the Bill of Rights relevant to young people. Founded in November 1987 by its current director, Nancy Murray, the Project encourages teachers and middle and high school students to think critically about the difficult issues being debated in society and the courts, seeing this as essential to the future well-being of democracy.
Through our publications, school visits, student and teacher conferences and summer institutes, we have sought to give educators, administrators and young people the tools to work for a society in which civil liberties and civil rights will be safeguarded and for schools in which all students will be fully engaged in the learning process.
In 1993, in cooperation with Teens as Community Resources and the Massachusetts Student Alliance Against Racism and Violence, we launched Project HIP-HOP (Highways into the Past: History, Organizing and Power). This innovative "rolling classroom" took a diverse group of high school students on a 5,000-mile tour of the South each summer, visiting key sites of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 60s and meeting with Movement veterans and young people who were involved in working for positive social change. In 1996 Project HIP-HOP journeyed to
South Africa
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In the post-tour phase of Project HIP-HOP, student participants visited over 300 schools, colleges and community centers, talking about their experiences and Movement history. They also created their own curriculum, and produced the newspaper, Rising Times. In late 2001 Project HIP-HOP became an independent organization under the leadership of students it had nurtured over the years.
To learn about forthcoming Bill of Rights Education Project events and resources, contact Nancy Murray.
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Nancy Murray is the author of Rights Matter: the Story of the Bill of Rights. Nancy holds a B.A. from
Becky Branting is the designer of Rights Matter and its website. Becky is an educational media producer, writer and activist. She holds a masters degree in Education from
