If we do not know and understand the history of race in the United States, we cannot fully understand American history and who we are as a country. Self-Evident Media envisions a world where all young people understand and honestly assess the ways that race and racism have been intentionally constructed. Through this education they will be able to accurately analyze the present, and imagine a future where racism can be intentionally dismantled.
Mission
We create highly engaging, multimedia, educational tools for educators, students, and communities. These tools will inspire critical conversations around the histories and legacies of the creation and weaponization of race.
The Need
Because the American public does not critically understand the history and legacies of racism, they cannot put contemporary institutional racism (including, but not limited to: mass incarceration, unemployment, wealth inequality, police brutality, access to opportunity) into its proper context.
Many teachers want to engage with the important histories and legacies of systemic racism, but they don't have the experience or resources to know how to do it honestly and rigorously, and so they simply avoid it. This continues to perpetuate a lack of deep understanding of our past.
Our Current Programs
Self-Evident Media was conceived as a multimedia curriculum and professional learning community. It will act as a catalyst for teachers and students to delve deeply into race and racism in American history. We will provide access to short multimedia episodes (think combination podcast, documentary film, infographic, music videos, visual art, etc.) imbued with the philosophy of multimedia learning theory and the sensibility of museum education.
These tools will focus on critical moments, movements, people, and ideas from American history that can help to build a deeper understanding of race and the role it has played and continues to play in the United States. Episodes will ask students to participate actively. They will speak to students in the ways they are comfortable with: a multimedia format. Ultimately, we will ask that students be producers of their own knowledge about the stories that matter.