This discussion guide about the musical Parade will help middle and high school students and adults reflect upon and discuss the themes and artistic elements of Parade.
Ability, Disability and Ableism Educational Resources
Tools and Strategies
Explore with young people the experiences of people with disabilities, the bias and discrimination they face, and the struggle to continue fighting for their rights.
Use the short evocative videos and films in this lesson plan to engage young people in conversations about identity, diversity, bias and social justice.
Like Pepe the Frog, “Trollface” is a widely-used internet cartoon meme that has been appropriated and used by some white supremacists. Care must be taken not to make assumptions of the intent behind its use but to judge it only in context.
St. Michael’s Cross is a white supremacist symbol that originated in Romania in the years before World War II as the symbol of the fascist Iron Guard movement.
ALTERNATE NAMES: Archangel Michael's Cross, Iron Guard
“Moon Man” is a meme derived from a character in 1980s McDonald’s restaurant commercials that was appropriated by white supremacists, especially from the alt right, who attach it to racist songs, language and imagery.
The League of the South is a longstanding neo-Confederate white supremacist group that advocates for an independent, white-dominated South. Its symbol is intended to resemble the St. Andrew’s Cross on the Confederate flag.
ALTERNATE NAMES: Southern Nationalist Flag, Black Cross
The Jera rune is an ancient European runic symbol and part of the runic alphabet. It is one of a number of runic symbols that white supremacists have appropriated but is also commonly used by non-racist modern Norse pagans, so care needs to be taken in its evaluation.
The Identitarian lambda is a symbol used by people who identify with Identitarianism, a racist and anti-immigrant European far right movement loosely analogous to the alt right in the United States.
The Happy Merchant is a very common antisemitic meme popularized by the alt right, featuring a person with exaggerated stereotypically Jewish features and grasping hands, meant to convey a “greedy Jew.”
ALTERNATE NAMES: Jew Face, Merchant Face, Le Happy Merchant
Fasces are an ancient Roman symbol for authority and government coopted by Mussolini’s Fascist movement in Italy. Some white supremacists in the United States have recently adopted the symbol both because of its fascist connections and because it is more publicly acceptable than the swastika.
The “Bowlcut” is an image of a bowl-shaped haircut resembling the one sported by white supremacist mass killer Dylan Roof. People who use the “bowlcut” image or other “bowl” references admire Roof and call for others to emulate his racist murders.
“Anti-Antifa” images are white supremacist symbols and memes directed against antifa activists. Antifa (short for “anti-fascist”) are left-wing and anarchist activists who focus on directly confronting white supremacists.
Civics Lesson
GRADE LEVEL: High School How Were Youth Involved in the Civil Rights Movement?
Throughout history, young people have stepped up and into leadership roles during different civil rights and social movements. This was never more evident than in the Civil Rights Movement, where young people were on the frontlines of the Montgomery bus boycotts, Freedom Rides and sit-ins. Given that student activism is on the rise again across the U.S., understanding how those young voices…