How do people advocate for the rights of their communities in the face of violence?

Civics

• SS.9-12.CV.1. Distinguish between the rights, roles, powers and responsibilities of individuals and institutions in the political system and analyze the marginalization of multiple groups and perspectives in that system.
• SS.9-12.CV.8. Analyze the methods individuals can use to challenge laws to address a variety of public issues.

History

• SS.9-12.H.1. Evaluate the context of time and place as well as structural factors that influence historical developments.
• SS.9-12.H.3. Evaluate the methods used to promote change and the effects and outcomes of these methods on diverse groups of people.
• SS.9-12.H.7. Identify and analyze the role of individuals, groups and institutions in people’s struggle for safety, freedom, equality and justice.
• SS.9-12.H.8. Analyze key historical events and contributions of individuals through a variety of perspectives, including those of historically underrepresented groups.
• SS.9-12.H.10. Identify and analyze ways in which marginalized communities are represented in historical sources and seek out sources created by historically oppressed peoples. 
• SS.9-12.H.11. Analyze primary and secondary historical sources from multiple vantage points and perspectives to identify and explain dominant narratives and counternarratives of historical events. 

It’s time to show how much you’ve learned in this module! 

By now, you have thought about the Battle of Fort Dearborn and the Black Hawk War as part of fights for Indigenous homelands, looked at rhetoric as a form of activism for Indigenous intellectuals in the early 20th century, and analyzed photographic evidence of Indigenous activism for local and national causes in the 1960s and 1970s. 

As a recap, Indigenous activism and resistance takes many forms. Sometimes, it has looked like armed resistance, as when Indigenous soldiers fought back against settler invasions onto Indigenous homelands. Other times, it has looked like using public speaking and writing to raise awareness and influence public opinion to support Indigenous issues. Still other times, it has looked like marches, occupying buildings, fund raising, and working with policy makers to shape laws. 

Now,

1. Our core question this module has been: How do people advocate for the rights of their communities in the face of violence? Break the question down and review your notes from across the module as you prepare your response. 

2. Looking back to the stories you’ve learned from Indigenous Chicago, find specific examples of the strategies Indigenous people have used to protect their homelands and advocate for their communities in the face of colonial invasions, dispossessions, and violations of their rights.  

3. Return to the Hook. What was your definition of activism then? How would you define activism now?

4. Craft a thesis that shares your take on the question above. 

5. Using stories from Indigenous Chicago, build descriptions of the supporting evidence that illustrates your argument. If you’ve completed Module 3, you can connect what you learned in this unit with the stories of the Chicago American Indian Conference and community organizing in Chicago in the 1950s. This can help you connect how Chicago’s role as a gathering place for Indigenous people has shaped approaches to activism in the city. 

6. Construct a conclusion that summarizes your evidence and argument. 

Indigenous activism in Chicago has led to a number of legislative changes recently! In 2023, Illinois passed three pieces of legislation in support of Native people. 

1. Research the three laws. What do they promise?

2. Which strategies for advocacy did Native people in the Chicago region use to get the laws passed?

3. Compare these strategies with the ones you saw across the module. Where are they similar? Where are they different?

4. Brainstorm how any Chicagoan (Native or non-Native) could help make sure these new laws are implemented correctly. Create an infographic to educate others about at least one of the laws and what they can do to support the law’s implementation.