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Lesson Plan, Video, Activity :

Lesson Plan, Video, Activity Early South Asian Immigration

  • Grade Level 6th-8th Grade
  • Time Period Late 1800s - Early 1900s
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Introduction

This lesson is an exploration of how South Asian Muslims immigrated and built lives in the U.S. during the time of Chinese and Asian exclusion. Although initially classified as “white,” orientalist discourse cast South Asians as “others” who found welcome in African American communities.

Learning Objectives:
Students will:

  • Complete an inquiry using primary and secondary source documents and construct a narrative about South Asian immigrants in New Orleans during the late 19th and early 20th centuries

Essential Questions

  • What does the story of Moksad and Ella tell us about race in the United States?

  • Why do you think the African American community was one of the few that would welcome South Asian immigrants?

  • What do we know about multiracial coalitions in U.S. history?

  • In the clip, Sharmila Sen discussed how the United States runs on a system of racial hierarchy. What does Sen mean by the phrase “racial hierarchy”? Is this phrase still relevant today?

  • Sen repeats the phrase “We’re not black. We’re not black. We’re not black.” repeatedly to emphasize what point?