Defining Ourselves for Ourselves: Exploring Black Queer Civic Activism with Young Children

As social studies teachers, the authors feel they have a moral and ethical responsibility to provide students with the knowledge, skills, and dispositions necessary to become active participants in democracy. This starts with a transformative social studies curriculum that promotes critical thinking, is meaningful and relevant to the lives of students, and reflects the vast diversity of schools and communities. By using the technique of "excavating the standards" teachers can intentionally teach about the visible and invisible identities of Black Queer activists in the elementary grades. The authors designed an inquiry using the C3 framework to intentionally center the civic activism of Black Queer citizens such as Pauli Murray, Marsha P. Johnson, and Audre Lorde. These three citizens were intentionally selected because their activism was rooted in their lived experiences as Black Queer citizens. Moreover, they uplifted their communities in very different ways that can inspire young children to creatively support their communities.