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A More Perfect Union: Using Obama’s Speech on Race to Spark Classroom Discussions on Inclusion and Diversity

As the president completes his first 100 days in office, educators and students have a timely opportunity to revisit Barack Obama's words on race relations.

When Barack Obama delivered an unprecedented speech on race during the 2008 presidential race, it got the nation talking.

Because of its wide-ranging and often personal examination of racial divisions in America, “A More Perfect Union” gave whites and blacks equal opportunity to explore their beliefs about each other, and about other racial groups. And even though the presidential race is long over, Obama’s speech remains a powerful springboard for discussion — one that can be used in the classroom to help students understand racial grievances and move towards a more inclusive and diverse future.

The educators at RaceBridges for Schools, a nonprofit initiative that offers free lesson plans on diversity and interracial understanding, recently developed a lesson plan based on Obama’s groundbreaking speech in Philadelphia. The lesson plan is designed to spark discussions and help students:

Make connections between America’s history and our current understanding of race
Empathize with both black and white understandings of race
Imagine ways that we might all work together for the good of the country

So, how can you use this in your classroom? The authors of that lesson plan offer the following suggestions to get students talking.

Connecting History to the Present
Citing the first few words of the U.S. Constitution — “We the people…in order to form a more perfect union” — Obama began his speech by talking about the noble goals of our founding fathers. He encouraged Americans to continue to work toward that more perfect union.

Educators can use this portion of the speech to encourage students to:

Look more closely at the Constitution and think about what the founders meant by a more perfect union
Using history books as a guide, think of 5-10 ways in which the U.S. has changed over its history to become “more perfect”

Fostering Empathy and Understanding
Though the speech was largely in response to the inflammatory comments of his pastor, Reverend Jeremiah Wright, Obama broadened his address to include his personal experience as a biracial American. He openly acknowledged difficult feelings on both sides, including the resentment of whites and the anger of blacks.
These passages can help students better understand their own feelings about race, and how communities come to blame one another. Questions to ask include:

Have you ever heard people in your own community blame their problems on another group of people, of a different race, immigration status?
Do you have any ideas for how we can heal the racial frustrations on both sides?

Looking Forward and Working Together
Obama called on all Americans to keep working together to “perfect our union” and to “move in the same direction — toward a better future for our children and our grandchildren.” These powerful words provide an opportunity for students to decide what that work means, and how they can move forward in their own generation.
RaceBridges suggests that educators get students thinking about:

How can we work together to bridge our differences and better our nation?
And what exactly should we be working on?

For the complete lesson plan for "A More Perfect Union" or for more units on a variety of themes about how to incorporate diversity issues into your classroom, visit www.RaceBridgesforSchools.com.

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