How can educators equip students to move beyond learning history to actively shaping a more just future? Join experts from the Smithsonian National Museum of American History to explore how object-based learning can deepen student engagement with the Civil Rights Movement. Presenters will discuss strategies for integrating primary sources and material culture into classroom instruction using the museum's online collections database. Through case studies and practical examples, participants will examine how historical objects can serve as entry points for critical thinking, civic engagement, and student-driven inquiry, leaving with concrete tools to connect past struggles for justice with contemporary issues and their own roles as informed citizens.

Where To Meet:

Meet between 10:15 am - 10:30 am in the National Museum of American History's Constitution Avenue lobby just after going through security. Session programming takes place from 10:30 pm - 12:30 pm.