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Social Justice Class Welcomes Howard School Student Leaders

Callie Hamilton's class hosts students from Howard School for lunch and conversation.
GPS history teacher Callie Hamilton’s social justice class hosted student leaders from Howard School during their visit to the GPS campus last week. The gathering was organized by Mrs. Hamilton and Howard School Vice Principal Dr. Charles Mitchell as a way for students to exchange opinions and perspectives.

The students ate lunch together, or “broke bread,” as Dr. Mitchell described it, and Howard students enjoyed an informal tour of our campus. “Institutionalized stereotypes occur in society when we remain isolated from each other,” Dr. Mitchell says. “We want to make sure we are equipping our students with experiences together, to learn from each other and about each other.”

The GPS social justice class explores the historic roots of racism and sexism and how Americans have pushed their nation to live up to its foundational ideals. “But you can’t ‘do’ social justice from behind a desk,” Hamilton says. “Working toward a more egalitarian society begins with building relationships and recognizing the common humanity within each individual.”

Mrs. Hamilton and her class will visit Dr. Mitchell and his leadership students next month at Howard to continue their partnership, and both groups of students plan to travel together to the National Civil Rights Museum in Birmingham in early 2019.
 
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