Classroom Conversations on Injustice and Oppression

This program originally aired on 4-24-18 When Leigh Ann Erickson taught in Chicago and New York, she witnessed the effects of social injustice every day. But the view from small town Iowa can be very different. That’s why Erickson founded a social justice course, an African American literature course, and the CARE Conference at Mount Vernon High School. Through this curriculum, Erickson hopes to broaden her students' perspectives about income inequality, race, and the criminal justice system. "Our system of oppression is just continually pushing down young people. Coming to Mount Vernon, I felt a great responsibility to do something with that knowledge," Erickson says. "My goal was to provide students with experiences that would help them build relationships with people who were different from them." On this edition of Talk of Iowa , host Charity Nebbe talks with Erickson about the social justice course she designed for Mount Vernon students, what she's learned from teaching it, and