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The American Civil Rights Movement has often been misrepresented in textbooks, children's literature, and other curricular materials. With knowledge of the ongoing curricular distortion around Black history in P-12 curricula in mind, this article explores how a commonly used social studies curriculum, "Studies Weekly"®, represents the Civil Rights Movement in its "Standing for Freedom" Civil Rights curriculum package. Through a quantitative and qualitative content analysis, we reveal how the "Studies Weekly"® Civil Rights Curriculum distorts the Civil Rights Movement history by centering a White ally, Joan Trumpauer Mulholland. Ultimately the curricular materials portray Mulholland as a central figure in the movement, thereby marginalizing Black activists and offering a narrative of the movement that relies nearly exclusively on Mulholland's life and experiences. In doing so, we conclude, the "Studies Weekly"® curriculum does harm to the civic learning and potential of all students by failing to offer an appropriate vision of White allyship and activism.

The American Civil Rights Movement has often been misrepresented in textbooks, children's literature, and other curricular materials. With knowledge of the ongoing curricular distortion around Black history in P-12 curricula in mind, this article explores how a commonly used social studies curriculum, Studies Weekly®, represents the Civil Rights Movement in its Standing for Freedom Civil Rights curriculum package. Through a quantitative and qualitative content analysis, we reveal how the Studies Weekly® Civil Rights Curriculum distorts the Civil Rights Movement history by centering a White ally, Joan Trumpauer Mulholland. Ultimately the curricular materials portray Mulholland as a central figure in the movement, thereby marginalizing Black activists and offering a narrative of the movement that relies nearly exclusively on Mulholland's life and experiences. In doing so, we conclude, the Studies Weekly® curriculum does harm to the civic learning and potential of all students by failing to offer an appropriate vision of White allyship and activism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The American Civil Rights Movement has often been misrepresented in textbooks, children's literature, and other curricular materials. With knowledge of the ongoing curricular distortion around Black history in P-12 curricula in mind, this article explores how a commonly used social studies curriculum, Studies Weekly®, represents the Civil Rights Movement in its Standing for Freedom Civil Rights curriculum package. Through a quantitative and qualitative content analysis, we reveal how the Studies Weekly® Civil Rights Curriculum distorts the Civil Rights Movement history by centering a White ally, Joan Trumpauer Mulholland. Ultimately the curricular materials portray Mulholland as a central figure in the movement, thereby marginalizing Black activists and offering a narrative of the movement that relies nearly exclusively on Mulholland's life and experiences. In doing so, we conclude, the Studies Weekly® curriculum does harm to the civic learning and potential of all students by failing to offer an appropriate vision of White allyship and activism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]