Page 22 - Paths to Change

About the Text This graph appeared in the New York Times article, “Black Lives Matter May Be the Largest Movement in U.S. History” on July 3, 2020. The article describes the unprecedented number of protests and high protestor turnout nationwide. As of July 3rd, 2020, there had been more than 4,700 demonstrations across the U.S., averaging 140 demonstrations each day. This informational text presents students with an opportunity to examine the timeline of protests based on the number of occurrences. Provide time for students to examine the graph and allow questions to form organically. Encourage students to consider patterns or changes in the number of protests and hypothesize reasons for these changes. Make connections between the data and other events, or protest extensions, that occurred during the summer of 2020 – what were the protest numbers during these events? Are there any correlations? Challenge students to examine the data as it is, reading the graph like they would any other text, but taking care not to make assumptions. Explore the idea of how the graph could be used to both prove and disapprove the effectiveness of protests and how numeric data can be (and often is) manipulated to tell a specific story or further a specific ideology. Student Questions & Potential Responses 1. What patterns, if any, are present in the data? To what might you attribute the pattern(s)? There is one day each week where the number of protests is dramatically higher than the days around it. This could be in response to news coverage, the occurrence of an event or incident that relates to protest issues or something as simple as the day of the week (i.e. weekday versus weekend). 2. Why are the dates June 6th and Juneteenth highlighted on the graph? June 6th stands out as holding the single-day record for the highest number of protests. June 19th, or Juneteenth is highlighted as a date of significance because it is a holiday celebrating the emancipation of enslaved African Americans by federal order in 1865. 3. What factor(s) could have contributed to the changes in the number of protests from day to day over time? Motivated and impassioned individuals drive protests making protest organization and participation subject to the energy and support around movements. Changes in protesting could also be due to a Text 3: Protest Graph Educator Guide The Black Inquiry Project 21