Lesson Plan, Video, Activity “Victimized Twice”: 9/11/2001, South Asian Americans & Islamophobia
- Grade Level 3rd-12th Grade
- Time Period 1990 - Present
Introduction
Students will learn about the various ways South Asian Americans have experienced disproportionate and targeted racial profiling, hate crimes, and other acts of discrimination. They will also learn about the ways in which South Asian Americans responded to the 9/11 attacks and the aftermath, providing insight into how immigrant communities are often caught between the pressures of representing themselves in a way that appeals to the expectations of the status quo, and the desire to practice their culture and traditions in a way that allows them to fully embrace their cultural and ancestral identity.
Essential Questions
How did the 9/11 attacks change the way South Asian Americans were perceived and treated? How have other Asian Americans or other racial or ethnic groups been treated similarly?
What risks did the perceptions pose for South Asian Americans?
What were ways in which some South Asian Americans countered these perceptions?
How did the 9/11 attacks influence America’s policies on immigration?
What is Islamophobia? How do local and global events influence Islamophobia?