People are increasingly familiar with redlining and gentrification as processes that produce racially unjust conditions in housing. But these on their own are not enough to understand the deeply rooted policies and practices of racial exclusion that make up the history of housing in the Bay Area and that continue to shape its current housing landscape. Part of addressing structural racism is understanding what caused it, as well as learning about how individuals and communities have resisted it and put forward alternatives. This work must also be grounded in radical imagination that illuminates future scenarios and solutions and engages in action that brings these visions to life. This project is an attempt to make more accessible these histories, processes, visions, and actions in the hopes that teaching and learning about them can lead to justice, needed repair, and belonging for all.
The curricular materials and resources on this page center on the issue of race and housing and were co-created by a cohort of teachers collaborating with the Othering and Belonging Institute and other researchers and practitioners. Resources on this page are interdisciplinary in nature and are rooted in social and racial justice education. On this webpage, you will find two types of resources: 1) K-12 curriculum and 2) presentations on race and housing. The K-12 curricular units were designed by Bay Area teachers and follow project-based learning principles. This curriculum features three units: one on Place & Identity, one on Afrofuturism, and one on Racial Capitalism. Each unit has a unit overview as well as student-facing materials. This curriculum can be used as is, or adapted for various grade levels and settings. The presentations on race and housing were developed by Othering and Belonging Institute staff and community partners for OBI's summer teacher fellowship.