Students in mixed race classrooms often find it difficult to discuss race. Using an assignment where students must have a conversation with someone who lived during the Civil Rights Movement (CRM) brings an element of oral history into the discussion of race and ethnicity. Students are able to discuss race using a historical lens from the perspective of their conversation partner rather than their own. Sharing opinions and observations from an oral history advantageously allows students the ability to distance themselves from the emotionally charged subject. The discussion ultimately leads to comments regarding the current racial climate in the United States. This article highlights students’ experiences talking with an elder about race, having a conversation about race in a mixed race classroom, and the role of this assignment.
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