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Engage in critical analysis of the film Voices of Baltimore: Life under Segregation that preserves oral histories of individuals who experienced life during the Jim Crow era in Maryland. The following six modules draw upon these personal accounts, primary sources and discussion questions to prompt dialogue and deeper reflection on these important issues.

Select a topic below to find lesson modules, video clips and additional primary and secondary sources to use in your classroom.

Tips for using the modules in your classroom

Oral history provides a unique role in preserving rich and untold history. In this module, interviewees discuss their reasons in sharing their personal narratives before, during and after desegregation in Maryland.

> Go to Introduction - Answering the Call

Youth served a unique role in national and local desegregation movements. In this module, participants share personal narratives regarding tense interactions at Hoopers Restaurant in Baltimore and more subtle experiences at Cove Restaurant. These oral histories highlight some of the national implications of desegregation.

> Go to Youth-led Desegregation Movements

Baltimore City youth share personal accounts of the desegregation of Baltimore City Schools. These narratives provide a glimpse into both local and national education movements as well as the interviewees’ perspectives of breaking social barriers and traversing the status quo.

> Go to Desegregation of Baltimore City Schools

Prominent Baltimoreans share their personal accounts involving transportation, food, entertainment, and leisure during the Jim Crow era. In this module, personal narratives from both a local and national perspective are shared.

> Go to Jim Crow Laws and Accounted Experiences

Primary accounts of intergenerational expectations are shared. In this module, narratives enlighten viewers to the underpinnings and implications of high and low expectations in children’s success.

> Go to Expectations

Over sixty years after the Brown v. Board of Education [1954] decision, there are still evidences of social unrest today. In this module, participants provide personal reflections regarding the relationship between past and present issues.

> Go to Then and Now